Vroum Vroum Mag 'a very good mare' according to Willie Mullins

The view from connections ahead of the OLBG Mares' Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Vroum Vroum Mag will bid to continue her seemingly unstoppable rise through the ranks by landing a first Grade One success and enhancing Willie Mullins' enviable record in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Since the inception of the two-and-a-half-mile prize in 2008 the Closutton handler has claimed it a staggering seven times, with only the inaugural running of the prize failing to go his way.

While it is unlikely the seven-year-old will ever match Quevega's six straight wins, a bold bid looks forecast to give Mullins, who also saddles Gitane Du Berlais, an eighth triumph, along with atoning for owner Rich Ricci's near-miss 12 months ago after suffering the anguish of Annie Power falling at the last with the race at her mercy.

Mullins, who still won last year's renewal thanks to Glens Melody, said: "I'm very, very happy with Vroum Vroum Mag, she's in tip-top form.

"She has run in the races that have been there for her. I don't have any problem racing [against] the geldings, but the programme of races was there and they were nice races.

"I have been taken with her performances from a visual perspective, rather than what she has beaten.

"She just goes along nicely before Ruby (Walsh) changes hands and she picks up two gears. I think she is a very good mare.

"You would have slight concerns about quicker ground for her but the ground is always safe at Cheltenham."

Last year's runner-up Polly Peachum will attempt to go one better in what is likely to be her final race before heading off to stud.

Although turned over at odds-on her return to action at Kempton in November the eight-year-old showed she is still a force to be reckoned with against her own sex when ploughing through the mud at Sandown to claim her fourth win at Listed level.

Trainer Nicky Henderson said: "She's in very, very good order - couldn't be better in fact. She did her last piece of work last Tuesday so let's hope for the best in what will almost definitely be her last race before going to the paddocks."

Another to return for a second crack is last year's third Bitofapuzzle who reverts back to hurdles for the first time since landing a Grade One at Fairyhouse last April after an indifferent campaign over fences.

Despite winning her first start over larger obstacles at Exeter the wheels have since fallen off for the eight-year-old, one of two runners in the race for trainer Harry Fry alongside Desert Queen, having failed to complete both her subsequent outings over them.

Fry said: "Things have not quite gone to plan over fences for Bitofapuzzle so we have brought her back over hurdles.

"She ran a blinder to finish third in it last year and she has been very good schooling back over hurdles and seems in good form.

"We gave her the entry in the Mares' Hurdle as a back-up plan. She might go back over fences, we will see how she gets on. Nothing is being ruled out.

"They say that Cheltenham form counts for a lot so we are quite hopeful that she will run well."

Fry added: "Desert Queen probably didn't quite see out the trip last time on really testing ground but she won well over this sort of trip in a handicap at Ascot earlier in the season.

"It just depends on which side of bed she gets out of. She only has one way of running and that is going pretty hard from the front.

"Drying ground will help her and if she relaxes and gets through all the preliminaries she might outrun her odds."

While The Govaness has work to do to reverse placings with Vroum Vroum Mag on their Ascot run, trainer Dr Richard Newland hopes her good course form together with a return to a quicker surface will make her more competitive.

He said: "She has been trained for this race all year. She is in good form and hopefully will appreciate the slightly drying ground.

"She likes Cheltenham and while she might be up against it with Vroum Vroum Mag, who looks a very decent horse, she should be competitive with the English-trained mares.

"I think her last race at Ascot came a bit too soon after Sandown run. I think having had a hard run at Sandown might be as much to do with her defeat as opposed to not seeing the three miles out.

"She is back down to two and a half - it is now just a case whether she has the pace and gears for it."

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has yet to win the race and his chances of breaking his duck in one of the few events that have so far eluded him at the meeting is Tara Point, who will be making her first start since landing a Listed contest at Taunton in December 2014.

He said: "She has not run this season and we were just struggling to get her right.

"Although Tara Point has been off for a long time, she's now fit and well and we are looking forward to running her."