WIllie Mullins season reflections including claiming top trainer award at the Cheltenham Festival
It's been another remarkable season for Ireland's champion trainer - our star columnist reflects on the action including some memorable performances and stars for the future.
We ended the season on a real high in what was a most unusual year.
Starting off the campaign we had no idea when the jumps season would start. It eventually got under way in late June so we were very slow out of the blocks. I had let off a lot of the horses during the period of uncertainty, even our summer string.
We picked up once Galway came around and the summer festivals at Tramore, Killarney and Listowel were very strange without spectators, I didn’t go racing myself until as a director of Tramore I attended a day there in August.
Aramon won the Galway Hurdle under top weight which was a tremendous performance while Cabaret Queen owned by Jack Cantillon’s syndicate landed the Kerry National. She was a cheap purchase and it just shows they can win at the top level. It was very good work by Jack to spot the opportunity.
I didn’t return to the track regularly until the owners were allowed back for a short time in late-September.
Our young horses came in during July and August and because we had such a dry spring and they were out so long they came in huge. They had an extra six weeks' break because they didn’t go to Punchestown with it being abandoned.
They had an extended holiday after Cheltenham and when I looked at the horses when they came in and started working them, I knew they’d take longer. It delayed us by a few more weeks, however we eventually got there and our season started a little later than normal.
We had the early disappointments of Faugheen and Benie Des Dieux getting injured and Klassical Dream suffering a setback. The autumn was a tough time in the yard but we got going, Min won the John Durkan in the fog and our novices and maiden hurdlers, who’d been so far behind, were aimed for Christmas.
We had to get them out at some sage and luckily enough they came right in time. We had a very good Festive period.
We sent Allaho and Elimay to Thurles for the Kinloch Brae and they served up one of the races of the season before both going on to run so well at Cheltenham, Allaho winning and Elimay finishing second to Colreevy.
At the Dublin Racing Festival we had big winners too and nine it total. It was the first time that Kilcruit really came to the fore with his victory in the bumper, Kemboy bounced back to win the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and the likes of Appreciate It and Chacun Pour Soi won well.
We were ready for Cheltenham with a very strong team to head there but on the eve of it we lost Energumene from the Sporting Life Arkle with thankfully a small setback. He was a major one to miss out.
We may have ended up with the top trainers’ badge but it was definitely Henry and Rachael’s Cheltenham this year. What both of them achieved over the season, but particularly that week, was nothing short of miraculous. What a way to sign off too, by winning the Randox Grand National with Minella Times, beating a stablemate to boot.
My Festival was about the younger brigade this time with the likes of Appreciate It, Sir Gerhard, Galopin Des Champs and Allaho coming to the fore. Monkfish wasn’t as good as he was all season in winning the Brown Advisory but he got the job done. He was very flat after his final run at Punchestown but is one to look forward to next year.
Irish trainers excelled that week, it was probably a defining moment in Anglo-Irish jumping for the home team. As ever these things are cyclical and I’m sure the wheel will turn again. The English stables will be back in full force in the next few years, I don’t doubt that.
We won the first Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase too with Colreevy edging out Elimay. The two of them showed what tough horses they are, fighting it out over the last five fences. It takes a bit of doing for steeplechasers to do that and there was only half-a-length between them at the line.
They both won big races afterwards too.
And then onto Punchestown.
Echoes In Rain won the champion novice and has huge speed. She’s a very busy mare in her own head but is settling and maturing all the time. With another summer’s grass under her belt I think she could come back and be something special.
All this season’s big meetings were TV Festivals and the channels and pundits provided great coverage. They brought the sport into the homes of people who might not have had any interest in the racing before.
When you have the likes of Ruby (Walsh) and Jane Mangan explaining what’s going on in a jockey’s head through the race it provides fascinating insights for the novice TV audience too.
Chacun Pour Soi produced a brilliant performance to win the William Hill Champion Chase as did Energumene on his return in the Ryanair Novice Chase. If they both come back fit and well in October I’d imagine we’ll be looking to keep them apart.
We’re possibly looking at the King George for Allaho but I thought he ran a little flat at Punchestown when second to Chacun and I wouldn’t really rule out two miles for him either. He’s going to be a very adaptable horse.
Punchestown was a big week for our jockeys. Going into it we were looking at Paul and Patrick’s battles for their own titles and Jody’s winner there helped her seal hers. It’s a good team here and we always like to get our men and women across the line.
Paul did a fantastic resurrection job in recovering from his foot injury sustained at Fairyhouse to get back that week and I was really pleased for him, as much as we were disappointed for Rachael who had a fantastic year as well.
He cut down his rides, cherry picked the right ones and it worked out for him. Patrick was lucky enough to get on one or two that got him over the line as well and he was seen to very good effect on Klassical Dream and Echoes In Rain.
Jody was her usual self, coming from the clouds on Adamantly Chosen, as she had on Grangee at the Dublin Racing Festival. She has the knack of knowing where the winning post is and that’s a huge thing for a jockey, to have the confidence to ride like that.
The one constant in the success we have is the owners, not just mine but the ones throughout the game. They haven’t been able to go racing to enjoy their hobby, they’ve got horses in training running for less prize-money and need to be appreciated and thanked hugely for their patience and support.
We’re trying to make plans for Auteuil in the summer but we’re not sure what the travel restrictions are yet. If we can take something over for the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup we probably will.
All the horses are fit and well and it will be a case of looking what’s come out of Punchestown particularly well.
We’ll have runners on the Flat. True Self starts out in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. We wanted to give her a run at home rather than travel aboard and if she can finish in the first six that would be great to get her season started. It’s just up the road and will prepare us hopefully for a race in America and then back down to Australia at the end of the season.
I think the new veterinary checks in Australia are a good thing for international racing and should be adopted by more countries. Maybe they won’t be as strict but then the anti-racing brigade in Australia is huge and has to be respected.
We in Ireland and England don’t have any perception of how the sport is viewed out there and it’s all about minding your back all the time as far as racing is concerned. When you have a race as big as the Melbourne Cup on TV across the country, horses getting injured isn’t good. We can’t blame them for introducing these strict measures.
The Breeders’ Cup and fixtures like that bring all of this to a head and if any problems can be detected before you get to the track then that has to be a good thing for our horses, jockeys and the image of racing.
We always try and find something for Royal Ascot and will look to do so again while MC Muldoon might be a horse for the Sky Bet Ebor.
It’s a shame to lose Faugheen, Douvan and Benie Des Dieux who all head into retirement.
We’ve tried to get them back all season but they don’t owe anyone anything, they’ve been brilliant servants to us and it’s good to see them going out healthy. Benie will be going to stud to be a broodmare and the other two will make excellent riding horses for someone.
I’m sure there’s a queue forming already.
Faugheen will always be remembered for his Champion Hurdle win but on a personal level I was delighted with what he showed us at the age of 12 over fences, winning two Grade Ones. We bought him as a chaser and never dreamt he’d be a hurdler.
When you buy a horse out of a point-to-point in the west of Ireland you’re not looking at Champion Hurdle campaigns, but he just happened to have a huge engine. As Matt Chapman says he was a machine, whether he jumped a hurdle well or not he never lost any ground and he was so tough.
To watch him in some of those races at Cheltenham was something else and to readjust and go back over fences was terrific. He won in soft ground at Limerick, better ground at Leopardstown, what a day that was. I was told the atmosphere at Limerick was huge and I was in the stands at Leopardstown and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The roar was incredible coming to the last and the relief when he got to the front was immense.
To see people running to get to the winners’ enclosure was something else and it was a great day to be there.
Douvan was a phenomenal horse. He was so huge at four I don’t think he got any bigger. He matured a bit more but he was over 17 hands 2, and most people wouldn’t buy a horse that tall to go racing.
But he could organise and manage himself and to have the speed he had for a horse that size was very unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it. When he was at home here he’d give weight to horses on the gallops and just waltz past them. It was like he was out for a half-speed while leaving good horses behind in his wake.
We realised then he could be very good – and he was. He was a pleasure to watch every day on the gallops. People saw him on the racetrack but I had the honour of seeing him at home too and that’s what makes the job worthwhile on those wet, Monday mornings, seeing the likes of him come up the gallops.
Susanna and Rich Ricci have lost three stars with their retirement but they have the likes of Chacun Pour Soi and Monkfish to look forward to along with Livelovelaugh who gave Patrick and everyone such a great day in the Topham.
Maybe if we adjust a few things Burrow Saint might be a National horse too. He got to the second-last full of running this time and it’s hard to know what we need to do different to get him home the rest of the way but when a horse gets that far cantering you might be able to do something.
It might be strength but then again had he been able to run in the race in 2020 it might have been different too. Maybe the experience he gained this year will be a huge help next time around.
I want to thank everyone for the season we’ve had. Our staff are tremendous, in the depths of winter they’re there every day come rain, hail or shine. Everyone sees me, Paul and Patrick at the head of it but it’s all the backroom people who put us there. They deserve huge accolades.
Hopefully by the time I return with this column in the autumn we’ll back racing with crowds and owners there, bringing the atmosphere we’ve missed so much.
Before then we’ll be trying to restock from France and a few coming from the Flat and the big store sales of the summer. All the time we’ll be trying to keep our eyes open for nice horses that will be ready next year or even in two or three years’ time. You never know when a good horse comes along but you have to try and find them.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
