Fran Berry visited Ireland's champion trainer and prolific Cheltenham Festival winner Willie Mullins to delve into his 2020-21 stable tour for Sporting Life readers before anyone else.
Willie Mullins - Five to Follow
- Chacun Pour Soi
- Carefully Selected
- Ferny Hollow
- Saint Roi
- Galopin Des Champs
Willie Mullins - Guide to the team
AL BOUM PHOTO
He's still lightly raced and the formula works - go to Tramore, go to Cheltenham and maybe go to Punchestown. I can't see me changing away from that as the formula for this year. I'm hoping it'll work again as he goes for three Gold Cups.
ALLAHO
Allaho looks a real jumping type. He did everything nicely last year, he just didn't quite see it out. Maybe we'll bring him back in trip to start off this year, we'll see what happens.
I was hoping he might turn into a stayer but he has a really high cruising speed and maybe coming back in trip might suit him. He jumps well and he gallops. We'll let him tell us what suits best.
APPRECIATE IT
I thought he'd won the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham turning for home last year.
He's a horse that I think might be in the staying novice hurdle division. I don't minding starting off over two miles but looking at him gallop I don't mind going out to two and a half and he's possibly a Ballymore type. We'll let him tell us as the season progresses.
ASLUKWOODHAVIT
He's a nice type of horse who should feature well in bumpers.
ASTERION FORLONGE
He surprised me by winning Grade Ones over two miles last year. We'll probably go out in trip with him. He jumped out to his right at Cheltenham, which isn't ideal, and I'm hoping over fences we can correct that. Possibly going out in trip will be a help to him.
BACARDYS
We've tried to go chasing with him two seasons running but we're just going to stick with hurdles now and he'll be in the top staying hurdle races.
He ran a superb race when third to Lisnagar Oscar in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham and we'll be aiming for the same sort of races.
BENIE DES DIEUX
She had a little setback so won't be appearing until the second half of the season. She's a fantastic jumper over fences and I'd imagine we'll be going over fences. We'll look at the mares' chase at Cheltenham, or there is the mares' hurdle too.
BRANDY LOVE
Brandy Love won her point-to-point and looks every inch a bumper mare. She's by Jet Away.
BRING ON THE NIGHT
He's a three-year-old that we got from Andre Fabre earlier in the season. He's a nice type of horse that I think we'll only bring out in the second half of the season.
BROOKLYNN GLORY
By Fame And Glory, I thought she looked like a summer mare but we didn't get her out until late in the summer and both times she ran on soft ground.
She absolutely bolted in the second time, a tip-top performance, and she's one I'm quite happy to put by for top bumpers later into the season.
BURROWS SAINT
After winning the (Irish) Grand National, Aintree would look like the obvious target, he’s a horse that jumps and stays.
CABARET QUEEN
She has been a real nice surprise package. She looks a real summer mare to me, she's not the strongest yet she's able to win on soft ground. You'd think on pedigree she'd be better on good ground but she's able to handle soft ground.
Rather than hump around big weights in handicaps now, we're going to go down the Grade Two and Grade Three conditions chase route with her and try to find opportunities in that sphere. She might end up in the new mares' chase at Cheltenham.
She's given her owners a lot of fun and was a great purchase by Jack Cantillon.
CAPODANNO
He's by Manduro, owned by JP McManus and is a beautiful mover, a good jumper and could be a horse to keep an eye on.
CAREFULLY SELECTED
He's an out-and-out stayer, a real galloper and a good jumper. He'll have to come up a grade to be in the top class over fences but I think that kind of improvement might be in him. If he does come up to that grade then I could be looking to give him and entry in the Gold Cup too.
CHACUN POUR SOI
He's in great form. He has some really good form, he was just a shade unlucky to get a foot injury on the morning of the race ahead of the Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
The whole focus will be aiming to get him back there again this year. He likes Leopardstown so will probably run at Christmas, then the Dublin Racing Festival, before the Festival. He could go up in trip but he's able to do it at two miles and I'll be happy to keep him there.
It's nice to have a potential Champion Chaser in the yard.
CILAOS EMERY
I think we're going to go back chasing with him this year and he could possibly be another that goes out in trip for the Ryanair as well. He's a fast horse, he could go down the Champion Chase route but the Ryanair might be more realistic.
COLREEVY
She's a proper chasing mare and definitely one for the new mares' chase at Cheltenham in the future.
We're looking forward to getting her over fences. She's a fine, big strong mare with a lovely pedigree.
CONCERTISTA
It took us a long time to get her right last year but fortunately she came right on the right day of the year when winning the mares' novices' hurdle at Cheltenham and she was very impressive. She'll be kept for all the major mares events this year and could go back for the big one at the Festival in March.
COOL JET
He's by Jet Away, a sire who is making an impact in the point-to-point field. He does everything right at home and is one I think Patrick is looking forward to getting his leg across in a bumper.
DOUVAN
He is being prepared for the second half of the season. He won the Clonmel Oil Chase last year and picked up a little injury, which is coming right.
His best day was winning the Arkle at Cheltenham in 2016. He's a horse with huge natural ability and he had a great early career but latterly he's been very hard to train. Maybe his size and scope just works against him but we'll try and get him ready for the spring.
ELIXIR D’AINAY
He travels very well in his races, he's quite a keen type of horse. He probably wants more than two miles as well but we'll start him on the shorter side and see how he goes.
We tried him over longer trips and he was very keen, maybe fences will steady him up and we can utilise his speed better. We'll work our way out in trip as the season progresses as he's a horse with a lot of potential.
FAUGHEEN
He had a great season as a novice chaser last season, winning two Grade Ones. We were aiming him for the Clonmel Oil Chase. He picked up a small injury the other day so we'll put back his reappearance for a few weeks and we'll see where we go then when he comes right.
He's a horse that surprised me, even going back to two miles over hurdles. When we bought him I thought he could be a top chaser and that's why I was keen, even at his age, to have a go over fences with him and he showed that he has the ability even at 12 years of age.
But I never dreamt he was going to be such a good hurdler. I think he could be the only point-to-point winner to have gone on to win a Champion Hurdle.
FERNY HOLLOW
It's nice to have Ferny Hollow in the yard and he should be a lot easier to ride over hurdles as he likes to get on with the job. The type of speed that he shows, I think maybe Paul (Townend) will enjoy riding him over the minimum trip.
FIVE O'CLOCK
He's a lovely, big chasing type. We've been waiting for him to go over fences. I think his size will suit fences and he's one we're looking forward to.
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS
He won his maiden at Auteuil, he's a beautiful horse. I'm sure he'll be in the staying division of hurdlers but in future I'm really looking forward to getting him over fences.
GARS EN NOIR
He's another French horse and one I'm looking forward to getting going over hurdles.
GENTLEMAN DE MEE
He's a nice type as well, second on both his starts and he's ready for action. Hopefully he'll appear on the track before Christmas.
GIG IN THE PARK
He's a fine, big horse with a huge stride to him. He's been pleasing me a lot at home and I think he'll make into a real nice chaser down the line.
But we'll start him off in bumpers this season and being by Walk In The Park (sire of Douvan and Min among others) he's one I'm really looking forward to.
GRANGEE
She's another Jack Cantillon purchase that looks a bargain. She's a mare that'll never go over fences, she's nice and tidy but seems to have a big engine.
She was very impressive at Galway to come from behind in a big field to win going away. Any horse that can do that is very impressive and there will be big targets for her later in the season.
IDOLES DES JEUNES
She's a lovely, strong filly who has just a little problem at the moment but we hope to have her out at Christmas time and try and prepare her for the good mares' races in the spring.
KEMBOY
I think he starts off at Thurles, there's a nice conditions chase for him there. Then probably head off to Leopardstown at Christmas and back for the Dublin Festival maybe before Cheltenham and either Aintree or Punchestown.
He probably prefers better ground than real winter ground and that's maybe why Leopardstown suits him well, as well as the spring time at Cheltenham and Aintree.
KLASSICAL DREAM
Klassical Dream goes chasing now and jumps well enough. He can be keen in his races but maybe fences will steady him up a little bit.
LORD ROYAL
He won very impressively in Clonmel last year then disappointed when I brought him back to the track a bit too soon at Punchestown, but he looks every inch a natural born chaser.
He could be in the staying division as he's matured hugely. He's grown and strengthened and I'd say as he goes out in trip he could get better and better.
MELON
He has a good record at Cheltenham, four second places, it'd be great to convert him into a winner there this time.
Over fences he could go up in trip - he could be a Gold Cup horse, he jumps and gallops and stays well. Maybe the Gold Cup trip might suit him. Hopefully he'll get his head in front one of these days but at the moment I haven't hardened on a target for him and we'll see as the season progresses.
MIN
He's in good shape, he probably wanted to go out a little bit in trip and won the Ryanair. We'll be looking to maybe start in the John Durkan and take it from there. Maybe the Dublin Racing Festival and onto Cheltenham before Punchestown.
He's still a horse that has plenty to give now we're getting the tactics right with him. A lot of our horses came in quite strong and big as they were let off on April 1 rather than in May, so there's quite a bit to work on but they're all coming along.
MONKFISH
He won the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last season and has got very strong over the summer. He's a horse that could be a factor in all the top staying novice chases.
MT LEINSTER
I want to start him off over fences at the minimum trip, I'm just finding it hard to find a race for him. As a Flat horse he's got very strong and I felt we should give him the opportunity to try jumping fences and if he could just take to it then he could be the type to just go for the Arkle.
Next season we might make more use of him on the Flat. He's rated in the high-90s - he handles good ground and maybe we could target some staying handicaps, something like the Ascot Stakes.
N'GOLO
By Galileo, he's been doing most things right this season. He's able to win over the minimum trip but might be better off going out in trip as the season progresses.
He jumps well and he runs this weekend at Navan in the For Auction Novice Hurdle and depending on how he gets on there will probably determine whether he goes up in trip or sticks at two miles.
SAINT ROI
Before Cheltenham last year, he did a fantastic bit of work and he franked that by winning the County Hurdle when giving Barry Geraghty his last winner at the Festival.
He beat subsequent Galway Hurdle winner Aramon there and he came back this year and ran a fantastic race when winning in Tipperary. We think he could make into Grade One material over hurdles.
SAINT SAM
He's won twice over hurdles in France and is a real gentleman of a horse. He will possibly come out at the Royal Bond meeting or at Christmas, I'll try and find the right race for him to start. He might be a Triumph Hurdle type of horse.
SALDIER
Some of Saldier's form is very good I think, especially when falling at the last at Naas when he looked to be travelling very well.
He is another horse we're aiming at the Champion Hurdle as well. He has been tough to train but he's shown enough in his runs over hurdles that he deserves the opportunity to go to the top grade.
SALSARETTA
She seemed to come into her own when going over fences and getting very soft ground. She could be ground dependent but if getting her conditions could win lots of nice races. She's another one who we'll be trying to aim for the mares' chase in Cheltenham.
SHARJAH
We had the Champion Hurdle in mind for Sharjah and he'll be trained for that. We were going to go down the Flat route with him this summer but after one run we felt it might be best to stop and refocus for the Champion Hurdle. So he'll be aimed at the Irish Champion Hurdle and the English version.
SHEWEARSITWELL
She has been very flashy so far, she's unbeaten and has been very good at the minimum trip so far.
She's by Shirocco out of an Old Vic mare and her pedigree suggests that she might want a longer trip, however, she shows me plenty of speed and she was good the last day at Tipperary. She's a very good jumper and I'll possibly aim her for the Royal Bond and how she does there will help determine the rest of her season.
THE BIG GETAWAY
He looks good, he ran a good race at Cheltenham when third behind Envoi Allen in the Ballymore and he looked like he could be more of a chaser than a hurdler. He could be one for the staying novice chasing brigade.
TORNADO FLYER
I think he is a horse who could make up into a top-class chaser. He's fast, his jumping is good enough and if we can get it right with him early season then he has a good chance of getting into the top grade come the end of the season.
UNEXCEPTED
I think he loves jumping fences, he has a really high cruising speed and I think I'll keep him to the minimum trip all season. He could be a horse to be reckoned with over that trip.
WHATDEAWANT
He's a nice bumper type, he hasn't run yet but should fit in well in the team.