Willie Mullins was leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the seventh year in succession after equalling his previous best tally of 10 winners in the week.
Mullins was out of luck with history-seeking Galopin Des Champs in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup but dominated the Friday card after winning the first four races on the day.
They included 100/1 shot Poniros on hurdling debut in the JCB Triumph, while Jasmin De Vaux also claimed top-class victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Kopek Des Bordes in Tuesday's Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Fact To File in Thursday's Ryanair Chase were other highlights for the master of Closutton, who won the trainers' title in Britain and Ireland last season.
Mullins' 2025 haul equals the 10 winners he won in 2022 and he's now won the leading trainer gong on 12 occasions.
"Extraordinary to have a four-timer at Cheltenham and come away feeling deflated"
— Sporting Life Racing: Cheltenham Festival 2025! (@SportingLife) March 14, 2025
Patrick Mullins reflects on Galopin Des Champs' Gold Cup defeat 🏆
He'll be back for more next year, all being well 💪 pic.twitter.com/c8nqZUN3Vu
Speaking on Friday, Mullins said: “It has been a fantastic week. Anytime you have a winner at Cheltenham it is good, but to have more than one is brilliant.
“We have been very lucky this week, so we are not complaining, as you don’t ever expect to have that many winners here.
"For the last two weeks I was wishing the Festival was on the week before as the whole team was just so well in themselves.
“I was hoping they weren’t over the top by the time that we came here. We have probably never done as little work in the final week before Cheltenham.
"They were just really well in themselves and we were waiting there for something to go wrong.
“Most times you come into the Festival you wish you had another week to prepare your horses, but this year it just fell into place very well.
“We have had four fantastic days here, and there were a couple of disappointments, but all the horses and jockeys have gone home safe and sound and will live to fight another day.
“I always treat every owner the same. If a man who has a horse on a budget that is as good as, or better than the other horse, our stable jockey rides it.
“A lot of our success is how we treat everyone the same. If a smaller man has a good horse we will treat as good as the biggest owners in the yard. Everyone gets a fair shot.
“I thought Kopek De Mee in the Supreme and Fact To File in the Ryanair were two brilliant winners.
“The obvious disappointments were State Man and Galopin Des Champs, but everywhere in between was where we are at.
“It surprises me how we keep raising the bar. We are gobsmacked with the owners we have and the horses we have. We pinch ourselves every evening when you check all the horses.
“Paul took over from Ruby and it has worked seamlessly. He has a different style of riding to Ruby, but he is getting huge success.
“I’m so delighted that he has won the leading rider award here this week as he is a huge part of our team.”
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