Check out part one of our exclusive stable tour with star columnist Willie Mullins.
Even by Willie Mullins' extraordinarily high standards the 2023/24 campaign was one to remember. Not only was Mullins crowned Irish champion jumps trainer for the 18th time - and 17th time in a row - but he also won his first British trainers' championship.
It was the first time since Vincent O'Brien triumphed 70 years earlier that a trainer based in Ireland won the British title.
As was the case with O'Brien, Mullins' title bid was helped by victory in the Grand National, with I Am Maximus providing the yard with a second win in the race following Hedgehunter's success 19 years earlier.
Nine winners at the Cheltenham Festival took Mullins' tally at the meeting past 100, with the landmark success appropriately achieved in the Champion Bumper, a race he won for the 13th time when his son Patrick steered Jasmin de Vaux to victory.
Galopin des Champs retained his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown and will now bid to emulate Best Mate who is the only horse since Arkle to win the race three times.
The main danger to Galopin des Champs could well be housed at Closutton as Fact To File was an impressive winner of the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase last season, though, such is the strength in depth Mullins enjoys, it's worth noting that he wasn't even the highest-rated novice chaser in the yard with Timeform, with that distinction going to Gaelic Warrior.
Mullins also had Timeform's highest-rated novice hurdler in Ballyburn and highest-rated bumper horse in Redemption Day so there is no sign of the juggernaut coming to a halt.
Absurde
He had a busy season last time around, going to Melbourne and then disappointing us twice at Leopardstown before Paul gave him what was a contender for ride of the Cheltenham Festival when coming from last to first in the County Hurdle. It's going to be very hard to place him over hurdles and possibly his Flat career might take over.
Allegorie De Vassy
While winning in Clonmel and Naas last season it was probably a bit disappointing on the while. We will go a similar route with her this year and hopefully the extra year will be an advantage, and she can scale the top heights.
Asian Master
He surprised me last season being able to win over the minimum trip with such ease. He looks like an ideal staying chaser in the making, so when he won over two miles I thought this fellow could be a cut above the normal novice. He has what could be a nice mark over hurdles but I'm keen, and the owner and rider will be keen, to go chasing this season. I would have marked him out as a stayer but the turn of foot he showed over hurdles suggests he could be going down the Arkle route. But life might be easier going down the staying route, so we'll see what he does when he goes over fences.
Aurora Vega
She disappointed bitterly when pulled up at Wexford but the vets found she was clinically abnormal and had lost her action. I don't think it's going to be a major problem and she'll continue down the Mares' Novices' hurdle route.
Baby Kate
She came back from summer grass huge so it's going to take a bit of a while for her to come right, but she's going to make her mark over hurdles this season.
Ballyburn
Ballyburn has come back in good shape, good and strong. He was four from five last year and it was my fault he got beat in his maiden hurdle! Paul wanted to go and make the running but he'd been very keen in his bumpers and I didn't want him jumping out on his first run, and I probably didn't have him as ready as I wanted him, so I asked Paul to settle him. He got beaten but beaten by a Grade 1 horse in Firefox so there was no shame in that. He learned a lot that day, including how to settle, which was better for him later in the season.
I'm very happy with him. I haven't had a chance to chat to Ronnie Bartlett or Dave Manasseh about his direction this year, but he can go both directions. He probably has to find a good half stone or more to be Champion Hurdle class. We'll have to have that conversation in a short while.
He jumps well and to me he looks a chaser but he's obviously very sharp over his hurdles as well. We'll have to leave that decision for the next few weeks but I'll let Sporting Life readers know first!
Ballygunner Castle
He's a nice type and needed the summer to really mature, which he has - I'm very happy with what he's doing at the moment. He should be a staying novice hurdler.
Blood Destiny
Put up some very good performances last year but lacked a gear to get right to the very top. He has met with a little setback early in the season and will be out until the second half of the campaign We will do things a little differently to try and get him up that extra five to ten pounds to be a Grade One horse.
Blue Lord
Seems back to his best here in Closutton. We will probably start him off in the John Durkan like he did last year. He looks more a middle-distance horse than a two-miler.
Cantico
We thought a lot of Cantico last season, he's a real staying chasing type. I'd imagine he's an Albert Bartlett type and I'll be aiming him for those staying novice hurdles, but over fences will be his game in time.
Capodanno
Will be running in the top races. He featured very well to a point in the Grand National but didn’t see out the trip. He has the ability to run in a Gold Cup or similar type races. He was very good when winning the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last January . That run showed he can compete against the best horses in the British Isles.
Chapeau de Soleil
He works very nicely at home and will go chasing. While he only won off a mark of 132 at Punchestown he can improve on that over fences and would be on my list of top novices. I think he's a lot better than his rating and maybe needs a fence to show that.
Charlus
Nice horse by Churchill off the Flat. He's a really athletic type and can hopefully make into a Triumph Hurdle horse. He's one who can mix it on the Flat next season.
Daddy Long Legs
He's a little bit frustrating as some days he looks brilliant while other days he's let us down. The more we run the more it seems like he might be very ground dependent. He'll have a run at Down Royal where it looks like the ground might dry up, but as we get into the thick end of the winter I imagine we might give him a break until the spring.
Dancing City
We were a little disappointed with him coming out of a bumper at Punchestown a couple of seasons ago but he was beaten by Ballyburn and had Slade Steel behind him in third! And that was in the winners' bumper, not even in the big one! He made amends this year, winning three Grade 1s for us and I'd say he's going to be a better chaser than a hurdler. I'm really looking forward to him going for those top staying novice chases.
Dinoblue
She ran a cracker in Cheltenham last year when just beaten by Limerick Lace in the same colours. She'd been very good over shorter trips and will probably start off in the Barberstown Castle in Naas like she did last year and work her way through a similar programme, going twice to Leopardstown and then on to Cheltenham. With all that experience under her belt hopefully she can go one better this year.
El Fabiolo
You'd have to head towards the Champion Chase or Ryanair. Last season we thought he was a Champion Chase type but his jumping let him down at Cheltenham and it was the same at Sandown. Maybe he wants a longer trip to have more time over his fences rather than going that pace if he's not comfortable. There's every chance he could go out in trip and that shouldn't be a problem for him on pedigree by Spanish Moon out of a Saint des Saints mare. There's plenty of stamina there. He had an early-season setback so might not come out until Christmas but other than that he's in good shape.
Embassy Gardens
He's a lovely work horse at home. He had been doing everything right up to the National Hunt Chase and I wonder did he not see out the distance? You’d think he might be a Grand National horse but I have a doubt in my mind about whether he'll stay those extended trips. He's only rated 150 so he could still be very competitive in handicaps and I've got to ask myself should I be trying shorter trips with him? He's out of a Network mare. If he runs like how he works at home I think he can improve on his rating. He could be well handicapped over a shorter trip and he loves jumping.
Energumene
I'm delighted with Energumene. He's hitting all his targets and came in with the rest of the horses and we haven't had one setback with him. We'll be looking at the two-mile route again so possibly start in the Hilly Way at Cork.
Ethical Diamond
He's a horse with a lot of potential and has some experience over hurdles. He's going to miss the first half of the season but if I can get him right he'll pay his way in the second half. Looking at his run at Royal Ascot he's a horse you could follow for his Flat season as well after his hurdling campaign.
Fact To File
He's one of the friendliest horses in the place, he's so inquisitive and always out over the door looking out at what's going on. He won three out of four last year with the last two Grade 1s. He took to jumping naturally and he looks like that type of horse when you see him out. Usually a horse like this aiming for the Gold Cup we'd start off in the John Durkan and then aim for Christmas - there's the King George and other races then so we'll see how he gets on with his first race and then take it from there. Usually if we have a Gold Cup horse we have a fairly predictable route there. We'll have a word with JP [McManus, owner] Frank [Berry, racing manager] and Mark [Walsh, jockey] and see how the horse takes his first run. He's a fairly straightforward horse.
I think he couldn't be much better than he was last year physically. He developed quite early. If he could hold the same type of muscle he had last year I'd be happy.
I think he has so much ability. It's always a hard year transitioning from novice to open company and I think this fellow has all the attributes you'd need to be an open horse.
Ferny Hollow
He has a lot of ability but it's been hard to keep him right. We got him back after a long absence and he then had a separate injury, but he's back in good shape now and I'd imagine we'll probably try to get him away over two miles or two and a half. He'll come out early enough in the season because I'm happy with what he's doing and where he, is at the moment.
Final Demand
He's a fine stamp of a staying chaser if you ever saw one. He was impressive winning his point-to-point and we'll go down the hurdle route this season, though he's a horse who could jump a fence this minute. He's a fine type of animal but for race experience we'll go over hurdles.
Fishery Lane
He's run to a very good standard in bumpers without winning and given his age I'm keen enough to go jumping with him. We'll be looking for a nice maiden hurdle where they get a maiden allowance. Looking at his bumper form he has the potential to be towards the top end of the novices this season.
Funiculi Funicula
He comes with nice form from France and with a good recommendation. He's one I'm looking forward to getting out on the track and seeing over hurdles.
Future Prospect
She's a good, strong filly and we're very happy with how she's progressing. We'll go down the bumper route I'm sure.
Gaelic Warrior
We started off with the Brown Advisory over three miles in mind and then he fluffed his lines at the Dublin Racing Festival against Fact To File. We said we'd change tactics altogether then and go back to two miles and he came good at Cheltenham. Coming out of Cheltenham we thought have we a Champion Chaser instead of a Gold Cup horse - it's a nice problem to have.
He disappointed me a little at Punchestown but that was at the end of the season and he got a bump along the way. I imagine we'll probably start off thinking he's a Champion Chase horse and if he has to go up in trip that would be fine, the Ryanair is there and the Gold Cup is there. He jumps a bit to his right but he has an engine and sometimes you just have to put up with those little quirks.
The King George is something that could come into play. We know he stays, we're not too worried about that, but whether we go for that or the two-mile Grade 1 at Christmas he is a horse that could go from one trip to another. It wouldn't bother me or worry him.
Galopin des Champs
I'm very happy with him, he's very laidback. We'll probably do more or less what we did last year, although looking through his record he got beaten twice at Punchestown - at the start and end of the season - and his previous run he was also beaten at Punchestown. Maybe he doesn't like the place but I think the two and a half miles probably beat him [in the John Durkan] and Fastorslow is a good horse anyhow and was going well in the Gold Cup when he fell.
He's a year older now but I still think he's in good order. Whether we give him a race less I don't know, but I'd like to have him good and fit going to Cheltenham anyhow. The way we've campaigned him for the last two years has worked and I hate changing things so we'll probably stick to our plan.
He didn't jump well being held up [in the John Durkan] and after that I wanted to see him going down and attacking the first few fences and getting into his rhythm quicker. I think letting him roll along helped that and made a big difference.
He missed a couple of weeks last month with a small issue but it's resolved now so we'll see if he's ready enough for the John Durkan. Maybe we'll wait until Christmas. When I go to gallop him we'll see how he is. I get a lot of feedback from Paul who knows him inside out, so he'll be a great help in deciding where we go first time.
Gentleman de Mee
He was second in the Champion Chase last season. He's a very keen horse and that's probably why we’ve gone over two miles over fences but I could see him going out in trip on his pedigree - he's by Saint des Saints out of a Video Rock mare. If he settles down a bit he could easily get two and a half miles or further but he's more the problem than anything else. He'll probably go down the two-mile route to begin with and hopefully end up in either the Champion Chase or Ryanair Chase.
Grangeclare West
He had a setback coming to Cheltenham last year and didn't get to run but everything he did before that was great and I think the experience he has over fences and the mark he has, there might be a nice big handicap in him in the early part of the season. We could look at handicap chases mixed with graded chases, we'll see what suits him best.
He could have a nice handicap mark for something like the Coral Gold Cup or even the Thyestes in Gowran, a local race. I think there's improvement still in him. He's rated 159 and could easily get into the high-160s, so he's a horse come Cheltenham time who could be going for one of the bigger races. He stays all day.
High Class Hero
We got him going early last season and I think he prefers nicer ground. Indeed, he disappointed on heavy ground at Cheltenham but came back to run well on better ground at Punchestown. I probably should have him out already but he's going nicely at home and I often find that the ground on chase tracks can be a lot better than on the hurdles tracks that get a lot more use. He's a horse with nice ability who will probably go in those long-distance novice chases.
Hunters Yarn
He's come back really strong from his summer break. You'd think he would go down the two-mile route again and the more experience he gets the better he will be. He'll possibly chase top honours in that division, if not he can drop back to Grade 2 and Grade 3s, but looking at him coming back from grass I thought 'wow, this fellow has done really well'.
I Am Maximus
I don't know how good he is. The acceleration he showed winning the Aintree National, from the last fence home when Paul just set him alight, was huge at the end of four and a quarter miles. He's by Authorized and has been quirky all his life, but I think he's maturing now and his real ability will come out. We're keen to have another crack at the National with him and he won't have much more weight than last year. He seemed to like Aintree and jumped the fences very well so we're going to plan our route back there.
Before he ran at Aintree he ran in the Bobbyjo which I always think is a great trial for Irish horses. We'll probably look at the Irish Gold Cup and the Savills Chase and start him off maybe in the John Durkan. That could be as good a starting place as any. To go for a Grand National you need four or five runs under your belt just to be fit enough for that type of a contest. It's a very hard race to win first or second time out, you need race fitness. I think he's come back better than I've ever seen him, he's stronger, so I'm really looking forward to him.
Ile Atlantique
He was a good bumper horse and a nice novice hurdler. He looks the type to make a good novice chaser and is one for Tony Bloom to look forward to over fences.
Il Etait Temps
He was a real surprise last year. We thought he was good but he won three Grade 1s. He's not your typical chaser to look at - he's more a hurdler than a big, strapping type - but he can jump and gallop. He wasn't everyone's cup of tea at the start of the season when he was schooling but he's learning all the time and what I love about him is he's a real scrapper when he gets to the business end of a race.
Danny [Mullins] really suits him and I think both are two good scrappers when it comes to fighting out a finish to a race. We'll probably start around Punchestown and John Durkan time and then look to Christmas. Is he a King George horse? He could be good enough for that. We'll look at those options and he's in the mix for that.
Impaire et Passe
I think we'll go novice chasing this season. He had a crack going down the Champion Hurdle route and it didn't work, though he did win a Grade 1 at Aintree and finished up nicely when winning at Sandown on the final day of the season in Britain.
He has a lot of ability and if he can transfer that to fences he's going to be in the mix in those two-mile novice chases. My little concern is the day we made the running with him at Leopardstown he didn't seem to enjoy being in front and I always like my two-mile chasers to enjoy making the running. It might have been a valuable lesson that we learned that he might have to be ridden off the pace. I think he's going to be a good addition to our Arkle Chase team.
It's For Me
He looks like an exciting horse. We missed the season with him unfortunately after winning a maiden hurdle so he's not a novice anymore. I think he probably should go over fences rather than down the hurdle route and he's a horse we think a lot of.
He beat Caldwell Potter in his maiden and he went on to win a Grade 1, so that's the sort of league we hope he might be. He can go anywhere from two miles to three, and a lot will depend on how sharp he is jumping. I don't want to worry about trip.
Jade de Grugy
She promised to be a good mare, winning twice before Cheltenham, and we probably just got the tactics wrong at the Festival. But she did very well to come back from there and win the Grade 1 at Fairyhouse. At the moment I'm thinking she might be Mares' Hurdle material rather than going novice chasing but I haven't discussed it with connections yet.
James Du Berlais
We aimed for the Topham last year and he was just beaten one length by a horse getting a stone off him. He will possibly have the same type of season with a similar aim in mind.
Jasmin de Vaux
The Cheltenham bumper every year throws up top novice hurdlers and I'm hoping he can make the switch as well. I'd imagine he's a staying type, especially given the way he won at Cheltenham. He's probably one for the Gallaghers.
Jimmy du Seuil
He ran a cracker at Cheltenham, eating up the ground up the hill to finish second to Ballyburn. We probably won't see him out until Christmas or after, but he'd look a good recruit to the novice chase ranks.
Joystick
We think a good bit about him and fences will probably make him. But he'll be in staying novice hurdles this season. He's by Coastal Path who we've been lucky with over the years. I used to think they were all about staying but he can get a horse over a shorter trip as well because usually they are tremendous jumpers.
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