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Willie Mullins Stable Tour: 2024/25 Jumps Season Preview Part Two
Check out part two of our exclusive stable tour with our star columnist Willie Mullins.
Karafon
Looks a real promising sort. He had one nice run for us at Christmas last year. He is a horse anyone would like to have on their novice team and will run in the top races.
Kargese
She's her own worst enemy. She's a very good mare but is very forward going and was hard on herself all last season. You would think looking at how she's raced that maturity is going to improve her hugely as she gets stronger. Possibly going over fences might settle her down. I've not discussed with connections which way she's going but, mentally, maybe she might be better off with a fence in front of her. Il Etait Temps was very keen but learned to settle jumping fences and maybe that's what this mare needs to do as well.
Karma d'Airy
She's a lovely big mare who was second over hurdles at Auteuil. She'll go down the hurdling route but to look at her she's a fine, big mare who will jump fences and that's what I'm hoping for next season.
Karniquet
He's a lovely, big type who will go hurdling but I could see him jumping fences next season.
Karoline Banbou
One who will go down the Mares' Novices' Hurdle route. Her French form would suggest that she could be top-end material.
Kel Histoire
Comes with a nice reputation and we've bought plenty of horses before from Alain Couetil who have been graded horses. This fellow looks a real hurdler in the making.
Kiss Will
I like him, he's a good, strong type. I like the sire, Tunis, and he has the potential to be top-end in novice hurdles.
Kom tu Voudras
She's a lovely filly by Martinborough, the same sire as Majborough. She had one run finishing third at Fontainebleau and I think she could make up into a nice mares' novice.
Kopek des Bordes
He was impressive in the George Mernagh Tattersalls Bumper and George would have been proud of this fellow. He's every inch a chaser, a fine big horse, and he'll go novice hurdling this year. With his size and scope I'd love to get him over fences sooner rather than later but I think he'll just need the experience over hurdles this season. Being by No Risk At All he should have plenty of speed and he could go down the two-mile route, but looking at him you'd think he was more of a staying chaser. He's a fine, big jumping type and one to look forward to.
Lecky Watson
He's a nice type for middle-distance novice chases. He was runner-up to Slade Steel in the Navan Novice Hurdle and third in the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles.
Lossiemouth
We took it easy last year with just three runs and she was good in all of them. She'll have a busier year this year, aiming for the Champion Hurdle. We're looking forward to having a crack at the Champion Hurdle.
She had a busy season as a juvenile and that's why we didn't do too much with her last year and I think she has come back good and strong for it.I think she has the ability to have a crack at State Man and Constitution Hill or whatever lines up for the Champion Hurdle.You've got to be able to win over two and a half miles to win a Champion Hurdle.
If you only barely get two miles you could be found out. Most Champion hurdlers have stamina and you need that bit of speed to be good at two and a half miles, so she has everything I think. Jumping ability, speed, stamina, she's going to be a big player I think in the Champion Hurdle.
Macdermott
He does very well over the summer and has done every summer. He comes in so big and we should be getting him back earlier but we're creatures of habit and we don't. I often find it takes me four or five runs to really get him right. In the second half of last season we ran him as often as we could and it worked, with Danny giving him a great ride to win the Scottish National.
He's an out-and-out stayer and there's probably another handicap in him. He's a fine horse now and hopefully he can improve, he's only six turning seven so to achieve what he did as a novice is a good sign
Majborough
He's a huge horse, I couldn't believe he was a juvenile when he arrived here - he looked like a ready-made chaser. I think that's what we're going to do this year, go novice chasing with him. He only had two runs last season, he was third at Leopardstown and then turned the form around and won the Triumph Hurdle.
We put him away, he's such a big animal and we felt he didn't have much more to prove. He jumps so well so we're going straight to novice chasing with him. I know he's only four but he didn't have a hard season. It's tough for four-year-olds to go chasing - I know they get a bit of an allowance early in the season - but I'm not going to over-race him as a novice and hopefully his ability will come out and he'll be a decent horse in the spring.His form is standing up everywhere and with his size and scope he's just a real chaser.
We were probably surprised how well he jumped hurdles for a horse of his size, that he took note of them. A lot of horses his size they don't take any notice, but he's very intelligent and we're really looking forward to him.Coming up that hill [in the Triumph] he was eating up ground - he has a huge, long stride - and took the last quite well. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with, I just hope his age doesn't get in the way.
Up to the last few years four-year-olds got a good allowance but that's disappeared [later in the season]. It's going to be tough for him but he has the ability and may as well learn this game at a young age. I think he'll be a right chaser in the future.I never mind too much in Ireland where we start them off - two miles, two-two, two and a half, even a bit more if we have to. I'd rather just start them when they're ready for their first run and then whatever chase is around.
As they go up in grade then we might come back to the trip that suits them best. Most Triumph horses want a trip as they get older so he shouldn't have any problem going out in trip.
Maughreen
She looked very good at Punchestown and is a real jumping type of mare with a good, solid build. She'll jump a fence in time. If she can transfer her bumper form to hurdles she's a possible for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Meetingofthewaters
He's a nice staying chaser. He was running a cracker in the Grand National and I just wonder did he not see out the full trip? Possibly going back for the Topham Trophy might be an option because he jumped the course so well, though it could be a bit short.
Minella Cocooner
He was a really valuable servant to us last year, winning a lot of money when third in the Irish National and then on the last day of the season at Sandown Danny got his head in front in a very close-fought bet365 Gold Cup. Hopefully he can do something like that again, but it's very difficult for those handicappers to come back and win a similar type of race. He'll be campaigned in all those top staying chases.
Mistergif
A horse that is very hard on himself and his rider. Going novice chasing might be a help to him and if he takes to it, he will have a much better career over fences than hurdles.
Mirazur West
He's a brother to Ferny Hollow. He's a lovely horse with a lot of ability and I feel we haven't seen the best of him yet. He'll go over fences this season. He's in the 'could-be-anything' bracket if he takes to this, but he was unlucky not to win a point-to-point before we got him so I'm sure he will. He's a very keen horse, his own worst enemy, but I'm hoping fences will settle him down.
Murcia
Looks to be a nice acquisition. She could be Triumph Hurdle material having Listed form in France already. She came highly recommended.
Mystical Power
He never shows off at home so we went for a Ballinrobe bumper hoping he would run well and he did. He just improved the whole season and I think he's come back looking a better horse - I think he's grown. He's a late developer.
We haven't decided which direction we're going to go. I would think probably novice chasing, but he was second in the Supreme and won his next two races after that which shows me he's improving. He could go down the staying hurdle route, I don't think he'd be fast enough for the Champion Hurdle and probably hasn't got a high enough rating. I haven't discussed it with connection yet so we'll see what they want to do.
I'd like to go jumping with him, he jumps well. Every time you put something in front of him he achieves it and I'd say he has a lovely temperament to go novice chasing. That's where I'd be but I haven't made a plan with connections.
Nick Rockett
He's a lovely chaser. When Paul rode him at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day he said he would love to ride him in the Irish National. He was placed in a Grade 2 at Navan and everything looked set but, while he ran a great race in the National, he could only manage seventh. He's still capable of winning a good handicap and if he does he can go into graded races. He'll go down the staying handicap route and have another crack at the Irish National or maybe the Grand National.
Port Joulain
He's a really nice type who we bought late in the season. He won his bumper at Gowran but I think he got upset before the race at Punchestown. Things probably happened too quickly for him during the season but he's come in well from his summer break and will have a much better prep this year for his novice hurdling campaign. He looks like one for the staying division and probably wants a fence sooner rather than later.
Predators Gold
He was a good bumper horse and put in good runs to finish runner-up in a couple of Grade 1 novice hurdles. He disappointed us at Cheltenham but is another horse we're looking forward to as a novice over fences.
Quai de Bourbon
He has a nice record over hurdles. Looking at him he is a real stamp of a chaser and I think he's a horse who is going to improve a lot. Going over fences should bring out that improvement and he's a horse I'm looking forward to, probably in the staying division.
Readin Tommy Wrong
Met with a setback and will miss the early part of the season
Redemption Day
He had a long time off but came back well last season and won the Grade 1 bumper at Punchestown. I'd been putting off jumping hurdles because of his long layoff. He's a very good work horse at home and showed it on the racecourse by winning his Grade 1. If he stays sound he should be very competitive in novice hurdles
Saint Roi
Will start off in the Clonmel Oil Chase and mix it between graded races and handicaps for the season.
Saint Sam
Has been a good servant to us winning over fences and indeed hurdles, most recently in France. He will mix it up again this season with a few more trips to France.
Salvator Mundi
He's only had three runs - one more and he's qualified for the County Hurdle! I'm told he's well up in the betting for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and he jumps well and is a real nice type, so we'll probably go down the Supreme route. But he could run in the Gallaghers. I'm very happy with him and he's a real nice type to have as a novice this season.
He did what he had to do at Tipperary and there was probably no depth in the race but the ground was nice and we thought before we threw him out to grass we'd see him one more time on the racecourse. We probably have to look at the Royal Bond. It's a Grade 2 this year but that will be fine and whether he has a run before then I doubt it.
Sounds Victorius
Sounds Victorius is a good, solid type of horse who jumps well. A hurdle, and indeed a fence in time, will improve him and he’s a middle-to-long distance novice hurdler.
Spindleberry
Loked like she was going to win the Grade 1 mares’ novice hurdle at Fairyhouse last March but was just beaten by Jade De Grugy. She has the physique to go chasing and could make into a good middle distance mares novice chaser.
State Man
I'd imagine he'll probably go for the Morgiana and then the usual route of Leopardstown at Christmas, Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Hurdle and then Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle. It's worked every year and he's a good, solid, straightforward horse who doesn't do anything flashy but gets the job done.
His record last year was fantastic and if he could do anything like that again that would be great for Marie and Joe Donnelly.We're looking forward to meeting Constitution Hill again. He has a Champion Hurdle in the bag and it will be good to put the two of them together.He doesn't show off and just does what he has to do - hopefully he can do that against Constitution Hill.
Willy de Houelle
There's been a lot of talk about him. He looks a real nice type but we haven't done enough with him. His French form looks good and like all young horses they look nice, but apart from his form I haven't an idea how good or bad he is compared to the rest of ours.
Zenta
We ran Zenta once over fences in December last season and we then decided to postpone chasing until this season. She is a much physically stronger mare for fences this year.
Zillow
A lovely type of horse we picked up at Arqana and he is one who will mix it on the Flat next summer. He jumps well enough and I'm hoping he could be a graded horse in novice hurdles.
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