The Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of National Hunt racing, is finally upon us. And as punters from around the world place their bets, one name is on everyone’s lips: Willie Mullins. The Irish trainer has established himself as one of the most successful trainers in the history of the festival, and his presence at the event is eagerly anticipated year after year.
Mullins has been a dominant force at Cheltenham since the turn of the century, with a staggering 88 winners to his name. The Irishman continues to break records even in the latter stages of his racing career, saddling a historic 10 winners last year as the action returned to the stands following a behind closed doors edition in 2021.
Mullins boasts an impressive record at Prestbury Park that includes three victories in the prestigious Gold Cup, with his most recent triumph coming in 2019 with Al Boum Photo. But it’s not just the big races where Mullins excels – he has a knack for producing winners across the board, from novice hurdlers to seasoned chasers.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Mullins’ influence on Cheltenham is immense. His horses are always among the favourites, and his presence at the festival is eagerly anticipated by racing fans around the world. This year he is once again tipped to finish as the top trainer, beating the likes of Nicky Henderson, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead for another year at least. It’s no surprise he leads the Cheltenham top trainers odds once again.
Mullins saddles several favourites again this year, with the likes of Facile Vega expected to get him off to a fast start in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, to State Man in the Champion Hurdle, Energumene in the Champion Chase and finally Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup, perhaps the most prestigious race at the Festival, we could see more Mullins domination this year at Prestbury Park.
So what makes Mullins so successful at Cheltenham? It’s a combination of factors, but one of the most important is his ability to pick the right races for his horses. Mullins has a deep understanding of his equine charges, and he knows which races will suit them best. He’s also not afraid to take risks — he’s been known to switch horses between races at the last minute, a tactic that has paid off more than once. It’s testament to Mullins’ character that the Irishman was unaware he had even broken any kind of record last year.
“We’re delighted,” he said. “Any winner is always good at Cheltenham and Paul [Townend, leading jockey] has ridden beautifully when you think what happened with Galopin Des Champs earlier in the week
“I didn’t realise no one has ever trained this many winners here, but since it became a four-day Festival things changed numbers-wise.
“I’d imagine this sort of thing will happen more regularly and if they go to five days someone will do it easily. I’m delighted with the whole team and I’m going to accept the award with all my team because they are the ones who do it in the background leaving me free.”
So as the excitement builds ahead of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, all eyes will be on Mullins. He’s proven time and time again that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level, and his presence alone is enough to influence a punter’s betting slip. But win or lose, one thing is for sure — the Mullins magic will be on full display, and racing fans around the world will be eagerly watching to see what he achieves next.
