“Are you for real. He could dominate France even more so than UK/Ireland if he wished.”
Then why doesn’t he?
“UK/Ireland is the best jumps racing in the world.”
No one can dispute the quality of jumps trainers and riders in the UK and Ireland, but it is not the best. The “best” is where the money is and for jumps racing, that is France; and that won’t change any time soon. Maybe when the UK/Ireland dump wagering through bookmakers and there is a complete tote monopoly that is mandated to kick back a significant portion of the turnover to an increased levels of purse distribution, then maybe they might be competitive with the French.
Sure Mullins is in a different league when it come to racing in the UK and Ireland, but in France he may struggle to keep up with the likes of:
Lageneste & Macaire
Chailiie-Chaille
Leenders
Nicolle
Mele
Clayeux
George & Zetterholm
Just to name a few.
And for what it’s worth, Mullins can thank the superb pipeline of French recruits that were given their foundation there. I don’t have the time or energy to list the extensive number of horses purchased out of French yards that Mullins (and other trainers in the UK/Ireland) can attribute his/their success too.
Gents – I wish it wasn’t the case and I have immense respect for the jumps racing product in the UK and Ireland, but they have some “catching up” to do.