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Very pleased to say it doesn’t look as if Mullins is going to get close to cleaning up this year. Now if we could only get rid of the those mare’s races…..
When you say cleaning up what exactly do you mean?
He had 7 winners last year and 8 the year before; would you call that “cleaning up”? I reckon there is still a good chance he could end up with 8 winners.
I reckon he still has to be strong favourite to take the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, JLT and Mares Novice. That’s 4. Has a great chance in the Ryanair, Arkle, RSA and Mares Hurdle. I’d say he’ll get 2 out 4 there
He will be competitive in all 4 grade 1 Novice Hurdles and should win 1 of them.
Then out of the Gold Cup, Stayers Hurdle and Champion Bumper he could easily win 1 of them.That’s 8 wins of all the Grade 1’s (Grade 2 Mares Novice) alone.
The yard has now lost Vautour and Annie Power, they have serious question marks over Killultagh Vic and Senewalk has bombed. For any other trainer this would be a major crisis but not for WPM.
He mightn’t win 8 but he has a good chance to do it. Think he will definitely win at least 6 and take Leading Trainer prize for the 6th time in 7 years.
Back in September, Henderson stated that it was Altior’s age and size / scope which had determined his chasing career started sooner rather than later ( although he said there’d been plenty of indecision )
He’s said they’ll enter Buveur D’Air in the Champion and, after todays news, i think JP might take up that entry.
Back in September, Henderson stated that it was Altior’s age and size / scope which had determined his chasing career started sooner rather than later ( although he said there’d been plenty of indecision )
He’s said they’ll enter Buveur D’Air in the Champion and, after todays news, i think JP might take up that entry.
Mark, that’s what I was aware of too, his full quote was ……
“Speaking in his stable tour in Monday’s Racing Post, Henderson said: “After a lot of thought, discussion and – at times – a lot of indecision, we have decided to take the novice chase route. He is now six, rising seven and if we don’t go chasing now, I suspect we might never. We schooled him once in the spring and he was excellent.”
That was why I commented on the post from Ham earlier on, that the quote he gave from NH, just didn’t
seem to me like something Henderson would say.I wrote this piece last night but cant stop thinking that it may have been a waste of time…….haha…….maybe I knew something was on the cards…….
THE MACHINE OR THE POWER?
The Cheltenham Festival is fast approaching and although we are only at the tail end of January there is a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the Champion Hurdle in March for the Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci camp. The Irish invasion continues as the Closutton team aim to retain the prestigious title and make it three wins in a row for the famous pink and green silks.
The problem they face is what horses they send forward for battle. It’s no secret that Willie and Rich like to keep their stable stars apart as much as possible but surely they have a duty to allow their two previous Champion Hurdle winners to decide who is number one.
In the red corner, Faugheen (the ‘Machine’), the winner of the Cheltenham Hurdle in 2015, who has been injured since he took the Grade 1 BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January 2016.
Interestingly, his seasonal reappearance is in that same race this coming Sunday where he aims to maintain his crown. The gelding, originally planned to run at Christmas before a further setback, is the current ante-post favourite for the showpiece at a best priced 15/8 but one would feel he must dust down the cobwebs and show some of his previous razzmatazz during his comeback race in order to make the festival line up.
In the blue corner his stablemate and current reigning Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner, Annie Power. In 2016 Annie deputised remarkably for the sidelined Faugheen when she became the first mare to win the race since Flakey Dove back in 1994. She managed to thrash the boys and justify her odds of 5/2 favourite.
The reigning champion can be backed at a best priced 6/1 with Coral for the festival but like her stable companion, the chestnut has been injured and has not been seen on track since winning the Grade 1 Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle in April 2016, where her hurdling winnings increased to a total of £447,912.
It would be a colossal clash but I am not convinced that the Ricci’s will allow their two galácticos to go nostril to nostril in such a well anticipated duel. Rich has said on record that Annie Power is a horse that his wife Susannah adores and that retirement is imminent, whereas if the ‘Machine’ turns up 100% fit and produces a similar display as he did in 2015, he must have a fantastic chance of reclaiming the honours.
It is a tough decision for any owner and trainer to have to make but certainly a nice dilemma to have. If they were my horses I definitely would be letting them battle it out (on the basis they were fully fit). Faugheen is a brilliant hurdler, oozes so much class and deserves his chance of glory again; Annie Power is a truly remarkable mare, who stepped up to fill Faugheen’s absent hoofs and deserves the chance to retain her crown, especially with the seven pound allowance.
He is using the Game Spirit as an Arkle prep as did Sprinter Sacre.
The difference this year is he doesn’t have a Finian’s Rainbow (who won that year’s QM). Cautious as he is, and nervous as he is, if declared for the QM with Douvan, most of the rest would head to the Ryanair leaving maybe even four or five to beat and I see no reason to fear Douvan. Even second place in the QM gets just 10k less in prize money than winning the Arkle. Of course they wouldn’t like to see a defeat and it’s not all about cash, but, everything considered and assuming he saunters home at Newbury, why on earth wouldn’t they go for the QM?
I hear Henderson will go for the Game Spirit with Altior for experience and will seriously consider the QM; but only if Douvan doesn’t make Cheltenham.
Value Is EverythingVery pleased to say it doesn’t look as if Mullins is going to get close to cleaning up this year. Now if we could only get rid of the those mare’s races…..
When you say cleaning up what exactly do you mean?
He had 7 winners last year and 8 the year before; would you call that “cleaning up”? I reckon there is still a good chance he could end up with 8 winners.
I reckon he still has to be strong favourite to take the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, JLT and Mares Novice. That’s 4. Has a great chance in the Ryanair, Arkle, RSA and Mares Hurdle. I’d say he’ll get 2 out 4 there
He will be competitive in all 4 grade 1 Novice Hurdles and should win 1 of them.
Then out of the Gold Cup, Stayers Hurdle and Champion Bumper he could easily win 1 of them.That’s 8 wins of all the Grade 1’s (Grade 2 Mares Novice) alone.
The yard has now lost Vautour and Annie Power, they have serious question marks over Killultagh Vic and Senewalk has bombed. For any other trainer this would be a major crisis but not for WPM.
He mightn’t win 8 but he has a good chance to do it. Think he will definitely win at least 6 and take Leading Trainer prize for the 6th time in 7 years.
When I say cleaning up it is a reference to the last few years. I don’t think there will anything like that same level of success.
Leaving aside the mares events which are just a stable benefit, Douvan is the only one close to being an obvious winner. Faugheen has to get there and even then might not be good enough. I don’t see him winning the Gold Cup, Stayers, Ryanair, Bumper or any of the novice events, chases or hurdles. His handicap record is pretty dismal so it wouldn’t surprise me to see as little as four winners.
Completely agree stilvi. I can see Mullins having a less successful Cheltenham than he has had in recent years. 7/8 winners of late has been fantastic but the bubble will eventually burst, it always does. I think he will have 2/3 winners and a string of seconds.
Call me mad but L’Ami Serge at 260-280s was just nonsense. Had to back. The way he travels in his races, if he runs he’s going to trade at 6s at the most in-running.
Completely agree stilvi. I can see Mullins having a less successful Cheltenham than he has had in recent years. 7/8 winners of late has been fantastic but the bubble will eventually burst, it always does. I think he will have 2/3 winners and a string of seconds.
It’s funny because 2/3 winners at the festival is something most trainers only dream of. For Willie it’s considered disappointing. Will be interesting to see if there is a market for Willie Mullins winners at the festival. I reckon he will have at least 6 and am willing to put some cash down.. What price do you think I’d get on 6 or more winners?
Completely agree stilvi. I can see Mullins having a less successful Cheltenham than he has had in recent years. 7/8 winners of late has been fantastic but the bubble will eventually burst, it always does. I think he will have 2/3 winners and a string of seconds.
It’s funny because 2/3 winners at the festival is something most trainers only dream of. For Willie it’s considered disappointing. Will be interesting to see if there is a market for Willie Mullins winners at the festival. I reckon he will have at least 6 and am willing to put some cash down.. What price do you think I’d get on 6 or more winners?
I certainly wouldn’t be surprised with 6 mate. Who are your six out of interest?
CH – Faugheen
CC – Douvan
JLT – Yorkhill
Mares – VVM
Ryanair – Un De Sceaux
1 Handicap win somewhereCompletely agree stilvi. I can see Mullins having a less successful Cheltenham than he has had in recent years. 7/8 winners of late has been fantastic but the bubble will eventually burst, it always does. I think he will have 2/3 winners and a string of seconds.
It’s funny because 2/3 winners at the festival is something most trainers only dream of. For Willie it’s considered disappointing. Will be interesting to see if there is a market for Willie Mullins winners at the festival. I reckon he will have at least 6 and am willing to put some cash down.. What price do you think I’d get on 6 or more winners?
I certainly wouldn’t be surprised with 6 mate. Who are your six out of interest?
CH – Faugheen
CC – Douvan
JLT – Yorkhill
Mares – VVM
Ryanair – Un De Sceaux
1 Handicap win somewhereDouvan – CC
Yorkhill – JLT
Faugheen – CH
Limini – Mares
Vroum Vroum Mag – Stayers
Airlie Beach – Mares Novice HurdleThink they are the most likely 6.
After that he has 3 decent shouts that will likely go off favourite or second favourite;
Bellshill – RSA
Un De Sceaux – Ryanair
Min – ArkleThen he has the following
Crack Mome/Melon/Cilaous Emery/Bunk off Early – Supreme
Saturnas/Lets Dance – Neptune
Augusta Kate/Penhill – Albert Bartlett
Bapaume/Meri Devie – Triumph
Getabird/Carter McKay/Ballyward – Champion Bumper
Haymount for the 4 milerMassive strength in Depth..
Haven’t even mentioned Djakadam but if something happens to Thistlecrack then he comes into the mix too..
Think he will have 6 winners at the very least
Buveur D’Air in the Champion Hurdle seems a little more likely given Nicky’s blog. Had to get the 75s and upwards available.
Had to settle for 85s on Ivanovich Gorbatov after that news broke. Wins wherever he runs at the Fez.
Almost immediately after I backed Ivanovich G at 85s, he spiked and was matched at 150s. Currently nothing to lay. Bit confused by that as he’s declared for tomorrow.
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