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It’s funny because a few years ago someone did a piece on which trainer campaigns their Grade 1 horses the most before Cheltenham, and Willie came out lower than Nicky – as in he runs them LESS – and lower than any other trainer.
For me, yes. Willie Mullins domination is boring. Just as Man City’s domination is boring. Just as Max Verstappen’s domination is boring. Lack of competition is bad for any sport. Every now and then you get a “people’s horse” like a Frankel/Winx/Altior that the general public is interested in and that gets people through the gate, but I can’t imagine anyone turning up because a trainer is dominating.
Is the Mullins dominance causing a problem in Ireland, too? I’m only asking this because when I look at the days racing results I usually see that the stable have won most of that days racing over there.
The real question here is talk of “Is Willie Mullins’ domination boring” boring. In the 80’s it was Martin Pipe if I recall. Like Ian Davies on the subject I couldn’t care less. If Willie Mullins is dominating then maybe racing in Britain needs fixing, maybe racing in general (Irish except W.Mullins/ and GB) needs fixing. You can’t blame Mullins.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.Mullins runs his horses , in Ireland , France , UK , Australia , USA and had a runner in Korea about 4 years back ,a genius . Henderson looks at his in a stable . One will kill the game and its not Mullins .
I was on course few years ago at Caulfield , he was with horse called Simenon , while the horse was being saddled any number of punters came over to have a yarn with him , he seemed a real genuine down to earth bloke .Mullins’s near domination (he did have some favourites get beaten) is not boring because he does at least run his horses and plenty of his winners still go off at backable prices.
However, I think it could start to become boring for the casual racegoers. Crowds were down at Cheltenham this year. There are several reasons. The Mullins factor is not the main one but I think it is becoming an issue.
On Day 1, we could have had an intriguing clash between State Man and Lossiemouth. Instead we got two odds on processions (yes, I know you could have backed them both at odds against antepost but most punters don’t). That was not entirely Mullins’s fault – the main issue is the Mares Hurdle being at the festival and creating that option. But if Lossiemouth had been trained by someone else, she would almost certainly have run 40 minutes earlier and made for two better races.
Then on Day 2, the first 5 home in the opening race were trained by Mullins. This was followed by a stroll in the park for another of his odds on chances.
Several commentators have observed the opening two days of the festival felt a bit flat, before it sparked into life on the third day. It is not difficult to see why.
Mullins has built up a formidable operation. No one wants to be mean spirited about his success. He does run his horses and he seems like a good fellow. I have encountered him watching races from the stands with the punters at small tracks like Tramore and Downpatrick. But it is difficult to get excited about yet another Cheltenham winner trained by him. The uncertainty about where his horses are going to run does not help in the build up to Cheltenham either.
Yes, Moehat, it’s a problem here. The business model that Cormack mentioned is damaging in that it sucks in talent to feed the system. In the UK your bigger trainers do the opposite – Pauling, Derham, Skelton, Snowdon, Fry etc. have all come out of the system, and that’s not happening here. People are also losing interest. I knew some that didn’t bother going to DRF after the first day, even though they had tickets. It’s mind numbing.
Unfortunately racing is just reflection of the wider world. Loads of power and money in a small group of folk. I know it all too well as a hibs fan in Scotland up against the big two in Glasgow whose turnover is 8 times ours and when we look like making a breakthrough players/managers move to the bigger clubs.
Hopefully guys like paddy twomey make a breakthrough but with coolmore having endless justify horses and the massive group of galileo broodmares it is going to be very, very difficult.
I can see why some find it boring but I just love seeing good horses irrelevant who trains them.But good horses only look good if they have other good horses to run against.I know he runs his horses against each other but it isn’t the same as running against other trainers horses. It all seemed to start with Grahame Wylie moving his horses to Mullins which saddened me as we’d already lost Ferdy Murphy. Thank Goodness for Sandy Thompson and Lucinda.
I read this in the RP.
“The attendance across Cheltenham’s four days dropped by 11,000 and early prices have now been frozen for 2025, but Wilson believes that may be too late, particularly with falling field sizes and the dominance of Willie Mullins making many races uncompetitive.”
The article covers people watching the Festival from the south coast of Spain for a similar price to attending the meeting. I’m sure a number do, but that’s not the reason for the lower attendances.
What I disagree with in this is the comment regarding the dominance of Mullins making the races uncompetitive.
Willie Mullins doesn’t make the races uncompetitive, Cheltenham and the regulations/format make the races uncompetitive. I don’t remember so many races being uncompetitive before greed and opportunity took hold and they extended the Festival to four days and diluted the quality of the races. Mullins is only, and quite rightly, taking advantage of that.
If Willie Mullins has four runners in a nine horse field, does that diminish the quality of the race? As far as I can see all four run on their merits and that’s all I ask.
I don’t read too much about Aidan O’Brien running half a dozen in a big race. At least Willie Mullins doesn’t appear to have his non-fancied horses ‘allow’ the stable star to get its head in front before the line.
Agree Griff. I don’t blame Mullins at all for running Lossiemouth in the Mares Hurdle and taking advantage of a soft race. But I do blame Cheltenham and racing’s authorities for giving him the option.
Maybe he’s successful because he knows the best thing to do for each horse and the best thing for Lossiemouth, at this stage of her career, was to run her in the mares?
The question posed is whether it’s boring, not whether Mullins is right to do what he does. In the same way that a mother who buys a fleet of ponies for little Johnnie drives away the competition, so does Mullins. It makes no difference if little Johnnie is a super talent deserving of the chance. The competition will go to another show, rather than be beaten, and spectators will do the same. Such is life.
Anyone would think Lossiemouth was some poor little fragile creature. In January, she slammed a reliable horse in the shape of First Street by 10 lengths, barely breaking sweat. The idea she was not up to at least running in the Champion Hurdle is simply not credible.
Absolute nonsense to suggest falling attendances have anything to do with Mullins’ domination. Fleecing racegoers (on course and in the town), uncompetitive fields and general cost of living crisis will all have played a part. Participation of Mullins’ stars throughout the festival have not. Quite the opposite.
I would wholeheartedly agree with you Tonge.
It’s been a while getting to this point, but it’s now here.
Personally I think it’s a combination of making it four days causing the uncompetitive fields and all of your other points above.
I don’t think it’s the fact that Willie Mullins trains them, that’s just an avenue to deflect the main reasons. If Lossiemouth had lined up against State Man, would that have been detrimental to the race, because they are both trained by the same trainer?
There was every chance Mullins was going to win the Champion Hurdle, so why not send his promising youngster to win a G1 and perhaps give her a bigger test next season with more experience in the locker.
The system has allowed him to make that choice, which then made two G1 races with heavy odds on winners.
That’s what will turn people away from Cheltenham, not Willie Mullins. I can watch that in the comfort of my living room without the travelling and extortionate overcharging.
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