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Mention of Michael Dickinson’s “Famous Five” made me reach for my copy of Chasers & Hurdlers 1982/83.
There were, of course, only three days at the festival back then and only six races on each day.
In the eighteen races, we had a total of 14 different winning trainers. Dickinson himself was the leading trainer, with three winners (Sabin Du Loir, Badsworth Boy and Bregawn), while Michael Cunningham (Greasepaint and Churchfield Boy) and Jimmy Fitzgerald (Forgive N’ Forget and Canny Danny) notched doubles.
There was only ONE odds-on shot during the entire meeting, with Fred Winter’s Observe landing the Cathcart at odds of 1-2, and the average field size was 18.67 per race, including 30 runners in the Triumph Hurdle and 29 in both the County Hurdle and National Hunt Chase.
Compare and contrast…
“If Sir Gerhard was with any other trainer, an Authorized gelding out of a flat Mare, I couldn’t see him being in anything but the Supreme.”
Just watched the ATR Cheltenham preview show, which was recorded about a week ago.
Jamie Codd, who won two bumpers on Sir Gerhard when Elliott trained him, said the horse is all speed. He massively favoured the Supreme over the Ballymore.
I seldom lay horses but if he does run in the Ballymore and is odds on, I will be tempted to lay him based on what Codd said.
It is not boring, at least not yet. Elliott, De Bromhead and Henderson are still providing some competition.
However, I do wonder how some Irish jumps trainers keep going. The big three are so dominant.
Jessica Harrington is now a dual purpose trainer, maybe more towards the Flat. Even the likes of Noel Meade is having more runners on the level.
Haven’t seen that one, but Codd is a fair judge. I’d certainly much rather be on the field at evens than Sir Gerhard over 2m 5f in a G1.
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“If Sir Gerhard was with any other trainer, an Authorized gelding out of a flat Mare, I couldn’t see him being in anything but the Supreme.”
Sir Gerhard is by Jeremy, whose top 5 jumps offspring are Triumph winner Our Conor, 2 1/2 mile horse Mister Fisher, Appreciate It who hacked up in a 20f bumper, 3 miler Happygolucky and mares’ hurdle winner Black Tears.
He’s out of an Authorized mare, who ran as many times under NH rules as she did on the Flat and achieved her sole race win over obstacles. Her last run was in a 3m handicap hurdle with the comment “kept on same pace”.
Authorized himself got some good Flat horses-among them speedballs Euchen Glen and Santiago- but is best known for being the sire of Tiger Roll, stayers hurdle winner Nichols Canyon, and Goshen.
Wednesday final decs show that 63/112 runners are trained in Ireland.
Individual races with a majority of Irish runners – 6/9 in the Ballymore, 6/11 in the 3M novice chase, 15/26 in the Coral Cup, 11/16 in the X Country, 13/22 in the Bumper.
Domination in any sport by anyone gets tedious after a while.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I can see Mullins and Elliot winning at least half the races at the festival.With De Bromhead adding another three or four. I’d go 16-18 the spread for the three of them combined.
More than that admin.
The real “Prestbury Cup” is Mullins v Elliott. Double-figures for both a real possibility.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, in 1983 there were 14 different winning trainers from just 18 races.
I’ve looked up 1982 and there were 15 different winning trainers, again from a mere 18 races. Dickinson had three (Political Pop, Rathgorman and Silver Buck) and Fulke Walwyn landed a double (Crimson Embers and Dramatist).
The Irish won one third of the races, with no single Irish trainer landing more than one win.
Forty years later, and with ten additional races, what are the odds that we get fewer winning yards this time around? 🤔
Remember 1982 and 1983, Michael Dickinson had Silver Buck and Bregawn in the 1982 running and then Bregawn, Wayward Lad, Captain John, Silver Buck and Ashley House in 1983. I had Silver Buck in 1982 because when I used to see him back in them days he was always odds on, then saw him for this race and he was 8/1. Didn’t knew back then it was The Gold Cup, thought it was just another race. Night Nurse was favourite that day and fancied by everyone where I worked. Silver Buck was just part of a winning Patent that day. The Drunkard Duck and Scots Lane completed it.
The following year I was on Bregawn because Michael got interviewed and recommended him, that’s the difference between then and now, the trainers these days keep tight lipped about the horses or fancies them all.
Don’t know how his career went when he went to America, apart from the one breeders cup winner he had. His mother took over his stable here, but things just weren’t the same.
The best things in life are free.
But you can give them to the birds and bees.If you are bored by it you will have to be prepared to be bored for a good while yet.
10 winners (which should have been 11) is an extraordinary performance.
His main rival in Ireland managed just two winners – one by a short head in a handicap and the other in the egg and spoon race.
De Bromhead did win the two big races but does he have anything on the horizon to replace them?
Instead of asking if it is boring, shouldn’t we be asking what is Mullins doing right? Where is he sourcing all these good horses? Is his set up better? And (whisper it quietly) is he just a better trainer than some of the other high profile names?
The contrast between the Cheltenham results of Ireland’s Champion Trainer and his equivalent in Britain is stark. Nicholls was almost literally not at the races. To only have one runner on Gold Cup day, ridden by an amateur rider who is not exactly at the pinnacle, looks absolutely pitiful.
The idea that he’s a better trainer than the others, doesn’t seem the answer when you look at his overall career. He began training in the late 80’s, but as recently as 2002/03 he sent out just 32 winners in Ireland. He’d been reasonably successful, but the top class horses were occasional, not every year.
The first time he broke the 100 winner barrier in Ireland was season 2007/08 and his numbers improved substantially from that point on to the current day. There were more winners and they were coming at a much higher strike rate – he’s had at least 160 winners in Ireland every season since 2012 and the strike rate has only once dipped below 25%.
So what happened in 2007/08 – well it could just be a coincidence, but that was the season when Richie Rich first had horses in the yard. The winners Ricci supplied raised his profile and attracted other new owners – wealthy owners. The bandwagon effect has funded the rise to the top we now witness.
Helped along by the fact that Mullins knows how to game the system. The County Hurdle winner yesterday had run three times, completed twice, once in France and winning a Limerick maiden hurdle. The Irish handicapper hasn’t even allocated him a mark, but our handicappers fall for it every time. Imo, he shouldn’t have been anywhere near a Grade 3 handicap, his entry should have been declined on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
“Domination in any sport by anyone gets tedious after a while”.
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This ^.
People talk of Nicholls, Dickenson and Pipe in yesteryear, but they didn’t have the domination of Mullins.
Dickenson’s first five home in the Gold Cup was a one off…
And yes, if a British trainer was winning as often it would be equally as tedious.
Value Is EverythingI think he has developed a good network who find the horses. And he can clearly train them extremely well. That and an ability to manage and get on with owners I’d say.
I agree that a horse like State Man shouldn’t be given a mark. Handicapper has to be guessing and will inevitably, on the (deliberately manoeuvred) very limited evidence be forced into giving a lenient mark to the likes of this one and the similarly profiled Saint Roi a couple of years back.
He is clearly highly intelligent, comes across as hard working and a real gent with a great team so is as deserving of his success as any I think.
Would u rather Mullins wasn’t there and Elliot was dominating ? , I really thought this would be the year Skelton would break out , he had some fair chances and I said on the GC thread the 3rd yesterday may yet improve ….does Dan have to be brutal and replace Harry …if he wants to be the top man in the UK then its maybe a question he needs to be asking , let’s face it Mullins is dominating and his main jockey …well he ain’t anything out the ordinary is he but he,s better than Harry
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