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Last year I had a chat with Susannah Ricci at her vineyard down in Kent and asked why they don’t use many trainers including those near to where they are based and her answer was it was really for administrative purposes as it’s easier dealing with a few trainers than a multitude.
I did also speak to Rich himself that day and tried to put in a good word for some South East trainers, and who knows perhaps one day one of those might be sent one.
I suspect that Willie Mullins’ domination is slowly coming to an end. The poor man is currently stressed out and heading for a nervous breakdown based on his massive whinge last Thursday at Cheltenham. He seems to think that without him Cheltenham would be a washout, similar to Salah thinking Liverpool FC would be nothing without him. In Mullins’ case he thinks he can dictate how much a course is watered to suit his horses. If he doesn’t get what he wants he will take his bat and ball home, meaning he won’t be sending his star horses to run at Cheltenham. If that is his attitude, good riddance is all I can say!
Full marks to Cheltenham’s Clerk of the Course, who said his duty is to provide safe ground, not pander to top trainers.
Very good point Value31. I mentioned on another forum how stressed & tetchy Mullins seems to be getting. When you’ve built a behemoth empire trying to keep it that way puts a lot of pressure on you.
Agree Value but Mullins was bluffing when he said he won’t bring his horses. Everyone knows he still will.
The clerk took the right action and I am sure he is confident enough to call Mullins’s bluff.
It could be argued that only 8 winners was a disappointing return for Mullins, although he did win the 3 feature races.
He denied himself a winner by pulling out Fact To File. Ballyburn got an iffy ride and he had three beaten favourites on the final day.
“I mentioned on another forum how stressed & tetchy Mullins seems to be getting.”
His hips and back are giving him a hard time, chronic pain makes people (and animals!) stressed and narky.
Money buys quality and quantity
Quality × quantity = big race winners
Big race winners -> new owners plus more spending from existing owners -> money -> quality x quantity -> and so on, in ever increasing circles.Quantities of quality makes a big difference. No “small but select team” anywhere for Willie.
Not really got an outstanding novice hurdler this year? Oh well, out of them all something will probably win one of the 3 G1s.
Arkle horse had bits fall off and a crap prep and next big 3 mile thing turn out to be not quite the star you hoped? Never mind, you can take your pick of jockeys to put on neat jumping second strings and win anyway.
Star hurdler out for the season and possibly, given his age, effectively for good bar maybe one lucky Morgiana or something? No problem, slot your good mare into the Champion Hurdle instead. Even if she stubs her toe the week before you can always re route Kopek.
Trying to hammer a Majborough shaped peg into a 2 mile Old Course G1 hole and realising it doesn’t fit? No problem, you’ve got the wee grey horse that hoovers up pounds sterling for fun.
Not really got a proper 3 mile hurdler? Never mind, that big engined failed chaser with its head on the floor will do a job and earn a few bob, and push your rival for the GB title from 3rd to 4th.
Star Gold Cup winner out? Not to worry, your stable jockey can now ride the new younger star.
And so on, and so forth, including the big money purchases that never even make it to the racecourse, or run in one maiden hurdle then fall apart and are forgotten about. The mill requires a lot of high quality grist. Not that Closutton is a mill, any more than anywhere else; Mullins has the unusual luxury of being able to tell owners that he is going to leave their expensive horse eating grass in a field all year if he wants. National Hunt racing itself is the mill.
“Trying to hammer a Majborough shaped peg into a 2 mile Old Course G1 hole and realising it doesn’t fit?”
I think that was more due to the owner. McManus has never had the winner of the Champion Chase and time may be running out.
Agree it was the owner but Mullins will do his best to find that peg. No doubt Narciso Has will be tried over fences when he’s back rather than staying over hurdles and I bet that recently every time Pierre Boulard spots a horse that might be a future 2 mile chaser, Willie gives JP first refusal.
“Elliott is maker of his own downfall , I’ll be interested to see what Gigginstown do over the summer”
I dunno. Giggi were pretty ruthless at dumping the likes of Colm Murphy, Sandra Hughes and (effectively) Mouse Morris but I think the relationship with Elliott is different.
Oh yes the Mullins bluff about not bringing horses over again if ground not right.
Wait till the National he’ll send an army of runners over againVF x
Isn’t it the owner who has the right to overrule Mullins on sending horses to Cheltenham, let’s face it they don’t belong to Mullins.
The more I know the less I understand.
The mullins domination will end sometime. Not for a while yet though. Hard to see anybody being so dominant in the future. Its not just money that brings success. Theres more to it than that. Mullins has whatever the magic ingredient is or systems in place that others dont. Henderson must be nearing his end as a trainer so one less opponent for mullins. Maybe somebody will do what amo is doing on the flat but as they are finding out its tough to break the stranglehold coolmore and godolphin have. Mullins has shown he is the man for the big ocassion so with the enormous sums being spent on nhunt horses mullins currently looks the best bet for wealthy owners looking for big cheltenham winners. The success the riccis have had this week will probably ensure willie getting top horses from them for the next few years at least.
Hypothetically speaking, mickey, if a new owner came into the sport with billions at his disposal and sent the horses to, say, Olly Murphy, wouldn’t Willie eventually be overtaken?
I remember when Sheikh Mohammed had a few horses in training over jumps (Kribensis, Royal Gait, Highland Bud, etc)… Had he continued to invest in the sport, things might have been very different.
Mullins has so many horses now he’s chucking obscene numbers at races ( 9 in the Triumph ) even the yard don’t know which is the best , with Patrick training so many that isn’t changing any time soon , Willie is the best as he’s being given the best to train…. well hes second best after Sandy
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Possibly. It would still take a good few years to get the firepower to challenge mullins from sourcing them to letting them mature to be able to challenge at cheltenham. I cant remember in my time dominance like this. Could well be a one off and if/when his dominance wanes the prizes will be spread around again.
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