- This topic has 626 replies, 71 voices, and was last updated 3 days, 19 hours ago by
.
- Posts
This isn’t a one man job like Henderson , Patrick is already training horses , when Willie retires he steps in ( with Danny there to ) they aren’t going anywhere , who realistically can stop them , no one just now , Elliott in my eyes has peaked , it’s funny he learned the trade at Pipes ….look what happened there …
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
It is the third year in a row he has trained the Grand National winner. And even though they had different trainers, J.P McManus had three of the first four home.
I don’t know what the television viewing figures were like but the attendances at Aintree were the best since 2018. That suggests an event in good health.
However, is it good for the Grand National if it is going to be dominated by one trainer and one multi-billionaire?
CAS – the changes made to the race, specifically the over softening of the fences (did you notice several of the fences had their actual cores exposed!!!) and the much compressed weight range now mean that this was always most likely to happen. They wanted to encourage the better type horse to run and it has worked but it has been very much to the detriment of the fairy tale type winners……which now struggle to even get into the race to begin with.
I was a little initially surprised that a 66-1 shot managed to nab 5th place but then I looked at who trained it and it was Mullins but interestingly enough his last two races he pulled up and he has only actually won one of his seven races over fences before the National….a beginners chase!
The once a year punter has no idea about owners and trainers they just pick a name they like generally but the days of them hitting a longshot winner are probably long gone. To them the race hasn’t changed.
The more I know the less I understand.
The final two weekends of the NH season (Ayr and Sandown) look very different to last year. With Mullins having stepped back from attacking the trainers’ championship, those two cards offer much better opportunities for local trainers (especially referring to the Scottish event).
What do we think about that?
Take the Whitbread at Sandown on final day. That’s a very different race to last year, where Mullins had ten of the 19 runners in his bid to win the trainers’ championship.
He only has one entered this time, a low ley entrant too compared to last year’s squad that included Grangeclare West, just three weeks after nearly winning the Grand National. (*Interesting to see that Lombron, a 5yo in just his fourth chase, came second and hasn’t been seen since.)
Does it mean the quality of down? Sure. But it makes it competitive and there is a big prize to be won. Obviously Mullins/Casey doesn’t think it is worth trying to win this year.
Mullins is still around €150,000 behind Elliott in the Irish Trainers Championship. That can easily be overhauled at Punchestown but Mullins cannot be complacent. Sandown isn’t a priority for him.
Are his owners no longer interested winning races such as the Scottish National now?!
I have to admit that my lifelong love affair of the National is now over. To me it’s just a case of which Mullins or JP horse wins. I wish they’d reduce the prize money and then see if they still target it in the same way. Re Lombron, not only that but another Mullins horse died in the race in his pursuit of the championship.
Agree moehat. I am not that bothered about Mullins training the winner but McManus is now going into the race mob handed and has had three of the last six winners.
Maybe we are being a bit sentimental but a large part of the Grand National’s appeal was that the “little man” had a chance. Plenty of so called smaller trainers and journeyman jockeys have won the race. And a lot of the winning owners were not people with hundreds of horses in training.
If that is now disappearing and the race is going to be dominated by the powerhouses, I think it does diminish the race as an event.
On the plus side, at least the race was a more exciting spectacle this year and all the horses were OK.
CAS- Very good points – I can fully accept the welfare driven fence modifications but the conditions need looking at. Between them,JP, Willie and Gordon had more than half the field – That certainly does take away the old romance element . Win and you’re in races or an owner limit of say 3-4 horses (more controversial)would certainly redress the balance. On current season form, horses like Lecky Watson and Perceval Legallois were running well below the handicap cut off point of 144 . No-hopers were a part of the old National and we have moved on from that, but other yards should get a look in , particularly those with in form chasers around the 140 mark.I’d have a balloting out stage around 4 weeks before, for horses who haven’t met a certain standard during the season .
You won’t be able to restrict an owner to 3-4 horses which would make sense, they will always find loopholes to enter 2-3 more horses running in the names of their wives, relatives, syndicates and so on.
But, the idea of having more “you win and you’re in” races is the better option. Horses will have to show their true form in a trial and there could be less fiddling around the handicap mark.The national is now a premier hcap and will only be won by graded horses going forward. Not mullins fault the way things have gone but much like aidan and the derby hes got most of the best 3m plus chasers that are around. We are living in mullins time. Things can change quickly but he will take some knocking off his perch.
It’s not a one man band like Elliot and Henderson it’s a Dynasty , there not going anywhere
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
It was still quite bad from him not to send anything over just because the Trainers’ Championship is out of reach.
This season I think it would have required him to send more horses over much more regularly throught the season rather than targeting just the big prizes hoping he could stay in touch to where great hauls at Cheltenham, Aintree and Sandown would overhaul whatever lead Skelton had.
Also had he not been trailing in the Irish Title quite as much he might have done more but unlike the last two seasons, Skelton has reached new heights prize money wise to the extent that for all the firepower Willie can call upon the gap was just too significant even for him to claw back.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.