Min the latest Mullins injury

[BigG]

Willie’s not been having the best of luck of late, and it won’t help that
MIN has been ruled out of the Arkle Novice Chase at Ledpardstown on Sunday.
Mullins said “he just got a bang on his knee, and he’s a late withdrawl,
it’s just bad timing”

It worries me when I hear a Mullins horse is injured, despite the usual
assurances from Willie. When asked if he could run again before Cheltenham,
he said “I hope so”. I hope he gets over this quickly, but it is a bit
concerning.

[BigG]

You can add Faugheen to that list, he’s out of the Irish Champion Hurdle
tomorrow. Mullins says it’s a pulled muscle. He’s a great trainer, but
with what has gone before, I’m having great trouble taking him at face value.
It seems the same assurances that it’s not a major problem, but we’ve heard
that before. It’s becoming even more difficult, if that’s possible, to back
his horses ante post.

[thewexfordman]

Having a very unlucky year really. Can’t understand people suggesting he isn’t being honest. Faugheen clearly has problems and so does Annie power so its totally understandable that he wants to make sure they are 100% before he runs them again and clearly yesterday after he was declared another problem surfaced in relation to the fitness of faugheen. Its a pity. Hopefully he can make Cheltenham

[clivexx]

as a rule I give far more time to trainer updates and comments than seemingly most punters but not Mullins. Don’t believe a word he says and frankly both the above excuses have a bit of dog ate my homework about them

A fair bit of sangfroid I would imagine from many punters about the team fat banker, laughing boy and pinnochio

And Isn’t the attrition rate of Mullins horses remarkably high ?

[thehorsesmouth]

clivexx wrote:

as a rule I give far more time to trainer updates and comments than seemingly most punters but not Mullins. Don’t believe a word he says and frankly both the above excuses have a bit of dog ate my homework about them

A fair bit of sangfroid I would imagine from many punters about the team fat banker, laughing boy and pinnochio

And Isn’t the attrition rate of Mullins horses remarkably high ?

I would say it’s a lot lower than that of Noel Meade.

Mullins has an excellent record of getting his big guns to big targets over the past few years but not so this season.

[Gingertipster]

Flying pigs seen over the Mullins yard again.

Happens too often to be a coincidence.
Fact is Mullins entering his top horses puts other trainers off running, giving Mullins second strings a far better chance of winning.

Value Is Everything

[BigG]

You’re absolutely right Wexford, he has to put the horses first. I’m maybe being
a bit harsh, I don’t think Willie is dishonest, as much as he tends (IMO) to put
as positive a face on his horses, he’s certainly not the most forthcoming with
the media. I think he wants to give away as little as possible, and it makes it
difficult to know what the state of play is. He may, as you say, just be unlucky,
but he seems to be unlucky more often just before one of his is due to run.

[thewexfordman]

I believe he is not the most forthcoming because over the last few years he has received a lot of stick for changing his mind or leaving decisions til the last minute and thus has decided to give away as little as possible. The biggest problem is that people don’t listen to what he says, and go and back horses based on only half listening.
Mullins uses phrases like “at the moment it looks like X might run in Y race, we will see during the week”. Then people go and lump on. He is clearly the type of person who likes to keep options open and he has been successful at it in the past. It works for him. The same as in any other business, some business men like to have definate long term plans others like to leave things more fluid. It happens with people in all other walks of life and horse racing should be no different. People operate in different ways

[Gingertipster]

^ I think it’s more that he has more Grade 1 horses than anyone else. One injury by one horse can mean another stepping in… and that means the one that was going for that race goes for another… and so on. So can excuse that.

Thing that I don’t like though is horses being entered in races, everything’s apparently ok and then a very late no show. No trainer can have that much last minute misfortune. What was the actual chance Faugheen turning up?

Value Is Everything

[BigG]

That kind of sums up my feelings Ginger, as I said above ……

“He may, as you say, just be unlucky,
but he seems to be unlucky more often just before one of his is due to run.”

[Author]

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