- This topic has 78 replies, 28 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by
.
- Posts
As mentioned in earlier thread Mullins withdrew Vroum Vroum Mag from the race at Sandown. His explanation was because as he could no longer win the Trainers title he would rather run the horse at Punchestown. Another disgrace was he only got fined £1000. Complete disregard for the racing public.
Completely agree with you Kenh, he’s just gone down in my estimation. It
smacks a bit of throwing the toys out the pram, just because you didn’t
get your own way.I like Willie Mullins, he’s a fantastic trainer, but if he cares in the
slightest about public perception he certainly didn’t show it here. Whether
he’s now going to aim him at a bigger prize or not, pulling him out minutes
before the race, when the horse is fit and well, doesn’t keep with the spirit
of racing. It’s not as if the Ricci’s need the extra cash after all. I think
with hindsight he will realise he made the wrong decision.Nichols did the same thing in the last. Both just entered as many as they could, but when the title was decided they withdrew them. If the title had been decided last weekend nichols and mullins would not have entered half the number of horses they did, and with bigger and better races next week who can blame him. He’s not a disgrace, only for him running so many horses in Britain Nichols would have had this won months ago.
I disagree and think Mullins did the right thing. His loyalty is to his owners, who buy his incredible horses and make the yard what it is.
He was already out on a wacky limb by entering Vroum Vroum Mag into such an obscure race where the risks far outweighed the rewards. This mare could win at the next three or four Cheltenham festivals if Mullins manages her well. Running this heavy-stepping type at a meeting that has a history of damaging the tendons of previously sound horses looked like a bad idea all along.
I think it just goes to show the BLATANT disregard Mullins has for the general public and for the rules!!
A thousand pound fine is pocket money and the horse should be banned for thirty days and that would maybe make them think twice about doing a similar thing again!! Rich Ricci will probably pay the fine for him out of his loose change!!
Agree in entirely with the original poster. The fine should been multiplied several times over. The fact that he openly stated what he had done suggests that he has lost touch with reality. I think he needs to take the blinkers off.
If it looked such a bad idea running the horse on drying ground then Mullins shouldn’t have entered the horse.
Of course as per usual you won’t get a word of criticism in the media.
I don’t know if Nicholls was fined as well. He should have been.
There was a comment, stilvi stated in the previous post that Nicholls should have been fined. The Stewards Report states that Paul Nicholls withdrew 3 horses in the half hour before the race with reason stated as ‘Going Change’ with ‘Fine Waived’. Both trainers took the mickey out of the racing public.
I believe the owner can withdraw their own horse, so maybe it was Rich Ricci who wanted to run somewhere else and I would have done exactly the same thing. And so would anyone of you who was entered in a better race at Punchestown i.e. 118 Euro race. I see the new British Champion trainer has nothing to run.
Nichols did the same in the last yet no comment?
In the last, Mullins scratched Burgas, while Nicholls took out Alcala and
Chartbreaker. “All three withdrawals were blamed on the change of going and
no penalties were handed out”.Paddy Power have been decent enough to say they will refund ante post bets
on VVM, there will be many punters who aren’t so lucky.Are the Nicholls withdrawals true about going change? At least Willie came out and gave the exact reason why VVM was withdrawn. The problem is that she is high profile and was the favourite, so took a lot of money out of the race. The two Nicholls horses were general outsiders.
It is a bit naughty from both but who should get the harshest criticism? Mullins because of VVM’s profile or Nicholls because he claims that the ‘going change’ forced his withdrawals. (If that is the reason he gave)
Well at least Willie was upfront with why he withdrew VVM. And Rob I posted before stilvi commented.
Umm Chartbreaker taken out for a different reason, follow the horse and you will see. Mr Nicholls looks after himself. Mullins won the last.
Oh, I see Willie stated the same for the last race. Well, every ante post bet should be refunded for the withdrawal of VVM.
It’s amazing that this Is defended by some. I was there today and there is no doubt that vvm was a highlight on the card. Of course it’s disappointing that an interesting contest became a humdrum one but even aside from that, punters having to reassess with 15 mins to go is not ideal. It felt shoddy
Didn’t bother me for the betting angle (I had laid vvm to smallish sums) but whilst Willie is many great things he too often has a tin ear when it comes to the wider betting public.
Maybe a bit of talk about possible withdrawals during the week would have taken the sting out of it. Did anyone hear of such talk this week?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.