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Befair, perhaps its more a case of trying to keep the owners apart for prize money/opportunities etc. Top yards to seem to have owner pecking orders, I’m sure Mullins handles this well, but some trainers don’t and owners move on.
Befair, perhaps its more a case of trying to keep the owners apart for prize money/opportunities etc. Top yards to seem to have owner pecking orders, I’m sure Mullins handles this well, but some trainers don’t and owners move on.
You may be right with most horses Obi’, but think there was more to it with Hurricane Fly. Mullins seemed to have such a soft spot for the warrior and did his best to protect him from defeat whilst winning Grade 1s.
Wasn’t UDS fit and well and stayed at home instead of taking on Hurricane Fly?
Hurricane Fly was no doubt a top class horse, but imo no performance was up to the level of a truly “Great” horse. Yet had an “amazing record” of winning more so called Grade 1 races than anything else. Fantastic consistency one reason, but Mullins did not want to see him get beaten – by anything – including his own horses. Possibly with an eye on that “record”. In my opinion did not take him on with horses who could concievably beat him; to the detriment of the records of other horses in the yard. UDS could have been Champion Hurdler and never given the opportunity. In that year Timeform rated Hurricane Fly (not at his very best) 168, Champion Hurdle winner (rated as improved to win at Cheltenham) Jezki 171 (since reduced to 168). Un De Sceaux’s rating was 168p (“p” for “likely to improve) without having the opportunity of taking on another top class hurdler in GB or I. Apparently due to “immaturity”. May be he was immature, but had the trainer not had Hurricane Fly would Willie really have said “Nah, we don’t want to run the 168p rated horse who’d have a magnificent chance in the Champion – he’s too immature; we’ll let the race go by without a runner”?
Value Is EverythingI suspect that the man is simply a genius – a Mozart, a Galileo, an Einstein
Grrr…!
Mike
His training career was really nothing out of the ordinary for the first twenty years – some very good horses, but no more so than a dozen other yards.
Seems to me his ‘genius’ is nothing more complicated than acquiring several very, very rich owners who have provided him with good horses in far greater numbers than previously. There’s often an assumption that rich owners mean a trainer can afford to pay top dollar for the horses, but what’s really significant is that a rich owner can cover the training fees for many more horses.
No different really to Paul Nicholls when he had the owners that produced Kauto Star, Master Minded, Denman and Big Buck’s in successive years.
His training career was really nothing out of the ordinary for the first twenty years – some very good horses, but no more so than a dozen other yards.
Seems to me his ‘genius’ is nothing more complicated than acquiring several very, very rich owners who have provided him with good horses in far greater numbers than previously. There’s often an assumption that rich owners mean a trainer can afford to pay top dollar for the horses, but what’s really significant is that a rich owner can cover the training fees for many more horses.
No different really to Paul Nicholls when he had the owners that produced Kauto Star, Master Minded, Denman and Big Buck’s in successive years.
Good points AP, do you think it may also be something to do with running his horses in (usually) the best position? ie The front.
Value Is EverythingActually, if there is a single factor other than money, I think it’s the presence of Ruby Walsh. The continued rise of Mullins and the decline of Nicholls fortunes is either a coincidence, or closely related to the decision by Walsh to commit 100% to riding in Ireland.
I’ve no evidence, but I do wonder if it’s the contacts Walsh made during his time with Nicholls that are now providing the ammunition from France for Mullins.
Actually, if there is a single factor other than money, I think it’s the presence of Ruby Walsh. The continued rise of Mullins and the decline of Nicholls fortunes is either a coincidence, or closely related to the decision by Walsh to commit 100% to riding in Ireland.
I’ve no evidence, but I do wonder if it’s the contacts Walsh made during his time with Nicholls that are now providing the ammunition from France for Mullins.
Agreed AP, the “front running” thing I said about is probably a lot to do with Walsh too. No doubt there are exceptions, but Mullins horses jumping technique seems (on average/generally) better than any other trainer. Not particularly talking about “safe” jumping but being quicker and saving energy; enabling them to produce an optimum rating.
Value Is EverythingWell put AP.
Have to agree Ruby is a master at getting horses to jump well and is a master of pace.
Having said that Paul Townend is also very very good IMO.I guess it’s a combination of trainer, jockey,talent scouts and owners that can pay for the horses that are discovered; may not always be incredibly expensive purchases but an instant access to enough money to snap them up must help. Also a happy working environment and good staff. It’s Harold Kirk who seems to have the contacts that are finding these precocious French talents.
Nicholls had some top notch steeplechasers; Mullins now dominates almost every division at every trip.
Since 1999, Nicholls has had 22 festival winners. Since 2011, Mullins has had 21.
Plenty people have spent multi-millions over the years, not least the Wylies, and although big money helps a lot, I suspect it is far from the complete answer here.
Ruby will have helped, but he left Nicholls when the yard’s star was fading, and in contrast he looked even better after he’d gone. If Mullins is a smart fella, I wouldn’t put Ruby too far behind.
As was touched on earlier, owner-wise, if you’re not with Mullins you are quite literally against him. If your horse is in his yard, he’ll do his best to maximise your winning opportunities. If your horse is elsewhere, he’ll cannibalise your winning opportunities. However he has done it, or does it, everything has fallen into place for him in this golden period which surely cannot last. Racing’s fates will see to that if no one else does.
I’ll enjoy it while I can
Few very simple things that keeps him successful. 1. Obviously he has good horses but he puts them in the right races and rarely runs them unless they are ready to go and win.
2. He doesn’t bother wasting his time with low grade handicaps. He doesn’t train bad horses
3. Consistency in jockeys. He has a very uniform format. Patrick rides the bumper horses then as they progress they are guaranteed to have ruby, Paul, Danny Mullins or David Mullins riding them. Unless they are gigginstown or JP horses of course. Other less successful trainers aren’t as consistent with their jockeys which I believes makes a difference.
4. He doesn’t chop and change from hurdles to chase or mess about too much with distances. Other trainers could run a horse in a 2 mile Chase this week and a 2.5 mile hurdle the next week then run a month later in a 4 mile national or something. Mullins lets horses get used to a certain discipline instead of changing them4. He doesn’t chop and change from hurdles to chase or mess about too much with distances. Other trainers could run a horse in a 2 mile Chase this week and a 2.5 mile hurdle the next week then run a month later in a 4 mile national or something. Mullins lets horses get used to a certain discipline instead of changing them
Is that why Vautour is entered in the Champion Chase at 2m, Ryanair 2m5f and Gold Cup 3m2f?
If anything happens to Un De Sceaux then Vautour will probably end up over 2 miles
If Djakadam disappoints in any way Vautour will probably end up over 3m2f.
If both stable companions are in A1 condition Vautour will probably end up over 2m5f.Mullins changes targets and distances according to what else he’s got in the yard. Just like any other trainer does.
Value Is EverythingI actually think Ruby didn’t just jump ship as Nicholls star was fading. Far from it. I think Mullins told him a bright new dawn was rising and if you’re not with me full time, I can’t guarantee you will be part of it. But the tide is turning, and I have these young horses coming through that will dominate racing for years. We have the owners and the horses that will keep you at the top of the game for many years yet. So leave Ditcheat, move back to Ireland and enjoy it while we can.
Obviously as a horseman he makes a difference, not just riding, but helping to oversee the progress and that had to be done on a daily basis.
It’s no coincidence that Ruby moved back to Ireland and all of a sudden Mullins dominates all. They both knew it was coming. It won’t last, Nicholls had it, Henderson a couple of years ago, but Mullins has a longevity about his horses (Hurricane Fly – Quevega for example) and it will last a couple more years yet I reckon.
Good luck to them.They’re entitled to run their horses wherever they want but i can’t recall many examples of Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci’s top horses running against each other. Gigginstown don’t seem to have a problem running more than one in a race but the Ricci horses to me are kept apart. Okay, there’s an argument that Ruby can’t ride mnore than one in each race but regardless of what he may do in the future would Vautour, housed in another yard, have gone for the Champion hurdle this year? The same can also be said of Douvan and a year or two ago of Annie Power, Un deaux seaux and to a lesser extent Quevega. With so many more Championship races at Cheltenham it seems to me that they’re kept apart and races are found for them. Don’t get me wrong, i love to see all these good horses competing, just wished they’d be in the same race occasionly.
4. He doesn’t chop and change from hurdles to chase or mess about too much with distances. Other trainers could run a horse in a 2 mile Chase this week and a 2.5 mile hurdle the next week then run a month later in a 4 mile national or something. Mullins lets horses get used to a certain discipline instead of changing them
Is that why Vautour is entered in the Champion Chase at 2m, Ryanair 2m5f and Gold Cup 3m2f?
If anything happens to Un De Sceaux then Vautour will probably end up over 2 miles
If Djakadam disappoints in any way Vautour will probably end up over 3m2f.
If both stable companions are in A1 condition Vautour will probably end up over 2m5f.Mullins changes targets and distances according to what else he’s got in the yard. Just like any other trainer does.
Ginger he has vautour entered all over the place but will not run in the champion Chase. He always enters horses in loads of different races but id be more looking at where they end up running rather than where they are entered months beforehand.
To be fair he does often run horses at different distances to try things out, like many trainers do….Arctic Fire for instance…on Sunday he will have run 4 times this season…twice at 2m 4f…once at 3m and once at 2m….Djakadam dropped in trip for his re-appearance down to 2m 4f….
I’d also strongly argue about him not running them unless they are ready to win also….
How unfit was Vautour first time out this season…and Faugheen? How unfit was Djakadam to get stuffed in the Hennessy last year?
And those examples are his top, top horses!
He’s having a fantastic run at the moment and looks to have some real firepower…things can and do change in no time though just look at Nicholls when he was dominant with his star studded line up of Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded, Big Bucks etc…
Look at Nicky Henderson that year at Cheltenham when he had a cracking festival and looked as though he would clean up the year after and year after…Sprinter Sacre, Bobs Worth, Simonsig, My Tent Or Yours etc, etc…
To hear some people go on it’s hardly worth anyone else turning up at Cheltenham as about half the races have already been decided and trophies presented to Mullins….long way to go yet!!
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