Place: Nichols Canyon

Wrong to suggest the top is killing the bottom

There’s a top and a bottom in every sport, and to suggest the top is killing the bottom in jump racing is, in my opinion, off the mark, writes Ruby Walsh.

Sat, 06 May, 2017

Noel Fehily truly at his finest in the autumn of his career

The Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle - the feature race on day three of the Punchestown Festival - was a tale of one jockey who can practically do no wrong this season and another who can barely catch a break this week, writes Darren Norris.

Fri, 28 Apr, 2017

'I’m happy with Vroum Vroum Mag and hoping for a big run'

Maybe our luck is just turning. I knew I was up two strides from the line on Nichols Canyon in yesterday’s Stayers’ Hurdle but, on the line, the winner had battled back.

Fri, 28 Apr, 2017

Djakadam gave it his all

Nichols Canyon is not the best work horse in the world, but he’s going as well now as he was before Cheltenham, writes Ruby Walsh.

Thu, 27 Apr, 2017

Cheltenham Racing Festival - St Patrick's Thursday

Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins don’t operate under the seduction of safety

This game is a mixture of talent, bravery and luck and maybe Willie Mullins’ has just turned at the right time, writes Anthony Daly.

Fri, 17 Mar, 2017

Faugheen in good form for long-awaited comeback

A week later than intended and in Cheltenham, rather than Ascot, Un De Sceaux gets his chance in the Clarence House Chase. The change of venue doesn’t really make any difference to him, the biggest difference to the race is that it’s a £70,000 race, and it would have been a £150,000 race had it been run last week.

Sat, 28 Jan, 2017

Min-mania could be set to return

This week the entries for Leopardstown at Christmas were unveiled and one of the more interesting races promise to be the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase on St Stephen’s Day.

Sat, 10 Dec, 2016

Testing times for Willie Mullins

It is about two months since Gigginstown shocked the racing world and removed 60 horses from the care of Willie Mullins.

Sat, 26 Nov, 2016

Let’s Dance looks to be my best partner

Although the stable’s leading lights are only beginning to emerge, Willie has made a bright start to the season, and, buoyed by an admittedly fortunate victory in the Clonmel Oil Chase, I’m hoping the momentum can continue into what is a great weekend of racing.

Sat, 19 Nov, 2016

Prince Of Scars can make winning start to jumping career

Definite signs that the National Hunt proper is getting in to full swing, with graded races at both meetings in Ireland this weekend, and it’s Naas today for three rides, where I get underway on Saturnas in the maiden hurdle.

Sat, 12 Nov, 2016

Willie Mullins preping strong team for Punchestown

Willie Mullins is looking forward to launching another strong assault on next week’s Punchestown Festival after entries for the first three days of the showpiece meeting were confirmed.

Fri, 22 Apr, 2016

2016 Cheltenham Festival - Champion Day - Cheltenham Racecourse

Could Willie Mullins pay price for Aintree offensive?

Next Tuesday week will see the start of the Punchestown festival and there is going to be a somewhat unusual feel to it.

Sat, 16 Apr, 2016

Annie Power surges to easy success

Willie Mullins’ long wait to land the Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle came to an end in emphatic fashion as Annie Power once again evoked memories of the magnificent mare Dawn Run with another display nothing short of sublime.

Fri, 08 Apr, 2016

Annie can power home over best trip

There is a tremendous card to open Aintree’s Grand National meeting, one which resembles a Cheltenham Festival fixture, and bookmakers hoping for better results than they got in the Cotswolds, may be in for a tough start to proceedings.

Thu, 07 Apr, 2016

Willie Mullins to unleash big guns at Aintree in bid to catch Nicholls

Willie Mullins’ assault on a first British trainers’ championship has gathered pace after the powerhouse Irish trainer earmarked a number of his Cheltenham superstars for the Crabbie’s Grand National meeting at Aintree next week.

Wed, 30 Mar, 2016

Graham Wylie looking forward to seeing Nichols Canyon step back up in trip

Owner Graham Wylie is looking forward to seeing Nichols Canyon step back up in trip in next month’s Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle.

Wed, 23 Mar, 2016

Cometh the hour, cometh Annie Power

A palpable sense of relief at a past laid to rest, and wild expectation for the future emanated from Cheltenham after Annie Power became only the fourth mare in history to land the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Wed, 16 Mar, 2016

Vroum Vroum Mag all revved up for Cheltenham

One of the best things about arriving here at Cheltenham is that the talking stops and the action begins.

Tue, 15 Mar, 2016

Annie Power won’t lack for pace, insists Willie Mullins

Willie Mullins is confident Annie Power will not be beaten for a lack of pace when she bids to make it third time lucky at the Cheltenham Festival in today’s Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Tue, 15 Mar, 2016

Cheltenham Champion Hurdle looks Ireland bound

Won 10 times by the Irish since the turn of the century, the raiding party is headed by the highly regarded Min. 

Tue, 15 Mar, 2016

Old Guard ruled out of Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham

Old Guard will miss tomorrow’s Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham after failing to recover from a minor setback in time.

Mon, 14 Mar, 2016

An A to Z of Cheltenham

Our lead racing columnist Ruby Walsh on everything Cheltenham from Annie Power to Zubayr.

Mon, 14 Mar, 2016

Annie Power set to be supplemented for Champion Hurdle

It is increasingly likely Annie Power will be supplemented for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Mon, 29 Feb, 2016

Beware the short priced favourite at Cheltenham

Cheltenham is a little over two weeks away now and one of the things that strikes you, when looking at the markets for all of the 28 races, is just how many short priced favourites are likely to go to post.

Sat, 27 Feb, 2016

Nichols Canyon can sneak what is now a very competitive affair

Will Annie Power prove an able replacement for Faugheen? No, says Darren Norris.

Wed, 24 Feb, 2016

Another blow for Willie Mullins as Arctic Fire out

Arctic Fire has been ruled out of the Stan James Champion Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival due to injury.

Wed, 24 Feb, 2016

Willie Mullins confident Faugheen will return ‘as good as new’ next season

Willie Mullins expects Faugheen to return “as good as new” next season following the shock news he will not defend his title in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Thu, 18 Feb, 2016

The six top Champion Hurdle contenders in Faugheen’s absence

The revelation two-mile king Faugheen is injured and will miss next month’s Stan James Champion Hurdle has thrown the race wide open.

Thu, 18 Feb, 2016

BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle Day - Lepoardstown Races

Charlie Swan and Des McDonogh left spellbound by mighty Faugheen

Former jockey Charlie Swan expects the “brilliant” Faugheen to win his second Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March following his stunning display at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Wed, 27 Jan, 2016

Faugheen firmly back on Champion Hurdle track

After a stuttering start to the season, in which he lost his unbeaten record, Faugheen is firmly back on track to defend his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham.

Mon, 25 Jan, 2016

Smoking Big Cigars looks poised to stub out rivals

Smoking Big Cigars earns the nap selection to land the Meath Handicap Hurdle on this afternoon’s card at Navan. The Sandra Hughes-trained gelding made his seasonal debut at Fairyhouse in November, and was sent off favourite to land a competitive handicap hurdle.

Sat, 23 Jan, 2016

Wylies certainly living the dream — thanks to Willie Mullins

Newcastle-based businessman Graham Wylie, and his wife Andrea, are living the dream and surely grateful for the day they decided to have horses in training with Willie Mullins.

Sat, 09 Jan, 2016

Faugheen seeking Christmas redemption at Kempton

Faugheen will try to repair his reputation in the williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday.

Thu, 24 Dec, 2015

Leopardstown’s Christmas Hurdle on Alpha Des Obeaux’s agenda

Alpha Des Obeaux is set to return to three miles in the Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Tue, 15 Dec, 2015

Classy Bellshill should take plenty of beating in Navan Novice Hurdle

Deciding between riding at Tramore and Cheltenham this afternoon was pretty straight-forward.

Sat, 12 Dec, 2015

Alpha Des Obeaux a star of Irish racing waiting to happen

Some day soon, very soon, Mouse Morris’ Alpha Des Obeaux is going to fulfil his undoubted potential and we will want to be with him.

Sat, 05 Dec, 2015

Arctic Fire burns off rivals to break Grade One duck

Champion Hurdle runner-up Arctic Fire was the star performer on a Sunday of top-class racing at Fairyhouse, the Willie Mullins-trained and Ruby Walsh-ridden gelding landing his first Grade One, the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, in tremendous style.

Mon, 30 Nov, 2015

Wicklow Brave up for the fight

The first of two great days of racing at Fairyhouse takes place today and, while Willie has a number of runners at the track, I’ll be at Newcastle to ride Wicklow Brave in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Sat, 28 Nov, 2015

Champion Hurdle now looks far more interesting

Well, the dust has settled somewhat on Faugheen’s shock defeat behind Nichols Canyon in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown last Sunday, a result that seemed to leave both Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh totally perplexed.

Sat, 21 Nov, 2015

Willie Mullins remains ‘surprised’ by Faugheen’s defeat to Nichols Canyon

Willie Mullins remains “surprised” by Faugheen’s defeat by stablemate Nichols Canyon in the StanJames.com Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday.

Tue, 17 Nov, 2015

Nichols Canyon cashes in to stun Faugheen at Punchestown

Did the wheels fall off the machine? Was the Champion Hurdler beaten by a better horse, one on a steep upward curve? Did he need the run to blow away the cobwebs, or was something amiss?

Mon, 16 Nov, 2015

We couldn’t be any happier than we are with Faugheen

There’s high-class action on both sides of the Irish Sea this weekend, but the race I and, I suspect, many other National Hunt fans are most looking forward to is tomorrow’s Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, where Champion Hurdler Faugheen makes his return.

Sat, 14 Nov, 2015

Today's Tips: Identity Thief should be suited by shorter trip at Punchestown

The two-mile rated hurdle, which has attracted just three runners, on today’s card at Punchestown looks a match between Identity Thief and Modem, and the former is fancied to make light of the lack of a recent run by landing the spoils for Henry de Bromhead.

Wed, 14 Oct, 2015

Rely on Dermot Weld to have Silver Concorde flying at Galway

Easily the most interesting horse to turn up over the four days at Killarney this week was Dermot Weld’s Silver Concorde.

Sat, 18 Jul, 2015