Patrick Mullins hoping for golden moment with Gaelic Warrior at Cheltenham

Should be win the Festival feature, the 36-year-old will emulate a double achieved by fellow amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026 - 17:04

Darren Norris

Second guessing Willie Mullins when it comes to Cheltenham Festival plans is a notoriously tricky business but, if his son Patrick has anything to do with it, Gaelic Warrior will be lining up in the Gold Cup rather than the Ryanair Chase.

Mullins Jr got the leg up on Gaelic Warrior in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival at the start of the month and finished second behind stablemate Fact To File with Galopin Des Champs back in third in a Closutton-dominated finish.

Fact To File is not currently entered in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but the expectation is he will be supplemented for the Festival feature rather than defend the Ryanair Chase he won so stylishly last March.

Should that come to pass, one option would be for Gaelic Warrior to be dropped back in trip for the Ryanair and the elder Mullins has suggested that straight switch may be the route he opts to go come Cheltenham.

However, Patrick is desperate for Gaelic Warrior to run in the Gold Cup, an eventuality the Grand National-winning jockey obviously has a vested interest in coming to pass given he would almost certainly ride the Rich Ricci-owned eight-year-old, a horse he partnered to Grade One success at Aintree last season.

No wonder he doesn’t wait for the question to be completed when asked who he would choose if given the option of riding any horse trained by his father at Cheltenham.

“Gaelic Warrior,” is the instant reply. “I'd love to ride Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup.”

Asked if he thinks Gaelic Warrior, who finished a close third in the King George at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day before lining up in the Irish Gold Cup, will ultimately get the nod to run in the Cheltenham blue riband, Mullins replied: “My vote would be to put him in the race but I don't know how important my vote is!”

What Mullins is sure about is that the make-up of Cheltenham will be far more to Gaelic Warrior’s liking than Leopardstown.

“When you look at Kempton and Aintree, where he obviously ran very well both times, and then the Cheltenham Gold Cup course where all of them have the constant inside running rail so everyone races very tight and that’s how you can get him to settle. Whereas at Leopardstown — no inch of running rail, horses spread out all over the course, he gets a bit lit up.

“I don’t think that was the difference between winning and losing the other day but I think his form outside of Leopardstown is considerably better than his form at Leopardstown, so I think he could turn it around with Fact To File. But I think the track layout and the way the race will pan out where you can park him in a pocket with no daylight and get him to settle, I think will show him in a better light.”

Gaelic Warrior has a tendency to race exuberantly, a trait he again exhibited in the Irish Gold Cup, but Mullins is not unduly concerned that the marathon Gold Cup trip could be beyond the former Arkle winner.

“You don’t know until you try but I thought at Leopardstown after running a little keen he picked up from the second last to the finish line all the way. He pulled eight and a half lengths clear of Galopin Des Champs so I don’t see why he won't stay.”

Should Gaelic Warrior strike gold in the hands of Patrick Mullins, the 36-year-old will emulate a double achieved by fellow amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen.

Asked if winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup would be more special than winning the Aintree showpiece, he referenced Waley-Cohen, who managed to win both races, before retiring in 2022.

He said: “If I could choose one, the Grand National would be the one and always was because of the history — but Sam Waley-Cohen won both so let’s try to match him!”

He’ll doubtless be using his powers of persuasion in the weeks ahead to ensure he at least gets the chance.