113 wins later, Willie Mullins is still feeling Cheltenham strain
LARGE SHADOW: Willie Mullins: "People say pressure is for tyres but thatâs a load of bollocks,â admits thew winningest Festival trainer. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
It says everything about how Cheltenham can tame lions that even the man who has trained more winners than anyone else feels the strain ahead of Cheltenham Festival week.
First crowned leading Festival trainer in 2011, Willie Mullins has gone on to take the award a further 11 times since to take his overall win tally to 113, 38 more than nearest rival Nicky Henderson.
But even he feels the fear in the run-up to the week that matters most of National Hunt folk.
âPeople say pressure is for tyres but thatâs a load of bollocks,â was one of the standout quotes from a fascinating hour-long audience at his pre-Festival media day. âIâm always fascinated when people say to me âhow many this year, Willie? Six, seven, eight or 10?â People expect us to have winners. I donât expect, I hope for winners.âÂ
False modesty? Perhaps. But itâs rooted in experience too. Remember 2017? At the half-way point, Mullins was winless and punters were wondering if something was amiss with Team Closutton. A day three four-timer provided an emphatic answer.
Gold Cup day last year saw another Mullins four-timer but not one that included the blue riband as Inothewayurthinkin foiled Galopin Des Champsâ hat-trick bid.
But, despite that and State Manâs fall with the Champion Hurdle at his mercy, Mullins emulated his 2022 record-breaking haul of 10 wins, two more than the combined win tally achieved by the hosts.
Will Team Britain fare better this year? Perhaps. Might they storm into an early lead? Possibly? Can a British-trained horse win the Gold Cup for the first time since 2018? Undoubtedly. Might the hosts make the Prestbury Cup an actual contest this time?Â
Not a hope.
That being said, British Horseracing Authority (BHA) chiefs may feel they have already dodged one bullet after Henderson announced Constitution Hill wonât be running in the Champion Hurdle given the potentially catastrophic fallout had the highest-profile horse in training suffered a fatal fall in the day one feature.
Henderson will instead have to wonder what might have been had Constitution Hill managed to get round but the Champion Hurdle will undoubtedly be a less tormenting watch for the Seven Barrows maestro if Old Park Star wins the Supreme Novicesâ Hurdle before Lulamba lands the Arkle.
Given no Irish-trained horse has won the Ultima Handicap Chase since Dun Doire in 2006, by the time the Champion Hurdle comes around the home team could be 3-1 or even 4-0 to the good, an early advantage Dan Skelton will be desperate to increase with The New Lion.
To do so, heâll have to get the better of Brighterdaysahead, a mare on a redemption mission for a trainer in Gordon Elliott who will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last year when he had to wait until the very last race of the meeting to saddle a first winner of the week.
Lossiemouth will be on her own mission of atonement having come off second best to Brighterdaysahead in the Irish Champion Hurdle last month and the fact she runs here rather than seek a third Maresâ Hurdle suggests a much-improved display is anticipated on Tuesday.
There was a time when Paul Nicholls dominated this meeting and his best hope of a winner this week runs in the Turners Novicesâ Hurdle. Nicholls has compared No Drama This End favourably to Denman, one of the stars of his golden era, but the 2008 Gold Cup hero was beaten in this race in 2006 and history may be repeated if King Rasko Grey improves as much as Mullins anticipates for his run when third to Talk The Talk in the Dublin Racing Festival last month.
Should No Drama This End be turned over, day two could be a long day for the hosts as the rest of the afternoon, with the possible exception of the Grand Annual Chase, looks set to be dominated by the Irish.
The Champion Chase is one of the few major jump racing prizes to have eluded JP McManus but Majborough will surely end his ownerâs long wait if he repeats the majestic performance he produced at the Dublin Racing Festival last month and the absence of reigning champion and Cheltenham specialist Marine Nationale should simplify his task here.
One note of caution. With the exception of the 2023 renewal when Energumene obliged at 6-5, this race has been a graveyard for favourites in recent years and McManus wonât need reminding that his Defi Di Seuil was beaten at odds of 2-5 at the 2020 Festival.
The Stayersâ Hurdle is the most interesting race on day three and recent Irish domination looks likely to continue with the Elliott-trained Teahupoo expected to regain the crown he surrendered to Cheltenham specialist Bob Olinger last year. With Bob Olinger now 11, the biggest threat to Teahupoo could be six-year-old stablemate Honesty Policy.
Like a James Bond film, Cheltenham ends as it begins: With a bang. And this yearâs Gold Cup looks an absolute belter, even without dual blue riband hero Galopin Des Champs, who sadly wonât get the chance to emulate three-time winners Best Mate, Arkle, and Cottage Rake having suffered a setback last Friday.
Irish Gold Cup hero Fact To File is absent too after connections opted for the penalty kick option that is a repeat success in the Ryanair Chase leaving Gaelic Warrior as sole Mullins representative in the Festival feature.
Despite taking a keen hold, Gaelic Warrior ran a big race behind Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup and thereâs little doubt he possesses the raw ability required to win the blue riband.
The unknown element is whether heâll settle well enough in the early part of the contest to allow his stamina last out over this marathon trip.
The fairytale story would be Spillane's Tower striking gold for Grand National-winning trainer Jimmy Mangan. Heâll have to improve on the bare form of his Cotswold Chase success to do so but itâll be no surprise if he runs a big race.
In contrast, itâll be a massive surprise if Inothewayurthinkin retains his crown given the lamentable performances he has produced since his finest hour.
Beaten 53 lengths over an admittedly inadequate trip at Punchestown on his first start this season, Inothewayurthinkin was then stuffed by 41 lengths at Christmas before taking a tired fall at the last when again miles behind in the Irish Gold Cup last month.
Trainer Gavin Cromwell has reported that Inothewayurthinkin has finally started to show a bit of spark in recent weeks but, on the evidence of this season, him retaining the Gold Cup would be the biggest comeback since Lazurus.
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For the first time in a while, the British Gold Cup challenge looks strong and King George winner The Jukebox Man would be a popular winner for owner Harry Redknapp.
Jango Baie finished fourth in Kempton but was only half a length behind the winner, shaping like the horse who would most relish a couple of furlongs extra.
One horse who most definitely wonât have an issue with the trip is Welsh contender Haiti Couleurs. The Rebecca Curtis-trained nine-year-old won the National Hunt Chase at last yearâs Festival before crowning his campaign by landing the Irish National at Fairyhouse last April.
This season he has added a Welsh National to his card, one of three wins this campaign. The one concern is his sole disappointing run came when pitched into Grade One company in the Betfair Chase in November, a race won by Grey Dawning, another horse who canât be ruled out of the Gold Cup reckoning.
It has all the ingredients to be a great race, a fitting climax to what could be the most exhilarating Cheltenham Festival in years.
