Principal Jockeys: Ruby Walsh, Paul Townend, Patrick Mullins
Notable Wins In The Last Decade:
- Ladbokes.com World Series Hurdle (Quevega 2010, Fiveforthree 2009)
- Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown (Kempes 2010)
- Boylesports.com Champion Chase (Golden Silver 2010)
- Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle (Blackstairmountain 2010, Hurricane Fly 2009)
- Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle (Thousand Stars 2010)
- David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (Quevega 2010 + 2009)
- Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase (Citizen Vic 2010, Cooldine 2009, J’y Vole 2008)
- Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase (Golden Silver 2009)
- Troytown Handicap Chase (Beroni 2009)
- Cork Grand National (Our Monty 2009)
- Irish Cesarewitch (Dani California 2009)
- totesport Ebor Handicap (Sesenta 2009)
- Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle (Mikael D’Haguenet 2009, Glencove Marina 2007)
- Swordlestown Novice Chase (Barker 2009)
- Royal & SunAlliance Chase (Cooldine 2009, Rule Supreme 2004, Florida Pearl 1998)
- Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Mikael D’Haguenet 2009, Fiveforthree 2008)
- Irish Arkle Chase (Golden Silver 2009, Missed That 2006)
- paddypower.com Future Champion Novice Hurdle (Hurricane Fly 2008)
- Barry & Sandra Kelly Memorial Novice Hurdle (Mikael D’Hagueenet 2008)
- Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (Hurricane Fly 2008)
- Punchestown Champion Bumper (Cousin Vinny 2008, Maringo 1995)
- Cheltenham Champion Bumper (Cousin Vinny 2008, Missed That 2005, Joe Cullen 2000, Alexander Banquet 1998, Florida Pearl 1997, Wither Or Which 1996)
- Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Ebaziyan 2007, Tourist Attraction 1995)
- Thyestes Handicap Chase (Homer Wells 2007, Hedgehunter 2004, Micko’s Dream 2000)
- Guinness Kerry National Handicap Chase (Bothar Na 2006, Euro Leader 2005)
- Durkan New Homes Novice Chase (Missed That 2005)
- John Smith's Aintree Grand National (Hedgehunter 2005)
- Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (Rule Supreme 2005, Florida Pearl 2004 + 2001 + 2000 + 1999)
- Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (Rule Supreme 2004, Nobody Told Me 2003)
- Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (Nobody Told Me 2003)
- Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup (Florida Pearl 2002)
- Martell Cup Chase Showcase (Florida Pearl 2002)
- Pertemps King George VI Chase (Florida Pearl 2001)
- John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (Florida Pearl 2001)
- Irish Independent Chase (Micko’s Dream 2001)
Success In The Saddle
Before becoming a trainer, Willie Mullins was an amateur jockey of significant talent. He gained many memorable victories over the years and his win aboard his fathers Atha Cliath in the 1983 Aintree Foxhunters Chase very much stands out from the pack. He went on to ride the same horse to victory in the Champion Hunters Chase at the Punchestown Festival later that season. Another notable victory came on the talented Grabel in the 1988 December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown.
A New Profession
Mullins took out his trainer’s licence in 1988, but continued to race-ride thereafter. It did not take him long to make an impact in the training ranks with Castle Windows winning the Smithwicks Beer Handicap Hurdle at the 1989 Listowel Harvest Festival. The winners continued to flow during the early 1990’s, most notably with Jennycomequick in the 1990 Lartigue Hurdle and American Eyre in the 1991 Tipperkevin Handicap Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. The 1993 Fairyhouse Easter Festival saw the Mullins team gain high-profile successes in the Jameson Gold Cup Novice Hurdle with Princess Casilia’s and the Biscuit Cognac Handicap Hurdle with Sharp Invite. Annfield’s win in the 1994 Fortria Chase helped kick-start what would prove to be a break-out season for the yard as later that season Tourist Attraction gave Mullins his first Cheltenham Festival winner in the Supreme Novice Hurdle. If that wasn’t enough, the following month he saddled Maringo to win the Punchestown Champion Bumper.
Bumper Domination
Having ridden his own horse, Wither Or Which, to victory in the 1996 Cheltenham Champion Bumper, Mullins opted to hang up his riding boots and concentrate solely on training. That win began what would prove to be a famous association between the Mullins yard and that particular contest at the Cheltenham Festival. He has won six of the last 14 renewals of the race with the aforementioned Wither Or Which (1996), Florida Pearl (1997), Alexander Banquet (1998), Joe Cullen (2000), Missed That (2005) and Cousin Vinny (2008). His exceptional record in the race is a testament to his extraordinary ability to produce the goods with his bumper horses on an annual basis. His domination of the race has inevitably led to an annual guessing game as to which of his bumper horses is ‘the one’ for the Cheltenham Festival.
A Pearl Emerges
The Willie Mullins yard will always be associated with the brilliant chaser, Florida Pearl. Having won the 1997 Cheltenham Champion Bumper, Mullins made the bold decision to completely by-pass a novice hurdling campaign and sent him straight over fences. He was soon rewarded as on just his third start over fences, he readily won the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. However that was just the tip of the iceberg as he would subsequently become one of the most popular chasers in recent history. He won at Grade 1 level on nine occasions in all, including the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 renewals of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, the 2001 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, the 2002 Heinekan Gold Cup as well as a memorable renewal of the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 2001. In addition to those wins, he twice finished in the frame in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Hedgehunter Seals His Legacy At Aintree
Hedgehunter was another highly-successful servant to the Willie Mullins stable. A frustrating sort to follow in bumpers and maiden hurdles, he finished second on his first five racecourse appearances before eventually breaking his duck in a maiden hurdle at Clonmel in February 2002. The following season he was sent over fences and when he won his fourth start in that sphere, the 2003 Grand National Trial at Punchestown, it was clear that a strong test of stamina was just what he needed. He had just four runs during the 2003/4 season, running big races in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury and the Welsh Grand National before easily winning the Thyestes Handicap Chase. However, it was the last of those four runs, in the Aintree Grand National, that really caught the eye. Having raced freely in the early stages, he led until the second last obstacle before being headed and falling at the final fence when looking sure to finish in the frame. That run showed Mullins that his eight-year-old was capable of going close in the world’s most famous steeplechase and thus, Mullins hatched a plan for another bid for glory in the Aintree showpiece.
The following season saw Hedgehunter run five unspectacular races over hurdles before, after the weights for the Aintree Grand National had been published, beating off Pizarro in the Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. This was the perfect preparation for Aintree and off a handicap mark that was just 3lbs higher than the one he had ran off the previous year, it was relatively plain sailing for Willie Mullins’ charge with the nine-year-old eventually coming home 14 lengths to the good under Ruby Walsh. While that win would prove to be the final success of his career, the following season he finished second in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Grand National. While he failed to recapture the same spark in his final two seasons of racing, he is sure to be remembered as one of the great Irish-trained Aintree specialists.
An Era Of Domination Begins
Despite all the success he has had throughout his career, the two seasons that preceded the current campaign have arguably been the best of Willie Mullins’ training career. His horses have remained remarkably consistent throughout that time and he has enjoyed an abundance of big-race successes. Both those factors have combined to result in him winning the trainer’s championship in both 2007/8 and 2008/9.
He had any number of highlights during 2007/8, but the two wins that are sure to stand out for Mullins were the emotional successes of Cousin Vinny in the Cheltenham and Punchestown Champion Bumper’s under his son, Patrick. That season was also notable for the highly-successful novice chasing campaigns of Pomme Tiepy, J’y Vole, Scotsirish, Candy Girl and Glencove Marina.
In 2008/9, the novice hurdlers and novice chasers shared the spotlight, with Mikael D’Haguenet and Hurricane Fly winning Grade 1 events over the smaller obstacles and Cooldine and Golden Silver matching that feat over the larger obstacles. With Mikael D’Haguenet and Cooldine’s wins at the Cheltenham Festival being supplemented by the win of Quevega in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at the same meeting, it was one of Mullins’ most memorable Festivals. The same could be said for the remarkable Punchestown Festival that Mullins’ enjoyed, with him saddling a total of 12 winners during the course of the week, including Grade 1 wins for Hurricane Fly, Fiveforthree, Barker and Mikael D’Haguenet.
2009/10 has been another utterly dominant season for Mullins. Unusually for him, this summer saw Mullins claim a high-profile success on the Flat in England, with the diminutive Sesenta claiming the totesport Ebor Handicap at York under Gary Carroll. That rider was also in the saddle when he sent out Dani California to win the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh in September. A notable feature of the season has been the trend of Mullins acquiring horses from other trainers and improving them out of all recognition, with the most impressive examples of this being Our Monty, who bolted up in the Cork Grand National, Beroni, who did likewise in the Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan and Thousand Stars, who won the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. As is now customary, Mullins saved his best ammunition until the latter half of the season and that last-named win was one of two successes for him at the Cheltenham Festival, with him also sending out Quevega to win the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle for the second year in succession. Mullins also enjoyed a highly-successful Punchestown Festival, with him saddling four Grade 1 winners and a number of valuable handicap winners.
His strong finish to the season has seen Mullins narrowly register a career-best tally of winners, with him claiming his third Champion Trainer title in succession, and there seems to be no end to his domination of the Irish National Hunt scene.
Updated April 2010.
