Willie Mullins

In the absence of Ezeliya (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks already had an open feel before Ryan Moore decided to give up the ride on the winner of one of this Classic's key pointers in Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Two of the last five Irish Oaks heroines had captured the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes en route, so the rejection of such a promising and unexposed winner of that Royal Ascot feature can only point to the strong claims of his pick from the Ballydoyle trio. Much more...

A total of 14 fillies will line up for Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks, with Ballydoyle responsible for two live contenders in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes third Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with Ryan Moore siding with the latter on Thursday. Wayne Lordan will partner Port Fairy, due to renew rivalry with Elwick Stud's supplemented Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) who was runner-up in that Royal Ascot contest. Moore explained his decision on his betfair blog, "Content...

Top-notch jumps prospects lit up day two of the Arqana summer sale on Wednesday where top French agent Bertrand Le Metayer went to €450,000 to secure the promising Mambonumberfive (Fr) (Born To Sea {Ire}) (lot 526), who was second in a valuable three-year-old hurdle at Auteuil when last seen. Trained by Francois Nicolle, Mambonumberfive was consigned by Eric Ventrou, who was left visibly emotional by topping the sale. He said, "I had three weeks to prepare him so I was a little bit shocked. We did what we could but...

It was a day that had everything. From Rosallion landing the St James's Palace S. to yet another Australian sprinter showing the Euros how it's done, day one of the royal meeting did not disappoint. Here are some of the talking points.   Faux Pas For The French Anyone who backed the French raiders Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) in the Queen Anne knew pretty early that they were not going to get off to a winning start at the royal meeting....

It was only a year ago that Wathnan Racing first came to prominence during Royal Ascot following their high-profile purchases of subsequent Gold Cup and Queen's Vase winners Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}). It was revealed in TDN that the Emir of Qatar was behind the new name on the scene, and it is one of which we have heard plenty in the intervening 12 months. Since then, the operation's bloodstock agent Richard Brown has been busy both at public auctions and in...

The 2023/2024 Irish National Hunt champions were crowned at Punchestown on Saturday, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced. After a close tussle, Jack Kennedy earned his first Irish Champion Jockey title, just edging out Paul Townend, who was aiming for his seventh year-end award. The full list of champions for the 2023/2024 National Hunt season are as follows: Champion Owner: JP McManus Champion Trainer: Willie Mullins Champion Jockey: Jack Kennedy Champion Conditional: Danny Gilligan Champion Amateur: Patrick Mullins Champion Lady Amateur: Jody Townend HRI chief executive, Suzanne Eade, said, "It has...

Willie Mullins became the first Irish trainer to take the British National Hunt Trainer's crown in 70 years after his El Fabiolo (Fr) (Spanish Moon) ran second to Jonbon (Fr) (Walk In the Park {Ire}) in the G1 bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown on Saturday. Mullins also saddled winners Minella Cocooner (Ire) (Flemensfirth) and Impaire Et Passe (Fr) (Diamond Boy {Fr}) to win the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase and the G2 bet365 Select Hurdle, respectively during the bet365 Jumps Finale card. Overall, Mullins trained 28 winners to victories in...

I Am Maximus (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}) produced one of the most impressive Grand National-winning performances in some time to propel Willie Mullins to the head of the British Trainers' Championship. Owned by JP McManus and ridden by Paul Townend, last year's Irish Grand National hero represented winner number two in the Aintree showpiece for Mullins, who sent out Hedgehunter (Ire) (Montelimar) to success in 2005. Returned the 7-1 co-favourite, I Am Maximus stormed clear of Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}) in second with former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo (Ire)...

When I started covering the Cheltenham Festival in the late 1980s it was still a place of myth and legend: whiskey priests, all-night card schools, hopeful (but not expectant) Irish pilgrimages, farmers with chances of winning a race and wince-inducing whip-use up the hill. It was a place chiefly for aficionados - the county set and jump racing hardcore, leavened with once-a-year urban tweedies who loved the racing and knew what it meant to watch Dawn Run win both a Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. A place, in other words, for...

CHELTENHAM, UK--Believe it or not, Willie Mullins drew a blank on day three of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, with Capodanno (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) and Jade De Grugy (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) faring best of their trainer's 11 runners on that card when finishing fourth in their respective races. Twenty-four hours without a winner at the Festival is a long time in Willie's world, the one in which he hit the target six times across the first two days of the meeting. Thankfully for him after Thursday's 'drought', there was a...

CHELTENHAM, UK -- The biggest cheer all day at Cheltenham came from the Ascot crowd. Sir Francis Brooke, first Her Majesty's and now His Majesty's Representative at Ascot was engulfed by back-slappers and well-wishers as the horse he owns with Richard Pilkington, Chianti Classico (Ire) (Shantou {Ire}), ground his way through the extended three miles of the Ultima Handicap Chase to provide the sole strike for Britain on a day dominated - predictably - by Willie Mullins.  Chianti Classico's trainer Kim Bailey has had his share of Cheltenham glory but...

There are few more respected figures in French National Hunt racing than Nicolas de Lageneste.  It seems as though everything de Lageneste turns his hand to, be that breeding, training or simply owning racehorses, it is a success. Last year he completed the rare achievement of being crowned champion National Hunt owner and breeder in the same season. Nobody has ever done that before.  Fewer still would be capable of nurturing a horse like Il Est Francais (Fr) (Karaktar {Ire}). Not only did de Lageneste breed the superstar chaser, who...