Willie Mullins is the king of the Cheltenham Festival - but just how many winners can we expect him to have?
Robbie Wilders assesses the Irish champion trainer's formidable squad for Prestbury Park
Punters were singing his name during that famous Friday five-timer at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival and Willie has continued to walk in a Mullins wonderland ever since. There’s only one Willie Mullins and only one man dictating the jumping game.
The festival’s winningmost trainer is responsible for around half of the 28 ante-post favourites this season (11 individual horses in 13 races) and is 1-7 with William Hill to reach the incredible milestone of 100 winners at jump racing’s defining meeting. Galopin Des Champs provided the yard’s 94th winner there in the 2023 Gold Cup and bookmakers reckon eight is his most likely score this year.
The lion’s share of Mullins' triumphs have been relatively recent as 65 of his 94 festival winners were achieved in the last decade, meaning he has been responsible for almost a quarter of the total Cheltenham successes in that timeframe. The peak was ten in 2022, while it has never dipped below the four snared in 2014 and 2019.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 26 February 2024inCheltenham Festival
Last updated 20:01, 26 February 2024
- 'There's bound to be changes' - Cheltenham to review festival programme after drop in quality
- We're starting to move on from Cheltenham arguments - and that's dangerous if it means the big issue isn't fixed
- The Front Page: who is to blame for the Cheltenham Festival's slump?
- Fixing the Cheltenham Festival - but is minor surgery or a major overhaul required?
- 'It was our quietest Cheltenham ever' - Irish travel agent says interest in the festival just wasn't there this year
- 'There's bound to be changes' - Cheltenham to review festival programme after drop in quality
- We're starting to move on from Cheltenham arguments - and that's dangerous if it means the big issue isn't fixed
- The Front Page: who is to blame for the Cheltenham Festival's slump?
- Fixing the Cheltenham Festival - but is minor surgery or a major overhaul required?
- 'It was our quietest Cheltenham ever' - Irish travel agent says interest in the festival just wasn't there this year