Willie Mullins set for Even Bigger Campaign Next Season
Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins came just short of winning the British National Hunt Trainers’ Championship last season, in a race which went all the way into the final day of the campaign. It was then that Paul Nicholls picked up enough prize money to secure the trophy and deny Mullins a rare British and Irish double.
One of pivotal meetings in Mullins’ Trainers’ Championship bid in the UK last season came at the Cheltenham Festival where he had seven winners, one shy of the record of eight he set in 2015 at Cheltenham racecourse.
2016 is a big year for horse racing. Zara Phillips will be hoping for success in Rio, but the year also kick-starts what is set to be a very exciting 2016/17 National Hunt Season. Here are five horses which could help Mullins lift the British National Hunt Trainers’ Championship title for the first time in his career:
Don Poli – Grand National, Aintree
Despite numerous successes in big races in the UK and Ireland, Mullins has only won the Grand National once. His sole victory came in 2005 when the well-backed Hedgehunter prevailed in the race under jockey Ruby Walsh at odds of 7/1. The horse made a really good attempt at becoming the first runner since Red Rum in 1974 to win back-to-back renewals of the race when he returned to Merseyside in 2006. However, he was unable to defy the rise in the weights. Red Rum is the only horse to have won the Grand National on three occasions and along with Frankel, both have statues at racecourses in the UK.
The 4m4f trip in the Grand National may be perfect for Don Poli who really enjoys a stamina test. He jumps well so it is no surprise that he will be Mullins’ best chance of winning the famous steeplechase next season where we see odds of 25/1 to do so in early August.
Vautour – Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham
Connections of Vautour made a huge call earlier this year as they opted for the Ryanair Chase rather than Cheltenham Gold Cup at the festival. The team felt the 2m4f trip in the Ryanair was the optimum trip for their horse rather than the 3m2f in the Gold Cup.
Although Vautour has yet to prove himself over 3m, connections may take a chance next season and run him over the Gold Cup trip in the blue riband event in the sport as the temptation to have a go this time may prove too much to turn down again. His run in the King George last season suggests he is capable of mixing it amongst the best in the division as he was narrowly beaten by Cue Card in the Boxing Day feature at Kempton.
Douvan – King George, Kempton
It’s a big season for Douvan as he is now set to step out of novice company where he finished unbeaten over hurdles and fences with two big Cheltenham Festival wins coming in the 2015 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the 2016 Arkle Chase.
Douvan’s first big assignment may come in the King George over Christmas. He could have a couple of runs before that to allow him to shake off the summer cobwebs and to settle into the open-age company.
Mullins will not openly admit this, but Douvan is arguably the best horse in the yard and surely has a huge future in the 3m division. He still has to answer the stamina test before the Irish trainer can commit him into that trip, however, he has rarely come off the bridle in any of his racecourse appearances so far in his career.
Yorkhill – Arkle, Cheltenham
Yorkhill fulfilled his promise at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival by winning the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle in impressive fashion. The horse will now be schooled and campaigned for a tilt at the Arkle in March where he is a best price of 3/1 for the contest.
The six-year-old looks in great shape to make the natural transition from hurdles to fences. He had one blip on his record last season at Punchestown where he finished fourth in the Champion Novice Hurdle, however, that was at the end of a long. hard campaign.
As long as he takes to fences well, Yorkhill could be the horse they all have to beat in the 2m novice chase at the Festival in 2017.
Faugheen – Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
One of the biggest disappointments of the 2016 Cheltenham Festival meeting was that Faugheen was not fit enough to defend his Champion Hurdle crown. The reigning champion suffered an injury in the lead up to the meeting so Mullins had to leave him at home and instead chose to run his superstar mare in the race, Annie Power. She did not let him down either as he was able to win the race for the second year running. Along with Tony McCoy’s 4000th winner of his career, many horse racing fans have put down Annie Power’s success as one of the greatest moments in the sport.
With Faugheen expected to be fit again for the start of the new campaign, he will surely be Mullins’ number one Champion Hurdle contender where he is given odds of 6/4 to win the race. The horse they call ‘the machine’ is very popular amongst horse racing fans and he is capable of putting the setback being him by regaining the Champion Hurdle prize.
