Willie Mullins

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Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins at Gowran Park 23.01.2020.jpg
Mullins at Gowran Park, 2020
Occupation Trainer
Born (1956-09-15) 15 September 1956 (age 68)
Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Career wins500 + (as a jockey),
4000 + (as a trainer)
Major racing wins
As a steeplechase jockey:

1983 Aintree Fox Hunters' Chase (1983)

As a trainer in English steeplechasing:

Racing awards
British jump racing Champion Trainer (2),
Irish National Hunt Champion trainer (19)

William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) [1] [2] is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a nineteen-time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer. [3] Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, having saddled 113 winners as of 2025. He was the trainer of the 2024 Grand National winner I Am Maximus and 2025 Grand National winner Nick Rockett.

Contents

Personal life

Mullins was born and raised around horses. His father, Paddy Mullins, was a horse trainer, and his mother, Maureen, was a successful breeder. [4]

Mullins is from Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, but is based at Closutton, Bagenalstown, County Carlow, Ireland. He was educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea, an all-boys Catholic boarding school in County Tipperary. [5]

His son, Patrick Mullins, is an amateur jockey riding mainly in Ireland for his father and acting as assistant trainer to him. Patrick rode Nick Rockett to the 2025 Randox Grand National title. Mullins' wife, Jackie, was a successful amateur rider. [6] With his wife, he was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023. [7]

Career

Mullins commenced racehorse training in 1988, [8] having previously worked as an assistant to his father and Jim Bolger. He is a former six-time amateur champion jockey in Ireland, winning the 1983 Aintree Fox Hunters' Chase on Atha Cliath and the 1996 Cheltenham Bumper on Wither Or Which. [9]

He is the trainer of the 2005 Grand National winner Hedgehunter and the 2011 and 2013 Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly. Mullins also trained Vautour in the 2016 Ryanair Chase. He is also trainer of the six-time David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle champion, Quevega. [10] In the 2015 Cheltenham Festival Mullins trained eight winners, a joint record at the Cheltenham Festival which Gordon Elliott equalled in 2018. [11] [12] He is the leading-most winning trainer at the Cheltenham Festival, becoming the first trainer to saddle 100 winners when Jasmin De Vaux won the 2024 Champion Bumper. [13] In 2022 he trained a new record of ten winners at the festival.

Mullins' longlasting relationship with Gigginstown House Stud came to an end on 28 September 2016. [14] Despite this he was the Irish Champion trainer in the 2016/17 season. [15]

Mullins has won both the Grand National in 2005 with Hedgehunter and the 2019 Irish Grand National with Burrows Saint, each of which was ridden by Ruby Walsh. In the 2022/23 season he became Irish National Hunt Champion trainer for the 17th time. [3]

Mullins won the British jump racing Champion Trainer title in the 2023–24 season, becoming the first trainer based in Ireland to win the championship since Vincent O'Brien in 1954. [16] He successfully defended his title in 2024-25, beating long-time leader Dan Skelton on the last afternoon of the National Hunt season.

Cheltenham Festival winners (113)

Other major wins

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Major wins as a jockey

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Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain

References

  1. ↑ Clower, Michael (2007). Kings of the Turf. London: Arum Press Ltd. p. 39. ISBN   978-1845132798.
  2. ↑ "Willie Mullins". BBC Sport. 8 April 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Willie Mullins and Paul Townend just champion again in Ireland". Independent.ie. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Jackson, Lee (8 March 2024). "The Rise and Rise of Willie Mullins". Tonybet Blog. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Willie Mullins returns to Cistercian College". ccr.ie. Cistercian College. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Mullins clan immersed in the business of racing, Irish Times, 11 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ascot Racecourse on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Willie Mullins at Horse Racing Ireland
  9. ↑ "Cheltenham Festival winners". WP Mullins. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Cheltenham Festival: Punjabi So Brave For Henderson" dailyrecord.co.uk, 11 March 2009, accessed 11 March 2009
  11. ↑ "Trainer Willie Mullins scoops eighth win to break festival record". Irish Mirror. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Peacock, Tom (16 March 2018). "Cheltenham 2018: Final triumph crowns 'golden era' in Irish racing". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. ↑ Keogh, Frank (13 March 2024). "Willie Mullins seals historic 100th Cheltenham Festival win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Willie Mullins and Gigginstown House in split, Gordon Elliott to train Don Poli". At The Races. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  15. ↑ "Mullins crowned champion jumps trainer". www.rte.ie. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  16. ↑ Nelson, Craig (27 April 2024). "Mullins clinches British jump trainers' title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
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