Willie Mullins

Last updated

William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) [1] [2] is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a seventeen-time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer. [3] Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, having saddled more than 100 winners.

Contents

Career

Mullins commenced racehorse training in 1988, [4] having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins 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. [5]

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. [6] In the 2015 Cheltenham Festival Mullins trained eight winners, a joint record at the Cheltenham Festival which Gordon Elliott equalled in 2018. [7] [8] 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. [9] 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. [10] Despite this he was the Irish Champion trainer in the 2016/17 season. [11]

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. [12]

Personal life

Mullins is from Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, but is based at Closutton, Bagenalstown, County Carlow, Ireland. He has a son, Patrick Mullins, who is currently an amateur jockey riding mainly in Ireland for his father and acting as assistant trainer to him. Mullins' wife, Jackie, was a successful amateur rider. [13]

With his wife, he was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023. [14]

Cheltenham Festival winners (103)

Other major wins

Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland

Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia

Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain

Flag of the United States.svg United States

Flag of France.svg France

Flag of Japan.svg Japan

Major wins as a jockey

Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Walsh</span> Irish jockey

Rupert "Ruby" Walsh is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys of all time, Walsh is the third most prolific winner in British and Irish jump racing history behind only Sir Anthony McCoy and Richard Johnson.

The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham, England, over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Henderson</span> British racehorse trainer (born 1950)

Nicholas John Henderson is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times.

The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Barberstown Castle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The Arkle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late January.

The Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs, and during its running there are fourteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in February.

The Irish Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in February.

The Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run at Punchestown Racecourse in January, over a distance of about 2 miles and during the race there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race was first run in 2003 and was called the Byrne Group Novice Hurdle, before changing its name in 2009 to honour the racehorse, Moscow Flyer.

The Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are fourteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faugheen</span> Racehorse trained in Ireland

Faugheen is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle and back-to-back Christmas Hurdles in 2014 and 2015. His best performance on a racecourse came in the 2016 Irish Champion Hurdle for which he was rated the best two-mile hurdler of the 21st century. His career started over Point-to-point fences as a four-year-old and was sent racing under National Hunt rules in the 2013/2014 season where he emerged as a leading Novice hurdler, winning all of his races including the Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle, Cheltenham Novices Hurdle and Herald Champion Novice Hurdle acquiring the nickname "The Machine" in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vautour (horse)</span> French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Vautour was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing and won three times at the Cheltenham Festival. After beginning his racing career in France he moved to Ireland and made an immediate impact over hurdles in the spring of 2014 winning the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, Deloitte Novice Hurdle, Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Tattersalls Champion Novice Hurdle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Un de Sceaux</span> French racehorse

Un de Sceaux is a French-bred AQPS racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. After winning both his races in France he was transferred to the yard of trainer Willie Mullins in Ireland where he won two novice hurdles. In the 2013/14 National Hunt season he was undefeated in five races including the Red Mills Trial Hurdle in Ireland and both the Prix Hypothese and the Prix Leon Rambaud in France. When switched to steeplechases he recovered from a fall on his debut to win the Arkle Novice Chase, Arkle Challenge Trophy and Ryanair Novice Chase in the 2014/15 season. In 2015/16 he won the Clarence House Chase but was beaten by Sprinter Sacre when favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. He began the 2016/17 season with a win in the Tingle Creek Chase and followed up with his second victory in the Clarence House Chase before taking the Ryanair Chase in March. In 2018 Un de Sceaux became the first horse to win three Clarence House chases but was disappointed at Cheltenham by Balko des Flos when attempting to regain his Ryanair crown. He finished the season on a high by winning the Devenish Chase at Fairyhouse before surprising his stablemate Douvan in the Punchestown Champion Chase, a race he won again in 2019. In the 2019/20 season he was beaten into second place by Defi Du Seuil in both the Tingle Creek Chase and the Clarence House Chase. In February 2020, while preparing for his sixth trip to the Cheltenham Festival, Un de Sceaux sustained a suspensory ligament injury and Mullins announced that the twelve-year-old would be retired to France. He had won 23 of his 34 starts, including ten Grade 1 victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douvan</span> National Hunt racehorse trained in Ireland

Douvan is a French-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He was originally trained in France before moving to Ireland in the summer of 2014. After finishing second on his debut he won his remaining five races over hurdles including the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Herald Champion Novice Hurdle. In the following year he was switched to steeplechasing and won all his six races over fences as a novice including the Racing Post Novice Chase, Arkle Novice Chase, Arkle Challenge Trophy, Maghull Novices' Chase and Ryanair Novice Chase. In the 2016–17 season he continued his unbeaten run in steeplechases by winning his first three starts, including the Grade One Paddy Power Cashcard Chase, before suffering his first defeat over fences when favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Paul Townend is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. Townend comes from Lisgoold in County Cork and rides primarily for the stable of Irish trainer Willie Mullins. Townend has worked for Mullins since beginning his career as an apprentice flat racing jockey. He is a six-time Irish jump racing Champion Jockey. He was champion in the 2010–11, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 seasons.

Footpad is a French thoroughbred racehorse who won multiple Grade 1 races in Great Britain, Ireland and France.

Emmet Mullins is an Irish National Hunt trainer and former jockey based in County Carlow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galopin Des Champs</span> French-bred Thoroughbred National Hunt racehorse

Galopin Des Champs is a French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, he won the 2023 and 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

References

  1. ↑ Clower, Michael (2007). Kings of the Turf. London: Arum Press Ltd. p. 39. ISBN   1845132793.
  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. ↑ Willie Mullins at Horse Racing Ireland
  5. ↑ "Cheltenham Festival winners". WP Mullins. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Cheltenham Festival: Punjabi So Brave For Henderson" dailyrecord.co.uk, 11 March 2009, accessed 11 March 2009
  7. ↑ "Trainer Willie Mullins scoops eighth win to break festival record". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Peacock, Tom (16 March 2018). "Cheltenham 2018: Final triumph crowns 'golden era' in Irish racing". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Willie Mullins and Gigginstown House in split, Gordon Elliott to train Don Poli". At The Races. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Mullins crowned champion jumps trainer". www.rte.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Mullins clan immersed in the business of racing, Irish Times, 11 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Ascot Racecourse on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.