Mullins has to downsize for Festival
WILLIE Mullins, the most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival with 61 winners, is preparing a team high on quality, if not quantity, for the Cotswolds next month.
Mullins has revealed his travelling party could be reduced by a third because of the bone-dry turf this winter which prevented him from getting race miles into his horses.
Leading trainer at the Festival five times since 2011, Mullins assessed his likely troops before racing at Punchestown where the unbeaten Laurina loped into the Champion Hurdle equation.
‘Overall, our team won’t be as strong numerically as other years, probably closer to 40 runners rather than 60,’ he said.
‘Our Bumper horses have not been able to get out as we’d have liked and we might only have one runner, Blue Sari.’
‘I expect to be competitive but can’t see us having as many winners as we’ve enjoyed in the past,’ he added.
Mullins, who reported Arkle Chase fancy Cilaos Emery had pulled a muscle and was a doubt for Cheltenham, puts the inactivity of his charges down to the weather.
‘In the previous three winters, between the months of November, December and January, 82 per cent of all races in Ireland were run on heavy ground, but this winter, the average is 18 per cent. Thurles normally has 10 schooling days; this season they’ve had none. I’ve never known a winter like it,’ he said.
For his annual pre-Cheltenham media day at Closutton, Mullins held court over noticeably fewer horses than Gordon Elliott unveiled the day before — 28 to 40. Even so, Mullins has plenty of high-calibre ammo to fire and will ‘run everything I can’ in the Gold Cup, in which he has saddled the runner-up six times.
They include Al Boum Photo, Bellshill, Kemboy and Invitation Only in what Mullins believes is ‘an open year’ for the blue riband of steeplechasing. Bellshill jumps particularly well and that’s vital in a Gold Cup.
‘Cheltenham has not been a lucky place for him, but I can see an improvement this season and he could become the horse we always thought he would be.’
Laurina, Melon and Sharjah spearhead a powerful Champion Hurdle trio.
‘With Annie Power, you could let a five-year-old in her box and you’d be safe; you’d nearly want a bodyguard going in with Laurina, but she has settled down a bit this year. We might try something different with Melon, while Sharjah has improved beyond recognition.’
In the Champion Chase, Mullins could oppose Altior with both Min and Footpad, who pleased Mullins in a school last weekend.
‘He ran without his hind shoes at Navan and we might look at that again at Cheltenham.’
Of last year’s classy Arkle Chase winner, Mullins observed: ‘Once it’s there, you’ve just got to find it again.’
The indefatigable Un De Sceaux is on track for a stout Ryanair Chase defence, and Mullins is also strong in the Stayers’ Hurdle with last year’s winner, Penhill, Bacardys and Faugheen.
Should the 2015 Champion Hurdle winner, now 11, win after all his health problems, there won’t be a dry eye in the house. MOVES to clamp down on the flying of drones will be rolled out at next month’s Cheltenham Festival. Racemail understands the Jockey Club, owners of Cheltenham, have recruited specialist firm Crowded Space to step up efforts to block drones being flown near racecourses.
The measures will cover major racing Festivals this year, including the Grand National meeting at Aintree in April. Tests were carried out at Haydock on Saturday.