WILLIE’S AYR ARMY
Mullins sends 31 contenders to Scots Grand National meeting as he bids to win UK jumps title
WILLIE MULLINS has lined up a staggering 31-strong army to send to Ayr.
The all-conquering Closutton maestro’s Grand National success at Aintree with I Am Maximus has slung open the door for him to join Vincent O’Brien in the history books.
Mullins can become just the second Irish trainer to claim the UK jumps championship 70 years after O’Brien secured the prize for a second time.
With the final day at Sandown on Saturday week, he leads nearest challengers Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls in an epic three-way battle.
Mullins has vowed to head for Scotland and set his sights firmly on Ayr’s Scottish Grand National meeting – with 31 horses entered at the five-day declaration stage for Saturday’s showpiece card.
Confirmed travellers will be decided at the final declaration on Thursday but his numbers look set to be high.
And Mullins also plans to send horses to Perth for next week’s three-day meeting at Scone Palace Park as he targets the title.
He said: “Sandown, Ayr, Perth, wherever we can see a prize. I think we have to go for it now. It’s game on.”
Ayr has a record half-amillion pounds on offer and the Irish master is gunning for the gold in all eight scheduled races.
Mullins has ante-post favourite Macdermott in the £200,000 Coral Scottish Grand National and the six-year-old is joined on the entry list by five of his stablemates.
Mr Incredible, who unseated
rider Brian Hayes in the Aintree National last weekend, also has an entry along with Ontheropes, Spanish Harlem, Klarc Kent and We’llhavewan.
Rich Ricci-owned Bialystok heads the Mullins challenge in the £100,000 Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle with Westport Cove, Ocastle Des Mottes and Alvaniy completing a quartet for the two-mile cracker over timber.
The Class One Scotty Brand Handicap Chase and CPMS Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase are both worth £50,000.
Sharjah has an option in both, with Uncle Phil named for the opener and Klarc Kent in race two if he swerves the big one.
The £45,000 Seafield Trophy for Mares sees Mullins nominate another four in the shape of A Penny a Hundred, Judisciuse Alene, Pink in the Park and Cest ’La Vie, with the remaining three races on the card also on the radar.
Chosen Witness has been selected for the £20,000 handicap hurdle, while he’s also among 10 put into the £20,000 novices’ hurdle alongside Billericay Dickie, Captain Cody, Gold Dancer, I Will Be Baie,
Lecky Watson, O’Moore Park, Quai De Bourbon, Stoke The Fire and Tounsivator.
Mullins has four in mind for the traditional closing National Hunt Flat race with Ballygunner Castle, C’Est Ta Chance, Inn At The Park and King Peak considered for the £15,000 contest.
And he added: “We never set out to have 100 winners at the [Cheltenham] Festival. We’re gobsmacked it happened.
“I’d love to win the Trainers’ Championship. Vincent O’Brien did it in the 50s probably. As much as I’d like to win it, all my owners want me to win it and the staff want to win it.
“I’m getting as much fun out of having a go at it now as anyone. JP McManus has asked me for the last two or three years to have a real go at it.
“I’m going to have to look at some of the smaller races in Britain as well and that’s more difficult. I find the programme hard to navigate and it’s tougher but I’ll let [assistant] David Casey, who plans most things, get to work on that. He’ll be working overtime!”
I’m going to have to look at some of the smaller races in Britain too, that’s more difficult