Numbers game adds up to title joy for Mullins
FIGURES and statistics can often be a bore, but in order to get a clearer picture of Willie Mullins’ extraordinary achievements at this year’s Punchestown Festival they are entirely necessary.
Walking away with 18 winners from 38 races, the Closutton maestro ended the week on 118 career Festival victories and monopolised prize money to the tune of €1,757,300.
That equates to a little under 60pc of the total €3,047,500 fund up for grabs and while his Irish Trainers’ Championship battle with Gordon Elliott was being billed as one for the ages, the Meath trainer had raised the white flag and conceded defeat after just two days.
Trailing by a whopping €521,414 at the start of proceedings, what followed was a pummelling of epic proportions which saw Mullins secure his 12th trainers’ title – his 11th in succession – by a scarcely believable €809,524.
Mullins seems to abide by the Brian Cody mantra of the scoreboard only mattering when the final whistle is blown, something not lost on Rich Ricci.
Ricci was somewhat critical of his trainer’s form after a fallow Christmas period, but praised the genius of the Carlow handler to have his horses peaking at season’s end after Faugheen rolled back the years to take the Stayers Hurdle.
“It drives me crazy that we’re still behind and that our horses aren’t right until January and that it all comes down to Punchestown, but it’s the way he does things and it’s just magic. It works for him, and it works for us,” Ricci said.
Losing 60 top-class horses from Gigginstown House Stud in September 2016 has forced Mullins to reinvent himself and the variety of owners in the yard – his first 12 winners were for 12 different owners – represent a stable that is always evolving, as he equalled Tom Dreaper by winning a dozen titles.
“I’m humbled to be alongside him in statistics. He was sort of God when we were growing up. I’m delighted for my whole team, because they take huge pride in it. We’ve built up a good team of people,” a modest Mullins said.
“Patrick (Mullins), David Casey and Ruby (Walsh) and my wife Jackie. It’s just an awesome team. I’m enjoying training as much as ever and trying to find new horses and identify them and having nice winners. It’s not getting any easier – Gordon is making sure of that!”
As for Elliott, it says a lot about the measure of the man that he kept smiling even though it must have felt like sitting in the dentist’s chair.
When Paul Townend gifted The Storyteller the Champion Novice Chase, it looked like the ball was bouncing his way, but normal order was quickly resumed.
Samcro’s fall in the Champion Hurdle with three to jump was a picture of his week and having watched Mullins make hay in most of the championship races, it’s already clear in his head what he needs to do to reach his holy grail.
HARDENED
“It’ll take us a couple of years. You need the older horses, the hardened, graded horses to win a trainers’ championship. You see what Willie is doing, finishing 1-2-3 in those big races. That’s what I need to do,” Elliott remarked.
Having broken the existing prize money record – he also became the first Irish trainer to hit the 200 winner mark (it finished Mullins 212 to Elliott’s 210) in a season – and still come up short is heartbreaking, but his time will come.
Another already announcing his name on the big stage is David Mullins and after guiding both Faugheen and brilliant Gold Cup winner Bellshill to glory, get used to seeing the Grand National-winning jockey’s name in lights.
As trailblazers Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh exited stage left on a winning note, Rachael Blackmore proved her class yet again with Mullins correct in his firm opinion
that she “should be called a good jockey, not a lady jockey”.
Davy Russell was rewarded for a stellar season with a third jockeys’ crown, Donal McInerney was leading conditional rider and Lisa O’Neill the champion lady pilot, while Townend was leading Festival jockey with five winners.
Bouncing back from a career-low on Al Boum Photo on Tuesday to ride out of his skin 24 hours later – his performance on Next Destination was as good as you will see – says all you need to know about him, although the handling of the incident and lack of timely information provided by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board did leave a sour taste.
Supasundae got his just desserts, taking the Champion Hurdle for Jessica Harrington, while Footpad left us all purring at the thoughts of Champion Chase clash with Altior.
The sole British winner was Caid Du Berlais for Rose Loxton in
Friday’s Hunters Chase but what of Barry Geraghty, who left emptyhanded and with plenty of food for thought over the coming months.