Willie Mullins Stable Tour - part 1

Form profile

A 177-rated chaser, he has won six of his last seven starts over fences including two highly impressive wins in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He produced arguably his best performance yet when winning the Punchestown Gold Cup on his final start last season.

Trainer says

We have a couple of different options for his starting point. The Clonmel Oil Chase is one, but much will depend on whether the ground is soft enough. The John Durkan is an option, but that might a bit closer to the Christmas racing than ideal. He seems in great order and I’m hoping to have him ready in time for Clonmel if the ground is right for him there. If he gets to run in one of those earlier options, the timing could work out for something like the King George at Kempton, we’ll wait and see. I haven’t discussed it with the owners yet, but they have A Plus Tard for the Gold Cup, so it might make sense for this fella to go for a third Ryanair Chase, but there is plenty of time between now and those decisions being made.

Form profile

A 137-rated hurdler, she has won both her starts since joining Willie Mullins including a Grade 3 mares’ novice hurdle at Fairyhouse in January.

Trainer says

She’s going to go novice chasing. She’s a big, strong mare and is one we are looking forward to seeing over a fence. It’s worth noting that she is probably a bit behind the others at the minute, as she’s a gross mare that looks after herself well and will take a bit longer to get fit.

Form profile

A 160-rated hurdler, he was unbeaten in four starts as a novice hurdler including the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and ran with credit in his only start of last season in the Champion Hurdle.

Trainer says

He had a small problem that held us up last season and we didn’t want to use up his novice status over fences in the second half of the season. We took our time with him and he’s ready to go novice chasing now. We’ll start him off once the ground softens and he’s ready. I’m imagine with the sort of speed he showed over hurdles that he shouldn’t have any problem going down the Arkle route. I don’t think he’ll have any problem staying further, maybe even three miles, but if he jumps fences as sharply as he did hurdles, I think the two-mile route will be the one for him.

Form profile

A 156-rated chaser, he has won four of his five starts over fences including the Irish Arkle Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

He’s one for the Champion Chase. I’d say he’ll start off in either the Fortria or the Poplar Square Chase, then Leopardstown at Christmas, onto the Dublin Racing Festival and then to Cheltenham.

Form profile

A 145-rated hurdler, she has won two of her three starts over hurdles including a Grade 1 mares’ novice hurdle at Fairyhouse.

Trainer says

She’s still in pre-training and hasn’t come back to us yet. She is one that we’re going to aim at the Mares’ Hurdle. Her form at Fairyhouse last season gives her a favourites chance in a race like the Mares’ Hurdle. She finds it easier to go left handed. We won’t be setting out to look for right-handed races, but sometimes you can’t help it and have to run if the right race is there for her.

Form profile

A 172-rated chaser, he has won six Grade 1 races for Mullins including the Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival last season.

Trainer says

He’s in great order. We always kept him to two miles as he’s such a good jumper, but I think at this stage of his career we are best stepping him up in trip. We’ll have a look at him over two-and-a-half miles or further and will be a bit more adventurous with him.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, he won two of his four starts over hurdles last season including a wide-margin victory in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

Trainer says

He looks the type that should be a really good novice chaser. His style of jumping, his style of racing, it all suggests that he could be a top two-mile novice chaser.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, she finished second in the Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival last season.

Trainer says

She disappointed us at Cheltenham last season. We concluded that we might just have had too much gear on her and that she might be better off with just a normal bridle this season. We’ll aim her back at the Mares’ Hurdle and we’ll be hoping that different tack and different tactics might make a big difference.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, he won two of his three starts over hurdles for Mullins last season and finished a close second in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in between.

Trainer says

He looks a real Arkle type. You’d have to consider him one of the best potential novice chasers that we have. We’ll get him started wherever we can, then look at Leopardstown at Christmas, the Dublin Racing Festival and onto Cheltenham.

Form profile

A 150-rated chaser, she has won six times over fences including the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Trainer says

She will be aimed at the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. She did very well over the summer and looks in great order.

Form profile

A 176-rated chaser, he has won seven of his eight starts over fences including the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March and the equivalent contest at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

The Hilly Way Chase at Cork is our preferred starting point for him at this stage, all being well. Whether we go back to the Clarence House at Ascot this season, I don’t know, but people got a lot of fun out of that last season, so we’ll consider it.

Form profile

A 160-rated chaser, he returned from injury to win both his starts over fences last season including the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting prior to being ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.

Trainer says

I’m really looking forward to him. He’s been tough to keep sound, obviously, but it’s a case of so far so good this season. We’ll try to get experience into him in lesser Graded races as he lacks experience over fences.

Form profile

A 148-rated hurdler, he won two Grade 2 novice hurdles for Pat Doyle last season prior to changing hands and joining Mullins.

Trainer says

He’s a new recruit from Pat Doyle’s that was very good over hurdles last season and will go novice chasing this season. He’s a fine, big chasing type. He’s a very forward-going horse and I can see why Jack Doyle was so keen to cover him up in his races last season. He can be a difficult ride, so the hope is that fences will help settle him down.

Form profile

A 156-rated chaser, he was placed in both the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Irish Grand National, but remains a maiden over fences.

Trainer says

He’s still a maiden over fences, so looks to be a lovely horse for staying novice chases. Patrick will be trying to get him on the National Hunt Chase route! He looks that type, but the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase is there too.

Form profile

A 172-rated chaser, he has all three of his completed starts over fences including the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Boylesports Gold Cup Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. He was set to win the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival until falling at the final fence.

Trainer says

I hope he’s our Gold Cup horse for the season. He looks the part and is doing everything right at home. He’s a big horse, though he doesn’t look it. That’s what I like about him. He’s tall, but he doesn’t look it as he is so well proportioned and light on his feet. He had a little setback a couple of weeks ago, but is back in good order now. I’d like to start him off in the John Durkan, but it is coming a bit close to Christmas this season. Tramore could be an option for him on New Year's Day.

Form profile

A 164-rated chaser, he won the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree last season.

Trainer says

I’d like to get a run into him before the Tingle Creek, but I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to do it. Looking further down the line, his connections like to have winners at Aintree, so we will have that in the back of our minds with him.

Form profile

A 156-rated hurdler, he finished second in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in 2021 and missed all of last season.

Trainer says

He’s a hugely exciting horse that came to us from France and missed last season. He looks like he could be one of our top staying novice chasers.

Form profile

A 148-rated chaser, he is unbeaten in a bumper, a maiden hurdle and a maiden chase, but was restricted to just one run last season.

Trainer says

He’s a huge horse with a huge engine. He’s hard to keep right. We’ll try and get him some experience in lesser Graded races over fences for the time being and he lacks experience.

Form profile

A 163-rated hurdler, he has won three Grade 1 contests since switching his attentions to staying hurdles including the Champion Stayers Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April.

Trainer says

He was one I had in mind to stay hurdling with, but the option of going back chasing with him has come into my mind in recent weeks. The staying hurdle division looks quiet enough, so it would be hard to walk away from, but we’ll wait and see. I might give him another pop over a fences and then make a decision.

Form profile

A 147-rated hurdler, he won two of his five starts over hurdles last season including the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Trainer says

He’s going novice chasing and I’d have him in the two-and-a-half mile bracket at the minute.

Form profile

A 163-rated chaser, he won four of his first starts in novice chases in 2020/21 including the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but missed all of the 2021/22 season due to injury.

Trainer says

Monkfish is back in training, but I don’t think we’ll see him on the track until at least the second half of the season or even the last quarter of it. If I can get him ready for Cheltenham, that’s well and good, but I think a more realistic option will be later than that. He hasn’t made the type of recovery we were hoping for, but we’ll be taking it very steady with him and see what happens.

Form profile

A 152-rated chaser, he made a winning chasing debut at Fairyhouse prior to finishing third in the Irish Arkle Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Trainer says

He’s an interesting type. He’s very keen over his fences and he isn’t the biggest horse in the world. Going back over hurdles is an option. Even though he’s a keen sort, I wouldn’t mind trying him over longer trip and trying to get him to settle under a quieter ride.

Form profile

A 162-rated hurdler, he has won six Grade 1 races over hurdles including last season’s renewals of the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.

Trainer says

His main aim will be the Grade 1 hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting. He was a bit later than the others coming back in, but we’ll try to get him ready to start back in the Morgiana Hurdle.

Form profile

A 155-rated hurdler, he won three of his four starts over hurdles last season including the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer says

There are a few horses like Sir Gerhard that I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them. At the start of this season, I thought he was going to be one to send novice chasing, but the more I look at the Champion Hurdle division, I’m tempted to stay over hurdles. I have to talk to the owners to see what their views are before making a decision. My team at home here are split on him.

Form profile

A 159-rated hurdler, he won all three of his completed starts over hurdles for Mullins last season including the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

He’s one of those that we are in two minds with at the minute. I had him pencilled in as a novice chaser, but the closer we get to kick off, I’m beginning to question whether we should keep him over hurdles and look at the Champion Hurdle. I don’t think we’ve seen the very best of this horse on the track yet. It would be easier to keep him sound by staying over hurdles. He’s one that we need to speak to his owners about.

Form profile

A 158-rated chaser, he is unbeaten in three starts over fences including the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer says

Stattler won the National Hunt Chase last season and while he wouldn’t have ever been one that sprung to mind as a potential Gold Cup horse, he’s earned the chance to have a crack at being one. His owner Ronnie Bartlett has Galvin for the race, but this fella wouldn’t be a bad second string for him! He handles the track, he jumps, he stays. We’ll set him out on the Gold Cup route, and we’ll see where he ends up. He could be a Grand National horse.

Form profile

A 153-rated hurdler, he is unbeaten in two bumpers and three starts over hurdles including the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the equivalent contest at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

Unfortunately, he’s been ruled out for the season as of a couple of days ago. He has a problem behind that is going to take a couple of months to come right, so we’ll give him his time and hope to see him back next season.

Form profile

A 163-rated chaser, he won the King George VI Chase at Kempton in December.

Trainer says

We are aiming him back at the King George VI Chase at Kempton and then will look to the Cheltenham Festival.

Form profile

A 155-rated hurdler, he won three of his four starts over hurdles for Mullins including three Grade 1 juvenile contests.

Trainer says

He could run in the Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas under a penalty, or he could go for the Morgiana Hurdle. The Morgiana will obviously be a tougher race for him, but I might just start him there. It would be good to find out early how he stacks up against the older horses. If he’s going to be a Champion Hurdle horse, maybe that’s where he should start off.