Cheltenham Festival Stable Tours
During the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, the Racing Post goes behind the scenes with the top trainers in Britain and Ireland as they give us horse-by-horse guides on their leading contenders for the big week.
As a one-off special, our Willie Mullins stable tour (below) can be read for free online.
Our other Cheltenham Festival Stable Tours are available to Members’ Club Ultimate subscribers, including the likes of Gordon Elliott, Nicky Henderson, Henry de Bromhead, Paul Nicholls and more.
‘I had him away for a gallop last week and I was very, very pleased with him’
The number 13 may be viewed as unlucky by some but, from where Willie Mullins is standing, going into this year’s Cheltenham Festival with 13 of the 28 favourites housed at his Closutton base, things are looking pretty darn good.
Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival. Since Tourist Attraction provided him with his first success at the meeting when landing the Supreme back in 1995, Mullins has recorded 77 more successes with the promise of more to come next month.
Ireland’s dominant force will bring around 60 horses to the Cotswolds in a little under three weeks. On the lorry will be former dual Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo, bidding to regain his crown at ten, reigning Ryanair hero Allaho, Champion Bumper hotpot Facile Vega, Champion Chase fancies Energumene and Chacun Pour Soi, and a host of top-notch novices. With that quality comes a certain level of expectation.
Asked for his banker for the meeting, Mullins replies: “The first name that comes to mind is Allaho. I will be very disappointed if he doesn’t run a really big race.”
The trainer adds: “Everyone else’s expectation is going to be your failure if you don’t come up with the goods and that leaves a certain dread in your stomach. Certainly going into this year’s Dublin Racing Festival, I was having the same feelings, and thankfully things worked out – way better than I thought they would.
“If you have one or two horses going over there, they either win or they don’t, that’s it. But when you have a team of horses going over there, it’s much harder, but I am lucky enough to have the owners and the horses who have put me in that situation. You have to take what comes with it and try to enjoy it.”
Al Boum Photo It looks like an open enough race. Some of the leading contenders haven’t put their heads up yet, though I think a lot will depend on who gets to the race on the day in great form. We’re hoping that’s the case with Al Boum Photo, but I’d rather I had him in better order to be honest.
Allaho He’s in great shape and it looks like the Ryanair for him. I’d be very disappointed if he doesn’t run a big race.
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