Top Irish trainer Willie Mullins has reached the historic landmark of 100 Cheltenham Festival winners – more than any other handler in the history of the event and you feel it won’t be long before 125 and even 150 will be in sight.
Willie Mullins Fires In His 100th Cheltenham Festival Win With Son Patrick Riding
The ten-time Cheltenham top trainer, Willie Mullins headed into the Festival on 94 winners and having bagged 6+ successes in ALL of the last four years it was odds-on the Closutton man was going to hit the 100 mark this year. But it was more of a case of – in what race?
There were big wins on day one with Lossiemouth, Gaelic Warrior and State Man, who won the Champion Hurdle, so Mullins headed into the second day on 97 – needing just three more victories to hit the double bullseye.
With Ballyburn a red-hot favourite in the opener – the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle – and duly obliging this moved Mullins to 98 and Fact To File quickly added to that tally in the second race on day too – The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
El Fabiolo Was Meant To Give Mullins His 100th Winner, But Fluffed His Lines
Mullins was now sitting on the ‘Flake’ 99 mark and many thought he’d be celebrating with some ‘hundreds’ and thousands’ on his ice cream with El Fabiolo in the Champion Chase. Afterall, he was sent off as the 2/9 favourite with the best horse racing betting sites.
However, a bad error mid-race forced jockey Paul Townend to pull up the former unbeaten chaser – leaving Mullins stuck on the 99 mark.
With the second day reduced to six races with the cancellation of the Cross Country (he’s never won this race anyway), this meant he had to wait until the final contest – the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
But the good news for Willie is that this race has been his best over the years – with 12 wins prior to 2024 – including Wither or Which, who he also rode way back in 1996.
He’d also won four of the last six renewals of the Bumper and was sending eight of the 19 runners to post under his name.
It was the shortest-priced of his army that ended up getting Mullins over the 100 Cheltenham winners line as son Patrick guided the 9/2 shot Jasmin De Vaux home. Beating the Gordon Elliott pari – Romeo Coolio and Jalon D’Oudairies.
The win also gave son Patrick Mullins his fourth Bumper winner, after taking the day two final race in 2008 (Cousin Vinny), 2012 (Champagne Fever) and 2022 (Facile Vega).
In contrast to the six Mullins winners at the 2024 Festival, his main British rival Nicky Henderson, who is on 73 winners, is having a torrid time.
The Seven Barrows man is yet to score and he’s had to pull a lot of his big names including Jonbon and Shishkin due to his horses being under the weather.
Willie Mullins Won His First Cheltenham Festival Race In 1995
The winning run that took Willie Mullins to 100 not out started back in 1995 when his Tourist Attraction won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – a race he’s now won seven times.
It was the already mentioned Wither Or Which that made it two wins as Mullins himself rode this 1996 Bumper winner. Therefore, it was a fitting way to get his 100 up in the race he’s won the most – now 13 times.
Mullins Still Has The 2024 Gold Cup Favourite To Come
With still half of the 2024 Festival still to come and another 14 races, it will be a huge shock if Willie Mullins isn’t powering on from the 100 winners.
He’s got the current Gold Cup champ and favourite in Galopin Des Champs, plus other big fancies like Dinoblue in the Mares’ Chase.
A Word Of Warning On Thursday Though
Despite the Mullins Cheltenham bandwagon in full swing, there is a slight word of warning as we head into Thursday.
Over the years, the third day has been Willie’s worst.
Last year in 2023 he didn’t have a single winner on the afternoon and three of the seven Festival races he’s still to win also come on the Thursday – Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle, Plate Chase and the Kim Muir.
Willie Mullins Has Been Top Cheltenham Festival Trainer 10 Times
- 2023: Willie Mullins (6)
- 2022: Willie Mullins (10)
- 2021: Willie Mullins (6)
- 2020: Willie Mullins (7)
- 2019: Willie Mullins (4)
- 2016: Willie Mullins (7)
- 2015: Willie Mullins (8)
- 2014: Willie Mullins (4)
- 2013: Willie Mullins (5)
- 2011: Willie Mullins (4)
