Mullins ready to hit top gear at his favourite meeting

The Willie Mullins machine has not quite found top gear so far this season. But it would be a brave man who bets against the Cheltenham Festival’s all-time leading trainer engaging overdrive at Prestbury Park when it matters.

The Closutton maestro has become synonymous with National Hunt racing’s showpiece event in the Cotswolds – his 10 winners across the four days last year matched the record he set in 2022, taking his overall Festival tally to a staggering 113.

It is measure of the remarkable standards the 69-year-old has set that despite plundering 11 Grade One prizes this season, including five of the eight up for grabs at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival, some have viewed his campaign so far as a little underwhelming, including Mullins himself.

“I didn’t think things would be as quiet,” he admitted.

“We had a very wet time from November to right up to Christmas. I was waiting for a little rest in the weather but round here it never really happened. I always look at the weir here and for most of the winter you couldn’t see the weir because the river was that high.

“I was disappointed with how slowly we were getting into gear and weather-wise it wouldn’t have been a help. I think it’s been the wettest year I’ve ever had and I’ve been here 40 years, but that has never bothered me before.

“They’re all eating and well, we’ve been doing various tests and whatever else people do, the hay and straw seems to be fine.

“Sometimes at that time of year we are a bit slow and people say we’re not going to go well and then in the spring things come right. We are probably a little behind even that this year, maybe even a big bit, but I’m happy enough.

“I’ve been further forward in other years, a few of the horses just haven’t sparked yet, but I think I’ll have them right by the time we get to Cheltenham.”

Mullins was speaking during what has become an annual pre-Cheltenham pilgrimage for the British press in mid-February to his home village of Leighlinbridge in County Carlow.

With the main man suffering from a back issue – perhaps from the weight of carrying the hopes of Cheltenham punters over the years – there was a late change of venue, as the rainy Closutton gallops were swapped for a cosy lounge and a cup of tea at The Lord Bagenal Inn.

Despite the fact his string has not been firing on all cylinders this winter, many will expect the Festival’s go-to man to deliver with his usual regularity by the time the tapes go up on March 10 – but as is usually the case at this time of year, Mullins is doing his best to dampen the hype.

“I’m always fascinated that people come up to me and say ‘how many winners this year Willie, seven, eight – 10?’. People expect us to have winners, we go there hoping to have one and if we get one on the first day hopefully we might get two or three,” he explained.

“We don’t go over expecting winners. We probably have five or six favourites and in other years we’ve had 10. If you have 10 favourites you know five of them will get beaten, that’s the reality of it.

“I don’t expect, I hope to get winners and hopefully the right ones will win. It’s always nicer to get bigger winners in a championship race – getting a Gold Cup or a Champion Hurdle puts a whole different aspect on the week.”

While more than happy to crack the odd joke and deliver his thoughts with a broad smile, the expectation that is attached to his runners on the lead-up to the biggest week of the year is something Mullins is well aware of.

He said: “You have to enjoy it, but as much as I enjoy it, I dread it as well.

“You wonder every morning, is it going to be this horse injured or that horse injured? You’re always hoping to God that it’s not one of the Grade A horses.

“There are injuries, like in any football team or hurling team you’re always going to get injuries – you just hope it’s not your star player.

“It’s fun getting them ready, but that’s the dread – people say pressure is for tyres, but that’s a load of b******.”