Willie Mullins targeting big domestic finale at Punchestown with British title under his belt
Willie Mullins
is 11-8 favourite to be British champion trainer again next year, although pointing that out to him might provoke a blunt response.
Amid the triumph of a second successive cross-channel championship at Sandown on Saturday the Irishman admitted to a sense of relief at it all being over.
As expected, jump racing's dominant figure timed his challenge to perfection by overhauling the luckless Dan Skelton on the final day to ultimately land the title by £199,508 (nearly €232,000).
Mullins ended the cross-channel season with prize money of £3,570,991 – over €4.1 million.
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Valuable victories for Gaelic Warrior and Il Etait Temps swung the verdict in Mullins's direction before his horses finished second, third, fourth and fifth in the bet365 Gold Cup, won by Resplendent Grey.
Just to seal the point, his runner Jump Allen beat a Skelton favourite in the concluding handicap hurdle.
'See you next year – same time, same place!' a gracious Skelton said in congratulations to Mullins who emulated the legendary Vincent O'Brien who also won the British title back-to-back 70 years ago.
A campaign highlighted by his son Patrick landing the Aintree Grand National on Nick Rockett will continue at home this week with the five-day Punchestown festival, although Mullins was clearly relieved to have put the British championship to bed.
Dan Skelton congratulates Willie Mullins at Sandown on Saturday. Photograph: David Davies/PA Wire for The Jockey Club
'I haven't read a paper for the last four days as there was so much stuff going on and I couldn't look at the TV or read any of the racing papers. I tried to keep away from it all or you couldn't get through it and I'm sure Dan was the same.
'It's a very public place and it's been great publicity for the sport rather than great for the protagonists. It's been tough mentally, but I'm sure it's tougher today for Dan than me,' he said.
'I'm very happy to have won it for a second time but it was probably sweeter to win it first time. But the horses have had to run out of their skin, and they have been since Christmas. Thankfully we've been in form at the right time. I won't be making any predictions about next year!' he added.
Paddy Power aren't so hesitant and make the Irishman an 11-8 favourite to complete a hat-trick in 2026. Skelton is a 7-4 next best.
Mullins will pick up a 19th Irish title when the domestic season concludes at Punchestown on Saturday with over €4.4 million already in the bag and almost sure to expand considerably this week.
Over €3.5 million in prize money is available over the 40 races up for grabs, which include a dozen Grade One contests.
In 2021 Mullins saddled the winners of 19 festival races and last year wound up Punchestown with a record 39 top-flight successes that season. He ended the 2023-24 Irish season with just over €7 million in prize money.
He has made 17 declarations for Tuesday's opening day festival action including Fact To File who will take on the two-mile title holder Marine Nationale in the featured €300,000 William Hill Champion Chase.
The exciting Cheltenham Festival winner Kopek Des Bordes will have a handful of opponents, including a trio of stable companions, in the KPMG Champion Hurdle. Champion jockey-elect Paul Townend has opted for Ballyburn rather four other Mullins runners in the Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase.
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