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Irish Times
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
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. READ MORE 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.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Willie Mullins retains trainers' title with final-day surge past rival Dan Skelton after dramatic Sandown showdown
Willie Mullins had just made history but he was not ready to celebrate. First he wanted to share a handshake with Dan Skelton, whom he had beaten to the title of champion trainer once again, then he wanted to congratulate Olly Murphy, who had saddled the last big winner of jumps season. Once those duties had been taken care of, Mullins began to speak. He stood in Sandown's winner's enclosure — which had effectively become his home from home on this momentous day — and reflected on how he retained the crown his stable landed for the first time 12 months ago. In those five, candid minutes, Mullins said 'tough' 13 times. He felt for Skelton, who had led the race with just four races of the campaign to go; he spoke of the mental toll the planning of this operation had taken on him and the angst of watching it all unfold. Tough, tough, tough. 'I just know what the last few weeks have been like for me,' said Mullins, who saddled 21 runners on a day when Sandown had its first 10,000-plus crowd since before the pandemic. 'You win some, you lose some. It must be tough on Dan but I am very happy for all our connections. 'Once again, they said for us to go to England with their horses and do your best. It shows that they are all sportsmen. Really, I tried to keep away from it all — otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get through it. I'm sure Dan was the same.' Skelton's horses have run brilliantly all winter and his numbers, in terms of prize- money and winners, have been remarkable but he has been engulfed by Mullins' tsunami since Cheltenham; at one stage Mullins was £2million behind in this race — he ended up winning it by £199,507. The day began with Skelton £68,483 ahead but once Gaelic Warrior sauntered away with the Oaksey Chase for Paul Townend, with stablemates Appreciate It, Gentleman De Mee and Classic Getaway all collecting pounds and pence, we knew what was going to happen. 'We'll just try to have a go next year; it's inevitable now, isn't it?' Skelton asked. His question required no answer. Mullins poked his nose in front when Kitzbuhel finished third in the Select Hurdle before Il Etait Temps, ridden by the trainer's nephew, Danny, produced the riding performance of the afternoon when dismantling 8-15 favourite Jonbon in the Celebration Chase. 'I feel sorry for Dan,' said Mullins, who had become the first Irishman to win this title since Dr Vincent O'Brien in 1954.
Irish Independent
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘I feel sorry for Dan' – Willie Mullins with words of sympathy for his rival as he defends UK trainers' championship
The master of Closutton became the first Irish-based handler since Vincent O'Brien in the 1950s to lift the UK jumps trophy on the closing afternoon of last season and came out on top once again after a titanic tussle with Skelton which went down to the final throes of the campaign. Skelton started the day over £68,000 in front of Mullins, but an easy win for Oaksey Chase favourite Gaelic Warrior and then a surprise as Il Etait Temps toppled the odds-on Jonbon in Celebration Chase saw the defending champion seize control. Training the second, third, fourth and fifth-placed horses in the bet355 Gold Cup set the seal on another success for Mullins, with Skelton having to settle for second again. Mullins had trailed his rival at every stage of the campaign, but his usual strong Cheltenham performance was supplemented by Nick Rockett leading a one-two-three in the Grand National at Aintree and Captain Cody taking home another big pot in the Scottish National at Ayr. That put him firmly on the hunt for a title defence, with both trainers taking in the likes of big meetings at Cheltenham, Perth and Plumpton as well as less high-profile cards to chase the money – a pursuit Mullins is relieved is now over. He said: 'It's relief and it's been tough work the last few weeks. 'I feel sorry for Dan who has been leading the whole way and then we've had a fantastic last few months which made this a possibility. 'It's tough when you are beaten in almost a photo finish but we're very happy to win. I know what the last few weeks have been like for me and Dan will have been hoping for the best and it's tough, you win some you lose some.' The title battle has captured the headlines in recent days, but Mullins has preferred not to pay too much attention. He said: '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. ADVERTISEMENT '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.' O'Brien, who went on to dominate as a Flat handler, was a dual British jumps champion and Mullins feels the initial achievement last year possibly meant more. He added: 'I'm very happy to have won it for a second time but it was probably sweeter to win it the 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! 'I'm happy for all our horses and connections who have allowed us to bring their horses to England and it shows they are all sportsman and all good people to have on your side. It's who I like training for – good people who are good for the sport. I'm lucky to have a lot of those people. 'It's out of this world to be thinking that I have done similar to Vincent O'Brien, but then he went and did it again on the Flat which I can assure you I won't – I'm very happy doing what I am doing and lucky to have the team that I have, starting with Jackie my wife and then the whole way down, I'm thrilled.'
Irish Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mullins reflects on 'tough' few weeks after being crowned UK champion trainer
Willie Mullins has revealed his battle with Dan Skelton to be crowned champion trainer in the UK has been "tough mentally". The Closutton handler edged out Skelton after a fantastic afternoon at Sandown on Saturday as wins for Gaelic Warrior and Il Etait Temps put him within touching distance of securing the title before he had the second, third, fourth and fifth-placed horses behind Resplendent Grey in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase with Lombron, High Class Hero, Spanish Harlem and Grangeclare West respectively. The past few weeks have seen Mullins send horses to multiple courses up and down the UK and he admits is has been tough going. 'The last few weeks have been tough and they must have been tough for Dan too," said Mullins. "That's the way things go. 'I am very happy for all our connections and owners who once again have supported us with their horses. 'I am very happy to have won the title for the second time this year but I am not making any predictions for next season and we still have a week of the season to go in Ireland. I am going home now to get ready for next week. 'As I said last week, it feels special to do something similar to what Vincent O'Brien did but of course he then and went and also did it on the Flat which I won't be doing! 'I am very happy doing what I'm doing and am very happy for the owners, staff and the home team, starting with Jackie my wife. 'It's been tough mentally and I haven't read the papers for the last four days with so much going on or watched RacingTV. I was reading more about other sports because there was so much going on in racing I tried to keep away from it all. Otherwise, you couldn't get through it and I'm sure Dan was the same. 'The press and TV make it all so public and it has been great publicity for the sport going down to the last day.'
Telegraph
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Dan Skelton's hopes of maiden title extinguished by imperious Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins's first salvo of runners on the last day of the season extinguished Dan Skelton's hopes of a first title, as the imperious Irishman retained his status as No 1. One day Skelton might reflect that taking the trainers' championship down to the wire was the Herculean effort of his career. In most normal years against normal opposition he had done more than enough, with over £3 million in prize-money. But his horses finally started running like they might be leaden legged while Mullins's just kept doing what Mullins's do; namely winning. No other trainer in jump racing history could muster 21 for the last push - particularly with his home festival of Punchestown three days away - and though Mullins brought quite a few members of his second XI, an on-song Gaelic Warrior is very much top order first XI as is Il Etais Temps. When Gaelic Warrior duly led home a 1-2 4-6 for Mullins in the Oaksey Chase, the third race on the card, it was effectively game over and Skelton's wish to be beaten by five figures rather than pounds and pence, to ease the pain, was granted. By the end of the day it was not even close; he was down to the tune of £200,000. Master class from @PTownend and Gaelic Warrior 🏆 A Win for team Mullins in the bet365 Oaksey Chase, bridging the gap between team Skelton in the Trainers Championship 🥇 #ITVRacing | | @Sandownpark — ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 26, 2025 'It's relief and it's been tough work the last few weeks,' said Mullins. 'I feel sorry for Dan who has been leading the whole way and then we've had a fantastic last few months which made this a possibility. It's tough when you are beaten in almost a photo finish but we're very happy to win. 'It's out of this world to be thinking that I have done similar to Vincent O'Brien (who retained his title in 1953-54), but then he went and did it again on the Flat which I can assure you I won't – I'm very happy doing what I am doing and lucky to have the team that I have, starting with Jackie my wife and then the whole way down. I'm thrilled.' A prime example of the Mullins genius came when Il Etais Temps, a very smart novice last season but having his first start for a year, and nephew Danny Mullins inflicted a first defeat on Jonbon outside of Cheltenham, beating him five and a half lengths in the bet365 Celebration Chase. In terms of the title it was the coup de grace. IL ETAIT TEMPS takes the bet365 Celebration Chase 🎉 Hasn't run this season until now and does that! 😮💨 #ITVRacing | @WillieMullinsNH | @dan2231 — ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 26, 2025 'He is a smart horse but my nephew is in for it again – he never follows my instructions!' joked Mullins. 'I said go easy and get some place money and he goes and wins it. I did not expect that performance. To do what he did was one of the moments of the whole year.' Though Mullins filled out three of the first four places in the bet365 Gold Cup, he did not have the winner which was the Olly Murphy trained Resplendent Grey. If Skelton has been looking over his shoulder at Mullins for a couple of seasons, one day it might be his near-neighbour Murphy who has, in effect, been kingmaker for Sean Bowen this season, providing him with over 100 winners. Murphy started his career very brightly but it plateaued a bit until he got Bowen in as first jockey. Obviously the trainer-jockey relationship is symbiotic and together they have grown into a potent force. 'I texted Sean this morning and said I was sorry I hadn't provided him with a Grade One winner,' said Murphy. 'But this makes up for it.' In every generation of jockeys there is one who you do not want to see coming after you going to the last, no matter who is on the leader; the sort of person who could pick up a horse and carry it if necessary. Stan Mellor, Peter Scudamore, AP McCoy, Richard Johnson all fitted that category. Now that jockey is Bowen, crowned champion for the first time, and going to the last there was - as there had been at Perth all this week - a certainty that even Rachael Blackmore on the Mullins-trained Lombron would succumb to him in his current form. And so it proved.
