1. He’ll be bringing an awful lot of horses to Cheltenham
WILLIE MULLINS BROUGHT more than 50 horses to the Cheltenham Festival in 2015 and that number is set to increase this year with the trainer planning on shipping in excess of 60 horses to Prestbury Park in March which is remarkable considering he’s lost stars such as Faugheen and Arctic Fire to injury.
Among the 38 horses working out at his County Carlow yard this morning were big names such as Vautour, Un De Sceaux, Nichols Canyon, Annie Power. Essentially a who’s who of national hunt racing.
2. He admitted he’s throwing everything at the Gold Cup
Vautour is entered into the Ryanair and the Gold Cup at the moment but Mullins said he’s not swayed by doubts over his stamina over the three miles, two and a half furlongs.
“Strictly speaking, if we wanted to aim our horses only for the races they could win, things might be different but, for the moment we’re keen to go for the Gold Cup with Vautour.”
A win in this year’s event — where he’s also likely to run Don Poli, Valseur Lido and Djakadam – would, of course, be Mullins’ first and come 30 years after his father won with Dawn Run.
3. Annie Power is nearly certain to run in the Champion Hurdle
Mullins told the assembled media that Annie Power is likely to be supplemented into the Champion Hurdle with Vroum Vroum Mag looking at the Mares’ Hurdle.
“I don’t think coming back to two miles will be any trouble to her. When you consider how many horses we could enter for a Champion Hurdle she’d be as fast as any of them.
“She’s good and keen at home and I’m happy with that as we need her to get all that work.
“I’d imagine she’ll wear the hood, it will certainly make her easier to ride. With the pace they’ll be going in the Champion she probably need not have it, but it will cost nothing to wear and it might make her easier to manage.”
4. Augusta Kate is one of watch
What do Lee Westwood, Alan Shearer and Ant & Dec have in common? Well they’re all part of the Masters Syndicate, owners of Augusta Kate who runs in the Champion Bumper on Wednesday 16 of March.
A daughter of Yeats out of unbeaten mare Feathard Lady, the five-year-old has won both her runs so far by a combined 30 lengths.
In a year when many of Mullins’ runners are short price favourites, Augusta Kate offers some value at 7/1 having been as high as 16/1 in the ante-post market.
5. He’s not sure why Min is such a short priced favourite for the Supreme Novices Hurdle
Last year, Douvan got the Cheltenham festival off to a great start for Mullins when winning the Supreme as 2/1 favourite. It was the third year in succession a Mullins-Ruby Walsh combination won the race following Champagne Fever (5/1) and Vautour (7/2).
Without really doing a whole lot — other than being Ricci-owned, Mullins-trained, Walsh-ridden – Min enters this year’s race at a best price 7/4, something that Mullins believes may have more to do with the opposition rather than the French bred five-year-old’s own performances.
“Why is he so short? Is it just that… when I was in Galway someone came into the enclosure and asked me about Min and he was probably still out on the grass at that stage.
“It just seems to be an undercurrent of Min, Min, Min from that early and his reputation is certainly way bigger than what he’s done. I hope that he can be as good as that reputation but he has to go and do it.
“What he’s done at home wouldn’t leave you to believe he’s that short. However, the form lines in all the races he’s run advertise his form and, if they are true, then he deserves to be that price.”
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