W illie community as one of the greatest racehorse trainers of all time, and arguably the most powerful stable in Jump racing. He has trained a record-breaking 65 Cheltenham Festival winners, but the most famous race of them all has always evaded him, until The Festival ™ presented by Magners 2019. The Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race every trainer wants to win. From the comfort of his Closutton living room, Willie’s mother, Maureen emphasises this. “His father wanted to win it, I’m sure it was his dream before the days of Dawn Run, and I know it was for Willie too. Every trainer should, no matter how many or how few horses you have in training want to win the Gold Cup. It has to be the aim, and then you start dreaming of doing it again.” Willie Mullins had gone close in the Gold Cup before. Florida Pearl was his first attempt, in 1999. He ran well to finish third behind See More Business. When Florida Pearl went back in 2000 and finished second behind Looks Like Trouble, you thought, it’s only a matter of time. Ultimately it was, but 20 years is a long time. Hedgehunter was second in 2006, Sir Des Champs was second in 2013, On His Own was beaten a short head in 2014 in one of the most exciting finishes in recent years as outsider Lord Windermere got his nose in front. Djakadam finished second in 2015 and he finished second again in 2016. Six seconds in the Gold Cup, no wins. Willie said: “I had kind of resigned myself to the fact that we weren’t going to win it. That some things were not meant to be. Maybe it was a defence mechanism. Maybe I convinced myself. But it worked. I was fairly relaxed about it really.” Back in December 2018, ahead of The Festival 2019, while sitting at his kitchen table, cup of tea in hand and next to his wife Jackie, he said: “We are very lucky to have that many horses that are that good, that can run in the Gold Cup, and we were probably unlucky just the once, that was about it, all the other times was as good as they were. They were beaten on merit. Taking a sip of tea, he added: “My mother is right, every trainer wants to win a Gold Cup at Cheltenham, and I’m no different. It’s something to strive for,” as he answered the question he has answered many times before, will 2019 be the year? “Well, we will keep on batting!” Jackie added with a Mullins is often hailed by the racing
interview | willie mullins
wry smile. Little did they know, that day was coming ever closer? Although Willie had never won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a trainer himself, the Mullins family were not without a victory in the most prestigious Jump race in the world. Back in 1986, Dawn Run did what no racehorse had ever done before, or has been able to do since. The eight-year-old mare who was trained by his father, the late Paddy Mullins, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, two years after winning the Champion Hurdle. The magnificent double that most could only dream of and it was the renowned filly that achieved it. When asked about the day, the famous smile spreads across Willie’s face. “I was down on the Members lawn and I couldn’t see very well, I was in a bad position. I could just hear the commentary while trying to look through people’s heads and the commentator said that she was passed and Wayward Lad was going on to win it. I stopped trying to look and turned around, went back under the archway of the tunnel by the old A&R stand and thinking, well, she’s young. Maybe next year. And then the whole place erupted and I thought there must be a battle on here and the next thing I could hear people shouting her name and this, that and the other. I wasn’t sure, I just knew the place erupted so she must have got back in front.” Reflecting on the magician that was his father, Willie oozes nothing but admiration. “Knowing
Willie Mullins and mother Maureen share fond memories at his home.
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