Willie Mullins becomes first to train 100 Cheltenham Festival winners
Son Patrick was in the saddle for the landmark moment
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Willie Mullins salutes the Cheltenham crowd after reaching 100 Festival winners
"Nobody thought anyone would ever train 100, let alone me. I’m stunned we’ve come this far.”
Willie Mullins may have transformed his operation into a relentless winning machine but amid the countless triumphs remains an ability to produce a fairy-tale story, writes Paul Martin.
The legendary trainer became the first handler to reach 100 Cheltenham Festival winners on day two of the 2024 instalment and there were two particularly fitting subplots to the victory which brought him into three figures.
One was the fact his son Patrick, perhaps the long-term heir to his throne, was on board Jasmin De Vaux as he stormed up racing’s most famous hill.
Another came in the identity of the race which saw him arrive at the landmark.
‘Willie’s in the bumper’ is a phrase as synonymous with this place as ‘greatest show on turf’ and with good reason. Thirteen of his ton have come in this race and the latest was the best of the lot.
“I can’t put it into words,” he said. “Nobody thought anyone would ever train 100, let alone me. I’m stunned we’ve come this far.”
Celine Dion’s Think Twice was coming to the end of seven weeks at number one when Tourist Attraction won the 1995 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
One day shy of 29 years on, Mullins entered uncharted territory. The 21 Club has long been a staple of the nightlife around these parts on Festival week – Mullins is now a founding member of The 100 Club.
“At the time, I thought my first winner here was a lifetime achievement,” he said.
“We have a wonderful team at home, headed by my wife Jackie, then we have Patrick [Mullins], Ruby [Walsh], Dick [Dowling] all my head people. Having a team like that behind me is just incredible.
“I was really pleased Patrick got the ride as I wasn’t sure he was on the right one. But he picked it and he was spot on.
“It’s a team effort from owners, without them we wouldn’t be here, it’s their sport. We have had tremendous people behind us backing us the whole time.”
When your son rides the horse which gives your husband his 100th Festival winner 🥰
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) March 13, 2024
Hear from a proud Jackie Mullins in the winners' enclosure 💚#GreenTeam | #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/oUAkSHQ50a
The owners responsible for Mullins’ 100th winner, Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, would have expected it to come earlier in the day after routine victories for strongly-fancied Ballyburn and Fact To File appeared to have set up a second Grade 1 treble in as many days.
Odds-on shot El Fabiolo – in the famed ‘double green’ of Munir and Souede – was regarded as something of a Champion Chase certainty, particularly when Jonbon was withdrawn by Nicky Henderson.
But not all Mullins’ scripts go to plan and a stumble early on led to Paul Townend pulling up the favourite. Stablemate Gentleman De Mee gave it a good go but Rachael Blackmore held on aboard Captain Guinness to keep Mullins stranded on 99.
The wait was never going to be a long one and son Patrick was responsible for ensuring it wouldn’t even last the night.
“I’m very privileged to get the 100th for my father, it’s a special moment,” said the winning jockey, before reflecting on the driving forces behind his father’s success.
“He could say something one day and the next day he’ll give out to you for doing it – he’ll forget he told you to do it the day before.
“He’s always chopping and changing things, he never stands still and he won’t take no for an answer. The more inclined you tell him to do something, the more inclined he is to do the opposite.”
Patrick is just one shy of equalling his own Festival record this week – for most winners by an amateur jockey – as the Mullins surname continues to reverberate around Prestbury Park’s hallowed turf.
Tuesday’s National Hunt Challenge Cup was renamed in honour of Willie’s mother Maureen, Irish racing’s great matriarch, and the race was of course won by a Mullins – this time trainer Emmet.
There will be plenty more trips to the winners’ enclosure for the family before the end of the week, quite possibly including another in the Gold Cup courtesy of reigning champion Galopin Des Champs.
For now, however, Willie will bask in the glory of going where no trainer has ever gone before.
“We’ll have a small celebration,” he said with a twinkle in the eye.
“I’m just delighted. Whoever could have comprehended someone training this amount of winners. I certainly never thought it would be me.”