Willie Mullins reached the magical 100-winner mark at the Cheltenham Festival as the Patrick Mullins-ridden Jasmin De Vaux provided him with a 13th victory in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
It is 29 years since the master of Closutton broke his Festival duck with Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Twelve months later he trained and rode Wither Or Which to claim his first Champion Bumper success.
Wind the clock forward almost three decades and Mullins is out on his own as the most successful trainer in the history of National Hunt racing’s showpiece meeting, with his tally of 94 ahead of his return to the Cotswolds this week putting him well clear of his great friend and rival Nicky Henderson on 73. In contrast to Mullins, the Seven Barrows handler has not enjoyed a good time of things, having to withdraw a number of his leading contenders.
Having sent a terrifically strong squad across the Irish Sea, it was a matter of when, not if, he would reach the century, and following a Tuesday treble courtesy of Champion Hurdle hero State Man, Mares’ Hurdle victor Lossiemouth and Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle, the figure loomed large.
With Ballyburn and Fact To File delighting favourite-backers in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase respectively, El Fabiolo was widely expected to be the history maker in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but he was dramatically pulled up after hitting the fifth fence and the wait went on.
The Coral Cup and Grand Annual also came and went without a Mullins winner, but it was fitting that the big one came in the Festival race he has won more than any other as Jasmin De Vaux obliged at 9-2 with the trainer’s son in the saddle.
“It’s a wonderful day, it’s fantastic. As much I enjoy what’s happening, I think of my colleague and fellow trainer Nicky Henderson and what’s happened with his yard this week,” Mullins said.
“That’s always a worry that we have in the two or three weeks coming up to Cheltenham, that something will come in and bite you from outside. As much as we’re enjoying it, I don’t know how he must be feeling.
“You want competition and it must be gutting for him. You’d like good opposition to have fun with because I’m sure he would have beaten us a few times this week.”
He went on: “I thought my lifetime achievement was when I had a winner here in Cheltenham in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle back in 1995 and who ever dreamt any trainer, never mind me, could do it .
“The team of owners we have help and I can’t train winners without a team of owners who have horses and then the team from my wife Jackie, to David Casey, Patrick, Ruby (Walsh), all our head people, it’s huge for them. I think they are probably going to enjoy it more than I will. It’s extraordinary stuff.”
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