A Mullins Treble Puts Cheltenham Century in Reach

CHELTENHAM, UK — The biggest cheer all day at Cheltenham came from the Ascot crowd. Sir Francis Brooke, first Her Majesty's and now His Majesty's Representative at Ascot was engulfed by back-slappers and well-wishers as the horse he owns with Richard Pilkington, Chianti Classico (Ire) (Shantou {Ire}), ground his way through the extended three miles of the Ultima Handicap Chase to provide the sole strike for Britain on a day dominated – predictably – by Willie Mullins. 

Chianti Classico's trainer Kim Bailey has had his share of Cheltenham glory but those high days were almost 30 years ago when, in 1995, Alderbrook (GB) took the Champion Hurdle followed two days later by the victory of Master Oats (GB) in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the maestro Norman Williamson in the saddle for both. 

That was in the days when it seemed that the spoils were more evenly spread, and Bailey claiming two of the championship races in the same year was big news. Now, Mullins does that with regularity and the winner's enclosure on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival was again frequently occupied by his horses.

There seemed little doubt, barring the vagaries of luck in running, that State Man (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) would carry off the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle once Constitution Hill (GB) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) had been ruled out last week. The latter is the only horse who has been able to tame State Man in his last 12 races, when, on this day last year, Constitution Hill handed him a nine-length drubbing in this same race. 

“You've got to turn up to win a Champion Hurdle. We turned up,” said Mullins, unable to resist a a gentle sideswipe at those constantly comparing his fifth Champion Hurdle winner to the rather more flamboyant absentee. 

“There's no wow factor with State Man,” he said of the seven-year-old. “And you don't go 'wow' when you look at him either, but he does what it says on the tin. He's that type of horse. It's very hard to be wow in that ground, but he's a good solid, sound horse and he just gives his running every time.”

There is a rather bigger wow attached to the lovely five-year-old mare Lossiemouth (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), who prowled round the parade ring, cruised around racecourse, making light work of the heavy turf, then returned to claim her second prize on Cheltenham's main stage. She has only been beaten once in her life and we will surely see her in the Champion Hurdle in years to come but, having taken last year's G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle it was plainly the right decision to keep her among her own sex in the G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle. The sheer depth of that race in recent years is testament to the fact that it is doing exactly what is was introduced to do, and that is to encourage owners to buy and race mares.

“You can say anything you want to in hindsight,” said Lossiemouth's owner Rich Ricci. “We had a plan and we stuck to it. Hopefully we'll be able to do it next year. We've won the Mares' [Hurdle], it's a Grade 1 and I'm delighted.”

It was in fact double delight for Ricci and his wife Susannah, whose colours had already been borne to victory by Gaelic Warrior (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), who had started the ball rolling for Mullins with victory in the G1 Arkle Novices' Chase. This provided a rare top-level winner over fences for the breeding operation of the Niarchos family. He'd been sold by them for only €9,000 as a yearling in Germany and thus became the first of two BBAG September Yearling Sale graduates to strike at Cheltenham on Tuesday. He is one of the standout performers, along with former Triumph Hurdle winner Quilixios (GB), for his sire Maxios, and his breeding is Niarchos through and through, with his first two dams and damsire Hernando (Fr) having also been bred by the family. 

Incidentally, lovers of racing trivia may recall that Maxios's half-brother, the Arc winner Bago (Fr), was responsible for the only horse ever to have carried the Niarchos colours on a Henry Cecil runner at Cheltenham when his son Plato (Jpn) won the 2011 St Patrick's Day Derby under Lorna Fowler, whose first runner as a trainer in the Champion Hurdle this year, Colonel Mustard (Ger) ran an honourable fifth.

It is now the norm for Irish-trained horses to have the upper hand at Cheltenham, and Henry de Bromhead, Joseph O'Brien and Emmet Mullins also wrote their names on the first-day scoresheet.

First blood went the way of de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore in the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle when Slade Steel (Ire) outbattled Mystical Power (Ire) up the hill. The latter has the bloodlines to excel on the Flat or over jumps, as he is by Galileo (Ire) out of the brilliant Champion Hurdler Annie Power (Ire), but it was Galileo's son Telescope (Ire) who provided the winner. Though born in Ireland at Ballincurrig House Stud, Slade Steel was bred by British breeder Dena Merson, who joins an elite group to have bred a winner at both the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot. The two horses are related, too, as the 2008 Ascot Stakes winner Missoula (Ire) (Kalanisi {Ire}) is a half-sister to Slade Steel's dam Mariet (GB) (Dr Fong). 

The cousins Joseph O'Brien and JJ Slevin combined for their second joint-Festival win with Lark In The Mornin (Ger) in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The son of Soldier Hollow (GB) may not be one of the main poster boys for the breeze-up sales but he adds an extra level of versatility to the list of graduates from that division, having been bought at BBAG by Tom Whitehead for €28,000 and resold through his Powerstown Stud for 130,000gns at the Tattersalls Guineas Sale. Also the winner of Listowel mile maiden on debut at two, Lark In The Mornin was bred by Gestut Hof Ittlingen out of Loyalty Ger), a mare by their G1 Japan Cup winner Lando (Ger).

Emmet Mullins, who runs his Grand National winner Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) in Thursday's G1 Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle, claimed Tuesday's finale, named in honour of his grandmother, who died last month. The Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup saw the widest-margin winner of the day when JP McManus's Corbetts Cross (Ire) (Gamut {Ire}) shot clear by 17 lengths in the hands of Derek O'Connor.

“It was a great honour and a privilege for The Jockey Club to name the race after Mrs Mullins, granny, and it's extra special to win it,” said Mullins.

But the day really belonged to Emmet's Uncle Willie, who, with Lossiemouth, recorded a 97th Festival win. Don't bet against him getting a hundred up before the week is out, and there would perhaps be no more appropriate way to do so than in the hundredth running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. Conveniently, and totally unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins has the favourite for that race, too.

The post A Mullins Treble Puts Cheltenham Century in Reach appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Final Leg of 2023 Corinthian Challenge in the Books

Kilkenny man Michael O'Neill, aboard Slate Lane (Ire) (Ask {GB}) for trainer Emmet Mullins in the colours of owner Paul Byrne, took the third and final leg of the 2023 Corinthian Challenge at Leopardstown on Saturday. The overall winner of the series, Damien Moore, was also crowned having won the opening leg at Naas Racecourse and placed in the other two legs to accumulate the most points.

The Corinthian Challenge is an annual charity race series run by Irish Injured Jockeys Fund to raise awareness and much needed funds for organization. Challengers are essentially volunteers who apply to participate in the three-race series, they each get the chance to experience first-hand what it is like to be a jockey from training and fitness to race preparation right through to riding on the track at Naas, the Curragh, and Leopardstown Racecourses respectively. To date, it has raised over €500,000, with this year's crew within reach of their collective target of €100,000.

“This is unbelievable, I absolutely loved it!” O'Neill said. “I tried to follow Emmet Mullins's instructions to the tee and he was spot on and the horse delivered for me in great style. I am so grateful to Emmet, the owner Paul Byrne and all the team in the yard for their support. The whole challenge has been amazing to be part of and I'd encourage anyone thinking about it to just go for it, it's for a great cause!”
For those interested in riding in the 2024 renewal or to donate, visit the Corinthian Challenge website.

The post Final Leg of 2023 Corinthian Challenge in the Books appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Shop Local: Grand National Winner Emmet Mullins Nets Big-Money Sale 

His roots may be deeply entrenched in National Hunt racing and just this spring he won the most famous jumps race of them all–the Grand National with Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire})–but Emmet Mullins has now netted himself yet another major payday–this time on the Flat with a filly that he bred, owned and trained to win a maiden at his local track before selling her for six figures. 

Thebestisyettobe (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) became the second 2-year-old winner of Mullins's career when sluicing up in the opening seven-furlong maiden at Gowran Park on Saturday and, in the process, announced herself to the international market.

Duckett's Grove was Mullins's first juvenile scorer and, like that Point Of Entry colt who the trainer sold after he broke his maiden tag at the first attempt at Cork back in 2018, Thebestisyettobe is set for export and has already passed the vet. 

“That's just the second 2-year-old winner I have trained and it was done from start to finish with Thebestisyettobe, I suppose,” he said. “I bought the mare, bred her locally there in Ballyhane to Elzaam (Aus) through Joe Foley. It was fairytale stuff really.”

Mullins picked up the dam [Kramer Drive (Ire) (Medicean {GB})] of Thebestisyettobe for just €18,000 at the mixed sale at Goffs in February 2016. 

“Elzaam is hugely commercial and is also great value. He's constantly getting nice horses and is very desirable on the international market as well as here” – Emmet Mullins, trainer

She has become a proven source of winners, with three of her foals of racing age winning a hatful of races–none more so than Ventura Flame (Ire), by another Ballyhane-based stallion in Dandy Man (Ire), who has won seven in Britain–and Thebestisyettobe shaped like she could be the best of them at Gowran Park.

Mullins said, “Kramer Drive has been a good servant. I sold her first foal as a yearling, Shadow Breaker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), for €12,000 and he went on to make good money after he won a barrier trial for Jimmy Coogan.

“The second foal was Ventura Flame, who I got €48,000 for at the breeze-ups to Middleham Park, and she has won seven races for Keith Dalgleish in Britain.

“Midgetonamission (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) has won two for David Evans and this one [Thebestisyettobe] was in the sales last year as a yearling but she didn't make enough so I got Martin Wanless to buy her back for me.”

A decision to shop local with Elzaam, who stands less than 10 minutes from Mullins's base, has proved fruitful with the trainer lauding Foley's stallion and describing him as exceptional value. 

Mullins said, “Elzaam is hugely commercial and is also great value. He's constantly getting nice horses and is very desirable on the international market as well as here.”

With the benefit of a barrier trial under her belt, where she showed distinct promise and afterwards Mullins fielded a couple of inquiries, Thebestisyettobe showed an abundance of ability in accounting for a well-touted Joseph O'Brien-trained filly to get off the mark at Gowran Park. 

Less than a week after that highly promising debut, the filly is set to leave Mullins's yard after passing all of the veterinary procedures that come with selling to foreign jurisdictions. 

He said, “We got a couple of inquiries after the barrier trial but I felt that I wouldn't get what I wanted for her so I told them [the agents] to keep an eye out for her and that she'd be running in a few weeks and hopefully she will show her true colours. Joseph's filly [Karaoke (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})]was highly-touted and, while I didn't think Thebestisyettobe was a good thing to go and win, I knew she'd run a big race.”

Mullins added, “Fingers crossed, she's passed all of the vetting and we're just waiting on the blood work. I think she's going to America.”

As well as Kramer Drive, Mullins breeds a couple of National Hunt broodmares with his cousin and champion amateur jockey Patrick. The pair have had quite a lot of success, too. 

Screaming Witness (Ire) (Shernazar {GB}) has produced a Grade 1-winning novice hurdler in Airlie Beach (Ire) (Shantou) while the cousins are also breeding from the foundation mare's daughter, the bumper and hurdle-winning Dr Machini (Ire) (Dr Massini {Ire}). 

Mullins said, “Patrick and I have two broodmares. I have a leg of Screaming Witness with Patrick. We also bought back her first foal, Dr Machini, after she raced for the Pottses. “Screaming Witness has been an unbelievable broodmare for us. She has had five runners on the track and the five of them were bumper winners.

“Airlie Beach won the G1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle while Screaming Rose (Ire) (Darsi {Fr}) also got black-type for her so she was a huge foundation mare. 

“We have two more out of Screaming Witness–a 2-year-old and a yearling–but she has been retired now as she's quite old. We have a few of Dr Machini's foals on the ground as well. So Patrick and I are breeding those National Hunt mares but I decided to take a chance on this Flat mare in 2016.”

Mullins added, “I'd like to keep about four mares around the place–that's a good number. So two National Hunt mares and maybe two on the Flat. You'd have a lot of stock on the ground breeding out of three or four mares for a few years. 

“Kramer Drive was actually unlucky this year. She had a filly foal by Profitable (Ire) who was born on the morning of the Grand National. I thought she was destined to be lucky but, unfortunately, there were complications and we lost her that week. The mare is back in foal to Make Believe (GB). We are staying local-this time with Ballylinch and not Ballyhane!”

The post Shop Local: Grand National Winner Emmet Mullins Nets Big-Money Sale  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Noble Yeats Gives Waley-Cohen Grand National Send Off

Sam Waley-Cohen, who was riding in his final race before retirement, booted home 50-1 shot Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) to a 2 1/4-length victory in the G3 Randox Grant National. The amateur rider had announced his pending retirement on Thursday. Any Second Now (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) was second after running third in 2021, 20 lengths ahead of Cheltenham winner Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}).

“He ran for me, he couldn't go the early pace and I just tried to find pockets to give him a bit of space to run into,” said Waley-Cohen, who was riding in his father Robert's silks for trainer Emmet Mullins. “I found myself on the inner and was going more forward than I wanted to.

“He loves seeing his fences, so I kept trying to find a spot where he could see them. When I asked him he came, but if I just half-asked him he wasn't confident, so I was trying to sit against him–he likes the bit in his mouth and your legs against him.

“I was just trying to get him in that nice rhythm and as soon as I asked him, he went. I thought I'd gone too early [at the last]. I really didn't want to get there then, but as soon as he picked up I thought 'he's gone, he's got this'.

“Dad has always supported me unwaveringly, we've never had a cross word, it's always been for fun. It's been a love affair. To my wife, long-suffering, they aren't all good days, there are bad days in this sport.

“We came here thinking the sun's out, it's your last ride–go and have a nice spin, no expectations. Just enjoy it. It's a dream. I couldn't believe it.”

He added, “I have to thank so many people. People said he was too young at seven, but when you're on a horse that age you can take chances and it paid off. He jumped neatly and I started to think he was really travelling, I started following Santini and then he just started to go forwards.

“He jumped the last well, but then I felt the other horse come to me and I thought he was going to get me. But when I really asked him he kept finding and galloped all the way to the line.

“I was overwhelmed when I crossed the line, but then you have a responsibility to the horse so I had to keep him walking and get some water on him and make sure he was fine. As a jockey your race isn't run until your horse is safe so that was my main thought–then get weighed in and go and enjoy it!

 

Robert Waley-Cohen said, “He's the only the amateur to have won the Gold Cup, the King George twice and the Grand National. It's so extraordinary.”

Waley-Cohen was given a nine-day ban and a £400 fine by the stewards for overuse of the whip and in the incorrect place in the finish.

The post Noble Yeats Gives Waley-Cohen Grand National Send Off appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights