Willie Mullins and winners go hand in hand. Whether you’re in England or Ireland, you’ll usually find the name WP Mullins next to the number one position in the racing results and this year will be no different.
Here is his stable tour for the 2022/23 season.
8yo Chestnut Gelding
Monkfish will be back after a season on the sidelines. It will be tough for him off such a long time away from the track, now in open company, but if his old form is anything to go on (4x G1’s) - he will be a huge player in the chasing division this year.
6yo Bay Gelding
Champ Kiely is an Ocovango gelding who’s proving to be quite talented thus far. He won his bumper at Limerick, before winning a maiden hurdle at Galway this July. He recently won a G3 novice hurdle at Tipperary, comfortably by four and a half lengths from Boodles Hurdle winner Brazil in second. He’s ran to a high level already, and he’s seriously unexposed. He’s exciting.
8yo Bay Gelding
Allaho was unbeaten last year, and he’s a relatively short price this year to be unbeaten again. He’s made the middle distance division his own, and he’s been ultra-impressive in two renewals of the Ryanair. He’ll likely try and make it a third this season.
8yo Brown Gelding
Energumene was part of the rivalry of the season last year, going toe-to-toe with Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin. The scores are 1-1, with Energumene narrowly missing out at Ascot, before emphatically turning the tables in the Champion Chase. He’s a seriously high class horse who I’m ridiculously excited to see run again this season.
8yo Bay Gelding
Janidil really started to get his act together last season, running well in several races. He will need to get a handle on his jumping, as he wasn’t the most efficient. He’s a high class horse who’s still relatively unexposed.
7yo Bay Gelding
The Nice Guy went from strength to strength last year and even surprised connections. He won the Albert Bartlett and another G1 at Punchestown on his final start. He remains unbeaten, and a horse I have a lot of time for this season. He’s likely heading novice chasing, which is hugely exciting.
7yo Bay Gelding
Sir Gerhard is a lovely, genuine horse who connections inherited from the Gordon Elliot yard. He won 3/4 last year and probably suffered at Punchestown due to a hugely taxing effort at Cheltenham. He is a high class horse who will be in a lot of trackers once again.
4yo Chestnut Gelding
Vauban looked an absolute superstar last season, finishing his season with a 3/4 record, including three G1’s. He holds all of the better juveniles on form, and he’ll likely improve for a summer break. I for one cannot wait to see him again.
8yo Grey Mare
Elimay is a loveable grey mare who finished her season with a record of 2/5. But she won the most important race for horses of her profile when taking the Mares Chase at Cheltenham. She will likely have the same target and she could improve again and dominate the division entirely.
6yo Bay Gelding
Gentleman De Mee went from strength to strength last season, winning the G1 Mildmay at Aintree from Arkle hero Edwardstone back in second. He improved with every run and if that’s the same story again this season, he could take high rank in the chasing scene.
7yo Brown Gelding
Stattler had a great season last year, winning three from three including a G2 and a G3. He won at the Cheltenham festival in cracking style from the very useful Run Wild Fred. Stattler looks like he could be a huge player in the staying chases this year, with jumping soundness and stamina assured.
5yo Chestnut Gelding
State Man won three on the bounce after his fall on debut. His season culminated in a facile win at the festival in what looked a competitive G3, before bolting up in ready fashion in a G1 novice at Punchestown. He's clearly a horse who's ridiculously talented, and I for one am excited to see him again this year.
5yo Bay Gelding
Took all before him in bumpers last year, so far - Facile Vega seems to be living up to his reputation. He will be heading novice hurdling this year and he’s the current Supreme Novice favourite, as he should be. He’s such an exciting horse and he looks set for another stellar campaign.
6yo Bay Gelding
Minella Cocooner won two from five last year, but competed at the highest level towards the end of the season. He finished second in two G1 novices at Cheltenham and Punchestown respectively after scoring in the G1 Nathaniel Lacy at Leopardstown in February. He's a likeable horse and he's in top hands to progress.
10yo Bay Gelding
Kemboy has danced every dance for connections, and he's probably a fan favourite for a lot of you. He managed to win a G1 in February from The Storyteller in second, but he didn't get his head in front apart from that all season, despite running well to place several times. He's an older horse now, so we may see him less frequently as the season progresses.
10yo Bay Gelding
Billaway won three from four last season, including the hunter chase double at Cheltenham an Punchestown, from the very useful Vaucelet in second on both occasions. He's made the hunter chase division his own in the last few years and with the emergence of Vaucelet, it may not be so easy this time around.
5yo Bay Gelding
El Fabiolo is a smart horse, who's clearly still improving. He won his maiden hurdle and then finished second, only a neck behind Jonbon at the Aintree festival which represented a mammoth step up in class. He finished last season with a novice win at Punchestown, and he could be a real force in the novice chase division this year.
7yo Bay Gelding
Kilcruit looked as though he had the world at his feet when he was a bumper horse. For one reason or another he isn't quite the machine we thought he was. But he is on the recovery mission now, and still a high class horse nonetheless, as shown when running well in Grade 1 company on his final two starts.
6yo Black Gelding
Was ultra impressive last season as a novice chaser. He was unlucky not to be unbeaten but for a freak fall at Cheltenham when absolutely running away with the Brown Advisory. It looks like all roads will lead to the Gold Cup, it’s certainly going to be an exciting season for him.
6yo bay gelding
Dysart Dynamo is a horse blessed with a tremendous engine, however - he is not the safest jumper at all! He came down in the Supreme Hurdle when travelling well enough and he finished last of five on his final start last year. He did absolutely bolt up on home soil in a G2 novice though, so he's not a lost cause at all. He will need to be much more economical this year, should he be competing at the highest level again.
8yo Bay Gelding
Appreciate It had a stop-start campaign last year, I think it's fair to say. He struggled with injuries and was set a huge task when running against Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle off a fundamentally awful preparation. He's a monster of a horse, I just hope he has a niggle free campaign this year, given he's now an eight year old.
6yo Bay Mare
Echoes In Rain has been busy on the flat throughout the summer, and she's ran extraordinarily well to date. She was relatively useful over hurdles too, she just struggles with keenness. Over the summer though it looks as though she's grown up a bit, and she could take high rank in the hurdling division this season.
8yo Grey Gelding
Asterion Forlonge is a horse who must infuriate a fair few! He’s riddled with ability, though he’s prone to a shuddering error. He’s high class on his day, but he’s just not very reliable at all, (see King George!).If he can keep his head screwed on at all times during a race, he's an obvious player.
8yo Bay Gelding
Klassical Dream is a horse who's unfortunately always struggled with soundness. He seems to do his best running fresh though, so that actually may be a blessing in disguise. He won two G1's nonetheless, and he will surely be a big player in these staying hurdle races once again this season - if he stays sound.
5yo Bay Gelding`
Redemption Day is a 5yo gelding by Blue Bresil who ran very well in bumpers last season. He won on debut at Leopardstown in seriously easy fashion, and was sent straight to the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham where he didn’t seem to relish the heavy ground. He ran a much improved second next time out in another G1 bumper at Punchestown though, and on that showing, he’s a novice hurdler to look forward to.
5yo Bay Gelding
James’s Gate looked potentially top class on debut when winning a bumper at Punchestown in good style. He ran a cracker to finish third in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham next time out. However, he couldn’t manage to win a very winnable bumper at Punchestown on his final start. It’s worth noting that it was much faster ground at Punchestown, all of his wins have been on soft/heavy ground. He will be one to watch when the rain pours.
7yo Bay Gelding
Blue Lord made a cracking start to life as a chaser, winning four novice chases, including two G1’s. He was beaten in the Arkle by Edwardstone, but that wasn’t Blue Lord’s best round of jumping to date. He will be interesting now transitioning into a very competitive open 2m chase division, will he be able to hold his own?
7yo Brown/Bay Gelding
Ferny Hollow must be one of the most exciting horses in training and he may well have been forgotten about by a few. His career has been tarnished with injuries thus far, and I hope we can see him have a trouble free season. He was last seen winning a G1 Novice Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, beating Riviere D’etel, who was in form and receiving tons of weight. He is an exciting horse who’s still ridiculously unexposed.
4yo Chestnut Gelding
Mercurey absolutely bolted up on debut at Gowran Park, and there was talk about supplementing him for the Champion Bumper, but connections opted for the patient route, being a younger, immature horse. He was beaten next time out in a listed race at Limerick but the ground was “Good” there, suspicion is that he probably wants it on the softer side. He’s still young, and he stamped himself as one to follow on debut.
6yo Brown Mare
Grangee had a relatively good season last year, contrary to her bare form figures. She ran well in several graded contests, including a third in the Mares Novice at Cheltenham. Her style of running requires some luck in running, and she was luckless on a few other occasions. She is a high class horse who will certainly be involved in graded races once again this season.
6yo Grey gelding
Gaillard Du Mesnil is a grade one winner, so he’s a smart horse. For whatever reason, he didn’t show that last season. He was third on every single start last season, be it a Grade 1 or a handicap, he finished third. He did run much better when upped in trip throughout the season though, and I think he could be campaigned towards staying handicap chases this season, as he does stay really well. He’s fairly interesting this year, with several viable routes connections can take.
4yo Grey Gelding
Il Etait Temps is a French recruit from the Willie Mullins yard. He is still a maiden, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He was pitched into a G1 on debut, and managed to finish third behind the top class Vauban and Fil D’or, on his first run. That was a huge level to run to, and he maintained it, finishing fifth, and fourth to Vauban and Fil D’or again. To run to that level without winning means that there are a whole heap of lesser horses in training, and he will surely have a productive campaign this year. Expect a sequence of wins.
4yo Bay Gelding
Gaelic Warrior was likened to Unsinkable Boxer pre Cheltenham, he was reportedly “well in” ahead of his Boodles tilt, his mark being someway below his capabilities. He was bet into 13/8f in the 21 runner contest, and for all the world it looked like the chat was spot on, until he was headed on the line by eventual winner Brazil. He jumped violently right throughout, so he’s not without his kinks, but he’s certainly riddled with ability.
