Willie Mullins Retains Frighteningly Strong Hand Ahead Of Cheltenham Festival
Willie Mullins, the undisputed king of Cheltenham, heads into the 2025 Festival with a formidable arsenal of equine talent that has bookmakers trembling.
The County Carlow maestro has claimed the leading trainer title at the prestigious meeting an incredible 10 times, including last year when he saddled nine winners across the four days.
With a record-breaking 103 Cheltenham Festival winners to his name, Mullins has established himself as the most successful trainer in the history of the meeting.
His dominance shows no sign of waning as he aims to be crowned top trainer for the 11th time at Prestbury Park later this month.
So, which stable stars will dominate the headlines over the next couple of weeks, and can Mullins once again rule over Cheltenham?
Gold Cup Day Contenders
Galopin Des Champs stands as Mullins’ standard-bearer in the showpiece Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, where the nine-year-old will attempt to complete a remarkable hat-trick, having won the race in both 2023 and 2024.
Currently priced as the favourite, Galopin Des Champs recently secured his third consecutive Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, cementing his status as the one to beat.
Willie Mullins also has Grangeclare West and Fact To File entered in the blue-riband event, giving him multiple chances to claim a fifth Gold Cup triumph.
Champion Hurdle Hopes
State Man returns to defend his Unibet Champion Hurdle crown after cruising to victory in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Paul Townend is expected to maintain his partnership with the consistent gelding who “only does what he has to do” according to Mullins.
Interestingly, stablemate Lossiemouth, who fell in the Irish Champion Hurdle, is being aimed at the same race rather than the Mares’ Hurdle she won last year.
Mullins believes the mare has the speed to compete at the highest level, stating “in a Flat race, she’d beat them all”.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
The opening race of the Festival could see Mullins claim an eighth Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with the exciting Kopek Des Bordes, who has been installed as the odds-on favourite following a spectacular 13-length victory in Grade 1 company at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Unbeaten in three starts, this five-year-old gelding has been described as Mullins’ stable NAP for the meeting and appears to have the perfect blend of speed and stamina for the Supreme2.
Novice Chases
Majborough, last year’s JCB Triumph Hurdle winner, is being aimed at the Arkle Trophy where he’ll face a stern test against Dan Skelton’s L’Eau du Sud.
Mullins describes the JP McManus-owned five-year-old as “a magnificent horse in the making” who “does things so naturally”.
Meanwhile, Ballyburn, another Festival winner from 2024, is entered in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase with Mullins noting that “it would take a bit from Paul Townend to get off him”.
Other Festival Favourites
Willie Mullins’ dominance across the Cheltenham Festival betting markets continues in 2025, with several of his charges heading the markets in key races.
Final Demand has emerged as a particularly exciting prospect after his demolition job in the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The impressive 12-length victory prompted bookmakers to slash his odds, now making him the favourite for both the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
Described by Mullins as “a specimen” who “sets himself apart from other horses,” Final Demand demonstrated exceptional stamina, with his trainer noting he “was probably going better passing the post than at any other stage of the race”.
Meanwhile, Jasmin De Vaux, who provided Mullins with his historic 100th Festival winner in the Champion Bumper in 2024, has transitioned to hurdles this season.
The six-year-old made a successful hurdling debut at Navan in December, though his jumping required improvement.
He subsequently contested the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle in early January, where Paul Townend was aboard.
The form of his hurdling debut has worked out exceptionally well, with both the runner-up The Enabler and third-placed Workahead subsequently winning at Leopardstown.
Willie Mullins extraordinary record in the Champion Bumper, with 13 victories, including five in the past seven renewals, makes his entries in this year’s renewal particularly noteworthy.
This historical dominance gives Mullins a psychological edge over his rivals in a race that was first run in 1992 and gained Grade 1 status in 1996.
With such an impressive record across all the Festival’s novice events, including seven Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victories, Mullins’ runners will command respect across the board as he aims to be crowned leading trainer at the Festival for the 11th time in his illustrious career.
Dominance
The scale of Mullins’ operation is evident in the sheer number of entries he has across the Festival.
For Gold Cup day alone, he has multiple runners entered in each race, including four in the Gold Cup itself.
His record at the 2022 Festival, when he saddled an extraordinary 10 winners, including victories in the Champion Chase with Energumene and the Ryanair Chase with Allaho, demonstrates his ability to dominate across all race categories.
Conclusion
As the 2025 Cheltenham Festival approaches, Willie Mullins once again finds himself in an enviable position with a wealth of talent across all four days.
Having been crowned Irish Champion jumps trainer for the past 16 seasons and British champion trainer in 2024, his operation continues to reach new heights.
After amassing nine winners at last year’s Festival, including State Man in the Champion Hurdle and Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup, bookmakers are understandably fearful of another Mullins masterclass in 2025.
With the potential to extend his record beyond 103 Festival winners and claim an 11th leading trainer title, the Closutton handler’s extraordinary legacy at jump racing’s premier meeting shows no signs of diminishing, much to the dismay of layers who face another potentially costly four days in the Cotswolds.
BETFRED
