"It needs to be checked" - Willie Mullins criticises Cheltenham after good ground Festival
Willie Mullins has publicly criticised Cheltenham Racecourse, arguing that the good ground at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival caused injuries to several of his top horses, including Bambino Fever and led to the withdrawal of Fact To File. Mullins insists that the course should provide softer, winter ground to protect high-quality jumpers and warns that owners may avoid Cheltenham if conditions do not improve. While most of his runners returned to action successfully, serious injuries to Ballyburn and Gold Dancer underscore his concerns about ground management.
- Willie Mullins claims Cheltenham's good ground in 2026 harmed his horses
- He highlights injuries to Bambino Fever and the withdrawal of Fact To File
- Despite some horses thriving post-Festival, Mullins urges softer ground for safety
Willie Mullins has taken a swipe at Cheltenham Racecourse, claiming that good ground during the 2026 Cheltenham Festival did "a lot of damage" to his horses.
Mullins welcomed the press through the doors of Closutton this week, as he readies his top horses for the upcoming Morgiana Hurdle meeting at Punchestown. Later in the day, Willie and the media retreated to the nearby Lord Bagenal Inn, where Mullins provided some soundbites on plans for his most-talked-about horses.
In the midst of this stable tour, Willie Mullins expressed his concerns about ground conditions at the Cheltenham Festival. Willie said that beaten Mares' Novices' Hurdle favourite Bambino Fever got "jarred up" on the good ground, and went on to claim that many of his other runners experienced similar problems.
"There was a lot of damage done the last two days in Cheltenham last season because they hadn’t watered properly. When Simon Claisse used to be the clerk of the course, you’d know going to Cheltenham that you’d start with the word ‘soft’ in the ground on the Tuesday and then depending on whether it was going to be dry or wet whether to water or not water."
Willie continued, "JP took out Fact To File and we had significant damage from the Thursday and the Friday with some of our runners which is not on. It needs to be checked and looked at."
"I was a bit annoyed that we didn’t get to run Fact To File, he was probably the banker of the week. He’s a big unit and you’ve got to try and keep those horses sound."
"Whether it’s the clerk of the course or whether it’s the manager or whoever does it but if they want the horses that race on soft ground and nice ground all winter there, I think they have to produce the ground for those horses."
"It’s not good for racing if they’re not going to produce winter ground for winter horses. If you’re producing a different surface that’s going to bring different horses into the game."
"If that’s the way they want to go, people with the real good horses just won’t run there. That’s my worry, that if we see trends happening, we’re going to change. Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, they’re not pushed about going to Cheltenham, and a lot more of my owners are heading towards Aintree and Punchestown because the ground is becoming an issue."
Bambino Fever was the first of 39 runners that Willie Mullins saddled up over the final two days of the Cheltenham Festival. Jack Richards' Novices' Handicap Chase runner-up Gold Dancer sustained a fatal injury as he won the Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree three weeks later, and Ballyburn suffered a potentially career-ending injury soon after his runner-up effort in the Stayers' Hurdle.
However, of the remaining 36 runners, only four others haven't run since, and three of those are four-year-olds - an age-group that Mullins usually campaigns lightly.
Place De La Nation and Gaelic Warrior went on to win Grade Ones at Punchestown. Selma De Vary won a top race out in France, and King Alexander won the Galway Plate. Plenty of Willie's other day three and four runners have been seen on several occasions since, with many also recording victories.
The numbers suggest that Mullins is exaggerating by saying that "a lot of damage was done" to the horses he ran on the Thursday and Friday. If more of the horses that ran after Cheltenham were still feeling the after-effects of the ground, then why weren't they put away for the summer?
Yet, the injury to Ballyburn and Gold Dancer's death cannot be glossed over by statistics. Something needs to be done to ensure good-to-soft going is the quickest ground description we see at jump racing's flagship event.
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