Willie Mullins Stable Tour 2024/25 - Key quotes from the Champion Trainer

Ballyburn has come back in good shape, good and strong. He was four from five last year and it was my fault he got beat in his maiden hurdle! Paul wanted to go and make the running but he'd been very keen in his bumpers and I didn't want him jumping out on his first run, and I probably didn't have him as ready as I wanted him, so I asked Paul to settle him. He got beaten but beaten by a Grade 1 horse in Firefox so there was no shame in that. He learned a lot that day, including how to settle, which was better for him later in the season.

I'm very happy with him. I haven't had a chance to chat to Ronnie Bartlett or Dave Manasseh about his direction this year, but he can go both directions. He probably has to find a good half stone or more to be Champion Hurdle class. We'll have to have that conversation in a short while.

He jumps well and to me he looks a chaser but he's obviously very sharp over his hurdles as well. We'll have to leave that decision for the next few weeks.

You'd have to head towards the Champion Chase or Ryanair. Last season we thought he was a Champion Chase type but his jumping let him down at Cheltenham and it was the same at Sandown. Maybe he wants a longer trip to have more time over his fences rather than going that pace if he's not comfortable. There's every chance he could go out in trip and that shouldn't be a problem for him on pedigree by Spanish Moon out of a Saint des Saints mare. There's plenty of stamina there. He had an early-season setback so might not come out until Christmas but other than that he's in good shape.

I'm delighted with Energumene. He's hitting all his targets and came in with the rest of the horses and we haven't had one setback with him. We'll be looking at the two-mile route again so possibly start in the Hilly Way at Cork.

He's one of the friendliest horses in the place, he's so inquisitive and always out over the door looking out at what's going on. He won three out of four last year with the last two Grade 1s. He took to jumping naturally and he looks like that type of horse when you see him out. Usually a horse like this aiming for the Cheltenham Gold Cup we'd start off in the John Durkan and then aim for Christmas - there's the King George and other races then so we'll see how he gets on with his first race and then take it from there. Usually if we have a Gold Cup horse we have a fairly predictable route there. We'll have a word with JP (McManus, owner) Frank (Berry, racing manager) and Mark (Walsh, jockey) and see how the horse takes his first run. He's a fairly straightforward horse.

I think he couldn't be much better than he was last year physically. He developed quite early. If he could hold the same type of muscle he had last year I'd be happy.

I think he has so much ability. It's always a hard year transitioning from novice to open company and I think this fellow has all the attributes you'd need to be an open horse.

We started off with the Brown Advisory over three miles in mind and then he fluffed his lines at the Dublin Racing Festival against Fact To File. We said we'd change tactics altogether then and go back to two miles and he came good at Cheltenham. Coming out of Cheltenham we thought have we a Champion Chaser instead of a Gold Cup horse - it's a nice problem to have.

He disappointed me a little at Punchestown but that was at the end of the season and he got a bump along the way. I imagine we'll probably start off thinking he's a Champion Chase horse and if he has to go up in trip that would be fine, the Ryanair is there and the Gold Cup is there. He jumps a bit to his right but he has an engine and sometimes you just have to put up with those little quirks.

The King George is something that could come into play. We know he stays, we're not too worried about that, but whether we go for that or the two-mile Grade 1 at Christmas he is a horse that could go from one trip to another. It wouldn't bother me or worry him.

I'm very happy with him, he's very laidback. We'll probably do more or less what we did last year, although looking through his record he got beaten twice at Punchestown - at the start and end of the season - and his previous run he was also beaten at Punchestown. Maybe he doesn't like the place but I think the two and a half miles probably beat him [in the John Durkan] and Fastorslow is a good horse anyhow and was going well in the Gold Cup when he fell.

He's a year older now but I still think he's in good order. Whether we give him a race less I don't know, but I'd like to have him good and fit going to Cheltenham anyhow. The way we've campaigned him for the last two years has worked and I hate changing things so we'll probably stick to our plan.

He didn't jump well being held up [in the John Durkan] and after that I wanted to see him going down and attacking the first few fences and getting into his rhythm quicker. I think letting him roll along helped that and made a big difference.

He missed a couple of weeks last month with a small issue but it's resolved now so we'll see if he's ready enough for the John Durkan. Maybe we'll wait until Christmas. When I go to gallop him we'll see how he is. I get a lot of feedback from Paul who knows him inside out, so he'll be a great help in deciding where we go first time.

I don't know how good he is. The acceleration he showed winning the Aintree National, from the last fence home when Paul just set him alight, was huge at the end of four and a quarter miles. He's by Authorized and has been quirky all his life, but I think he's maturing now and his real ability will come out. We're keen to have another crack at the National with him and he won't have much more weight than last year. He seemed to like Aintree and jumped the fences very well so we're going to plan our route back there.

Before he ran at Aintree he ran in the Bobbyjo which I always think is a great trial for Irish horses. We'll probably look at the Irish Gold Cup and the Savills Chase and start him off maybe in the John Durkan. That could be as good a starting place as any. To go for a Grand National you need four or five runs under your belt just to be fit enough for that type of a contest. It's a very hard race to win first or second time out, you need race fitness. I think he's come back better than I've ever seen him, he's stronger, so I'm really looking forward to him.

We took it easy last year with just three runs and she was good in all of them. She'll have a busier year this year, aiming for the Champion Hurdle. We're looking forward to having a crack at the Champion Hurdle.

She had a busy season as a juvenile and that's why we didn't do too much with her last year and I think she has come back good and strong for it.I think she has the ability to have a crack at State Man and Constitution Hill or whatever lines up for the Champion Hurdle.You've got to be able to win over two and a half miles to win a Champion Hurdle.

If you only barely get two miles you could be found out. Most Champion hurdlers have stamina and you need that bit of speed to be good at two and a half miles, so she has everything I think. Jumping ability, speed, stamina, she's going to be a big player I think in the Champion Hurdle.

He's a huge horse, I couldn't believe he was a juvenile when he arrived here - he looked like a ready-made chaser. I think that's what we're going to do this year, go novice chasing with him. He only had two runs last season, he was third at Leopardstown and then turned the form around and won the Triumph Hurdle.

We put him away, he's such a big animal and we felt he didn't have much more to prove. He jumps so well so we're going straight to novice chasing with him. I know he's only four but he didn't have a hard season. It's tough for four-year-olds to go chasing - I know they get a bit of an allowance early in the season - but I'm not going to over-race him as a novice and hopefully his ability will come out and he'll be a decent horse in the spring.His form is standing up everywhere and with his size and scope he's just a real chaser.

We were probably surprised how well he jumped hurdles for a horse of his size, that he took note of them. A lot of horses his size they don't take any notice, but he's very intelligent and we're really looking forward to him.Coming up that hill [in the Triumph] he was eating up ground - he has a huge, long stride - and took the last quite well. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with, I just hope his age doesn't get in the way.

Up to the last few years four-year-olds got a good allowance but that's disappeared (later in the season). It's going to be tough for him but he has the ability and may as well learn this game at a young age. I think he'll be a right chaser in the future.I never mind too much in Ireland where we start them off - two miles, two-two, two and a half, even a bit more if we have to. I'd rather just start them when they're ready for their first run and then whatever chase is around.

As they go up in grade then we might come back to the trip that suits them best. Most Triumph horses want a trip as they get older so he shouldn't have any problem going out in trip.

I'd imagine he'll probably go for the Morgiana and then the usual route of Leopardstown at Christmas, Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Hurdle and then Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle. It's worked every year and he's a good, solid, straightforward horse who doesn't do anything flashy but gets the job done.

His record last year was fantastic and if he could do anything like that again that would be great for Marie and Joe Donnelly.We're looking forward to meeting Constitution Hill again. He has a Champion Hurdle in the bag and it will be good to put the two of them together.He doesn't show off and just does what he has to do - hopefully he can do that against Constitution Hill.

She disappointed bitterly when pulled up at Wexford but the vets found she was clinically abnormal and had lost her action. I don't think it's going to be a major problem and she'll continue down the Mares' Novices' Hurdle route.

He's a nice type and needed the summer to really mature, which he has - I'm very happy with what he's doing at the moment. He should be a staying novice hurdler.

We thought a lot of Cantico last season, he's a real staying chasing type. I'd imagine he's an Albert Bartlett type and I'll be aiming him for those staying novice hurdles, but over fences will be his game in time.

Nice horse by Churchill off the Flat. He's a really athletic type and can hopefully make into a Triumph Hurdle horse. He's one who can mix it on the Flat next season.

He's a fine stamp of a staying chaser if you ever saw one. He was impressive winning his point-to-point and we'll go down the hurdle route this season, though he's a horse who could jump a fence this minute. He's a fine type of animal but for race experience we'll go over hurdles.

He's run to a very good standard in bumpers without winning and given his age I'm keen enough to go jumping with him. We'll be looking for a nice maiden hurdle where they get a maiden allowance. Looking at his bumper form he has the potential to be towards the top end of the novices this season.

He comes with nice form from France and with a good recommendation. He's one I'm looking forward to getting out on the track and seeing over hurdles.

The Cheltenham bumper every year throws up top novice hurdlers and I'm hoping he can make the switch as well. I'd imagine he's a staying type, especially given the way he won at Cheltenham. He's probably one for the Gallaghers.

We think a good bit about him and fences will probably make him. But he'll be in staying novice hurdles this season. He's by Coastal Path who we've been lucky with over the years. I used to think they were all about staying but he can get a horse over a shorter trip as well because usually they are tremendous jumpers.

Looks a real promising sort. He had one nice run for us at Christmas last year. He is a horse anyone would like to have on their novice team and will run in the top races.

She's a lovely big mare who was second over hurdles at Auteuil. She'll go down the hurdling route but to look at her she's a fine, big mare who will jump fences and that's what I'm hoping for next season.

He's a lovely, big type who will go hurdling but I could see him jumping fences next season.

One who will go down the Mares' Novices' Hurdle route. Her French form would suggest that she could be top-end material.

Comes with a nice reputation and we've bought plenty of horses before from Alain Couetil who have been graded horses. This fellow looks a real hurdler in the making.

I like him, he's a good, strong type. I like the sire, Tunis, and he has the potential to be top-end in novice hurdles.

She's a lovely filly by Martinborough, the same sire as Majborough. She had one run finishing third at Fontainebleau and I think she could make up into a nice mares' novice.

He was impressive in the George Mernagh Tattersalls Bumper and George would have been proud of this fellow. He's every inch a chaser, a fine big horse, and he'll go novice hurdling this year. With his size and scope I'd love to get him over fences sooner rather than later but I think he'll just need the experience over hurdles this season. Being by No Risk At All he should have plenty of speed and he could go down the two-mile route, but looking at him you'd think he was more of a staying chaser. He's a fine, big jumping type and one to look forward to.

She looked very good at Punchestown and is a real jumping type of mare with a good, solid build. She'll jump a fence in time. If she can transfer her bumper form to hurdles she's a possible for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Looks to be a nice acquisition. She could be Triumph Hurdle material having Listed form in France already. She came highly recommended.

He's a really nice type who we bought late in the season. He won his bumper at Gowran but I think he got upset before the race at Punchestown. Things probably happened too quickly for him during the season but he's come in well from his summer break and will have a much better prep this year for his novice hurdling campaign. He looks like one for the staying division and probably wants a fence sooner rather than later.

He had a long time off but came back well last season and won the Grade 1 bumper at Punchestown. I'd been putting off jumping hurdles because of his long layoff. He's a very good work horse at home and showed it on the racecourse by winning his Grade 1. If he stays sound he should be very competitive in novice hurdles.

He's only had three runs - one more and he's qualified for the County Hurdle! I'm told he's well up in the betting for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and he jumps well and is a real nice type, so we'll probably go down the Supreme route. But he could run in the Gallaghers. I'm very happy with him and he's a real nice type to have as a novice this season.

He did what he had to do at Tipperary and there was probably no depth in the race but the ground was nice and we thought before we threw him out to grass we'd see him one more time on the racecourse. We probably have to look at the Royal Bond. It's a Grade 2 this year but that will be fine and whether he has a run before then I doubt it.

Sounds Victorius is a good, solid type of horse who jumps well. A hurdle, and indeed a fence in time, will improve him and he’s a middle-to-long distance novice hurdler.

There's been a lot of talk about him. He looks a real nice type but we haven't done enough with him. His French form looks good and like all young horses they look nice, but apart from his form I haven't an idea how good or bad he is compared to the rest of ours.

A lovely type of horse we picked up at Arqana and he is one who will mix it on the Flat next summer. He jumps well enough and I'm hoping he could be a graded horse in novice hurdles.

He had a busy season last time around, going to Melbourne and then disappointing us twice at Leopardstown before Paul gave him what was a contender for ride of the Cheltenham Festival when coming from last to first in the County Hurdle. It's going to be very hard to place him over hurdles and possibly his Flat career might take over.

She came back from summer grass huge so it's going to take a bit of a while for her to come right, but she's going to make her mark over hurdles this season.

He's a little bit frustrating as some days he looks brilliant while other days he's let us down. The more we run the more it seems like he might be very ground dependent. He'll have a run at Down Royal where it looks like the ground might dry up, but as we get into the thick end of the winter I imagine we might give him a break until the spring.

He's a horse with a lot of potential and has some experience over hurdles. He's going to miss the first half of the season but if I can get him right he'll pay his way in the second half. Looking at his run at Royal Ascot he's a horse you could follow for his Flat season as well after his hurdling campaign.

She promised to be a good mare, winning twice before Cheltenham, and we probably just got the tactics wrong at the Festival. But she did very well to come back from there and win the Grade 1 at Fairyhouse. At the moment I'm thinking she might be Mares' Hurdle material rather than going novice chasing but I haven't discussed it with connections yet.

She's her own worst enemy. She's a very good mare but is very forward going and was hard on herself all last season. You would think looking at how she's raced that maturity is going to improve her hugely as she gets stronger. Possibly going over fences might settle her down. I've not discussed with connections which way she's going but, mentally, maybe she might be better off with a fence in front of her. Il Etait Temps was very keen but learned to settle jumping fences and maybe that's what this mare needs to do as well.

He surprised me last season being able to win over the minimum trip with such ease. He looks like an ideal staying chaser in the making, so when he won over two miles I thought this fellow could be a cut above the normal novice. He has what could be a nice mark over hurdles but I'm keen, and the owner and rider will be keen, to go chasing this season. I would have marked him out as a stayer but the turn of foot he showed over hurdles suggests he could be going down the Arkle Challenge Trophy route. But life might be easier going down the staying route, so we'll see what he does when he goes over fences.

He works very nicely at home and will go chasing. While he only won off a mark of 132 at Punchestown he can improve on that over fences and would be on my list of top novices. I think he's a lot better than his rating and maybe needs a fence to show that.

We were a little disappointed with him coming out of a bumper at Punchestown a couple of seasons ago but he was beaten by Ballyburn and had Slade Steel behind him in third! And that was in the winners' bumper, not even in the big one! He made amends this year, winning three Grade 1s for us and I'd say he's going to be a better chaser than a hurdler. I'm really looking forward to him going for those top staying novice chases.

We got him going early last season and I think he prefers nicer ground. Indeed, he disappointed on heavy ground at Cheltenham but came back to run well on better ground at Punchestown. I probably should have him out already but he's going nicely at home and I often find that the ground on chase tracks can be a lot better than on the hurdles tracks that get a lot more use. He's a horse with nice ability who will probably go in those long-distance novice chases.

He was a good bumper horse and a nice novice hurdler. He looks the type to make a good novice chaser and is one for Tony Bloom to look forward to over fences.

I think we'll go novice chasing this season. He had a crack going down the Champion Hurdle route and it didn't work, though he did win a Grade 1 at Aintree and finished up nicely when winning at Sandown on the final day of the season in Britain.

He has a lot of ability and if he can transfer that to fences he's going to be in the mix in those two-mile novice chases. My little concern is the day we made the running with him at Leopardstown he didn't seem to enjoy being in front and I always like my two-mile chasers to enjoy making the running. It might have been a valuable lesson that we learned that he might have to be ridden off the pace. I think he's going to be a good addition to our Arkle Chase team.

He looks like an exciting horse. We missed the season with him unfortunately after winning a maiden hurdle so he's not a novice anymore. I think he probably should go over fences rather than down the hurdle route and he's a horse we think a lot of.

He beat Caldwell Potter in his maiden and he went on to win a Grade 1, so that's the sort of league we hope he might be. He can go anywhere from two miles to three, and a lot will depend on how sharp he is jumping. I don't want to worry about trip.

He ran a cracker at Cheltenham, eating up the ground up the hill to finish second to Ballyburn. We probably won't see him out until Christmas or after, but he'd look a good recruit to the novice chase ranks.

He's a nice type for middle-distance novice chases. He was runner-up to Slade Steel in the Navan Novice Hurdle and third in the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles.

A horse that is very hard on himself and his rider. Going novice chasing might be a help to him and if he takes to it, he will have a much better career over fences than hurdles.

He's a brother to Ferny Hollow. He's a lovely horse with a lot of ability and I feel we haven't seen the best of him yet. He'll go over fences this season. He's in the 'could-be-anything' bracket if he takes to this, but he was unlucky not to win a point-to-point before we got him so I'm sure he will. He's a very keen horse, his own worst enemy, but I'm hoping fences will settle him down.

He never shows off at home so we went for a Ballinrobe bumper hoping he would run well and he did. He just improved the whole season and I think he's come back looking a better horse - I think he's grown. He's a late developer.

We haven't decided which direction we're going to go. I would think probably novice chasing, but he was second in the Supreme and won his next two races after that which shows me he's improving. He could go down the staying hurdle route, I don't think he'd be fast enough for the Champion Hurdle and probably hasn't got a high enough rating. I haven't discussed it with connection yet so we'll see what they want to do.

I'd like to go jumping with him, he jumps well. Every time you put something in front of him he achieves it and I'd say he has a lovely temperament to go novice chasing. That's where I'd be but I haven't made a plan with connections.

He was a good bumper horse and put in good runs to finish runner-up in a couple of Grade 1 novice hurdles. He disappointed us at the Cheltenham Festival but is another horse we're looking forward to as a novice over fences.

He has a nice record over hurdles. Looking at him he is a real stamp of a chaser and I think he's a horse who is going to improve a lot. Going over fences should bring out that improvement and he's a horse I'm looking forward to, probably in the staying division.

Met with a setback and will miss the early part of the season.

Looked like she was going to win the Grade 1 mares’ novice hurdle at Fairyhouse last March but was just beaten by Jade De Grugy. She has the physique to go chasing and could make into a good middle distance mares novice chaser.

We ran Zenta once over fences in December last season and we then decided to postpone chasing until this season. She is a much physically stronger mare for fences this year.

While winning in Clonmel and Naas last season it was probably a bit disappointing on the while. We will go a similar route with her this year and hopefully the extra year will be an advantage, and she can scale the top heights.

Put up some very good performances last year but lacked a gear to get right to the very top. He has met with a little setback early in the season and will be out until the second half of the campaign We will do things a little differently to try and get him up that extra five to ten pounds to be a Grade One horse.

Seems back to his best here in Closutton. We will probably start him off in the John Durkan like he did last year. He looks more a middle-distance horse than a two-miler.

Will be running in the top races. He featured very well to a point in the Grand National but didn’t see out the trip. He has the ability to run in a Gold Cup or similar type races. He was very good when winning the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last January. That run showed he can compete against the best horses in the British Isles.

She ran a cracker in Cheltenham last year when just beaten by Limerick Lace in the same colours. She'd been very good over shorter trips and will probably start off in the Barberstown Castle in Naas like she did last year and work her way through a similar programme, going twice to Leopardstown and then on to Cheltenham. With all that experience under her belt hopefully she can go one better this year.

He's a lovely work horse at home. He had been doing everything right up to the National Hunt Chase and I wonder did he not see out the distance? You’d think he might be a Grand National horse but I have a doubt in my mind about whether he'll stay those extended trips. He's only rated 150 so he could still be very competitive in handicaps and I've got to ask myself should I be trying shorter trips with him? He's out of a Network mare. If he runs like how he works at home I think he can improve on his rating. He could be well handicapped over a shorter trip and he loves jumping.

He has a lot of ability but it's been hard to keep him right. We got him back after a long absence and he then had a separate injury, but he's back in good shape now and I'd imagine we'll probably try to get him away over two miles or two and a half. He'll come out early enough in the season because I'm happy with what he's doing and where he, is at the moment.

He was second in the Champion Chase last season. He's a very keen horse and that's probably why we’ve gone over two miles over fences but I could see him going out in trip on his pedigree - he's by Saint des Saints out of a Video Rock mare. If he settles down a bit he could easily get two and a half miles or further but he's more the problem than anything else. He'll probably go down the two-mile route to begin with and hopefully end up in either the Champion Chase or Ryanair Chase.

He had a setback coming to Cheltenham last year and didn't get to run but everything he did before that was great and I think the experience he has over fences and the mark he has, there might be a nice big handicap in him in the early part of the season. We could look at handicap chases mixed with graded chases, we'll see what suits him best.

He could have a nice handicap mark for something like the Coral Gold Cup or even the Thyestes in Gowran, a local race. I think there's improvement still in him. He's rated 159 and could easily get into the high-160s, so he's a horse come Cheltenham time who could be going for one of the bigger races. He stays all day.

He's come back really strong from his summer break. You'd think he would go down the two-mile route again and the more experience he gets the better he will be. He'll possibly chase top honours in that division, if not he can drop back to Grade 2 and Grade 3s, but looking at him coming back from grass I thought 'wow, this fellow has done really well'.

He was a real surprise last year. We thought he was good but he won three Grade 1s. He's not your typical chaser to look at - he's more a hurdler than a big, strapping type - but he can jump and gallop. He wasn't everyone's cup of tea at the start of the season when he was schooling but he's learning all the time and what I love about him is he's a real scrapper when he gets to the business end of a race.

Danny (Mullins) really suits him and I think both are two good scrappers when it comes to fighting out a finish to a race. We'll probably start around Punchestown and John Durkan time and then look to Christmas. Is he a King George horse? He could be good enough for that. We'll look at those options and he's in the mix for that.

We aimed for the Topham last year and he was just beaten one length by a horse getting a stone off him. He will possibly have the same type of season with a similar aim in mind.

He does very well over the summer and has done every summer. He comes in so big and we should be getting him back earlier but we're creatures of habit and we don't. I often find it takes me four or five runs to really get him right. In the second half of last season we ran him as often as we could and it worked, with Danny giving him a great ride to win the Scottish National.

He's an out-and-out stayer and there's probably another handicap in him. He's a fine horse now and hopefully he can improve, he's only six turning seven so to achieve what he did as a novice is a good sign.

He's a nice staying chaser. He was running a cracker in the Grand National and I just wonder did he not see out the full trip? Possibly going back for the Topham Trophy might be an option because he jumped the course so well, though it could be a bit short.

He was a really valuable servant to us last year, winning a lot of money when third in the Irish National and then on the last day of the season at Sandown Danny got his head in front in a very close-fought bet365 Gold Cup. Hopefully he can do something like that again, but it's very difficult for those handicappers to come back and win a similar type of race. He'll be campaigned in all those top staying chases.

He's a lovely chaser. When Paul rode him at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day he said he would love to ride him in the Irish National. He was placed in a Grade 2 at Navan and everything looked set but, while he ran a great race in the National, he could only manage seventh. He's still capable of winning a good handicap and if he does he can go into graded races. He'll go down the staying handicap route and have another crack at the Irish National or maybe the Grand National.

Will start off in the Clonmel Oil Chase and mix it between graded races and handicaps for the season.

Has been a good servant to us winning over fences and indeed hurdles, most recently in France. He will mix it up again this season with a few more trips to France.

She's a good, strong filly and we're very happy with how she's progressing. We'll go down the bumper route I'm sure.