Festival Watch: Mullins still bringing star cast to Cheltenham despite recent setbacks

When Mullins applied for his training licence in 1988 he was told he needed to have possession of six horses in his start-up yard.

The man from the Turf Club called to put his inspection in the diary and then, just a few days before he arrived, an old mare passed away.

That left Mullins with five horses and a big problem.

“I told the inspector the field was wet and mucky and he just ticked the box on his form - and then we were off and running,” he recalls.

They say you’ve got to be good to be lucky or lucky to be good and from such small beginnings, Mullins quickly stepped out the shadow of his father Paddy, whose six Festival wins include Dawn Run’s famous Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup successes.

He now needs just two more wins to crack a half century of Festival triumphs and sits second to Nicky Henderson on the all-time trainers’ list at the meeting.

The master of Closutton has been the Festival’s leading trainer for five of the last six years and two years ago sent out a record-breaking eight winners across the four days.

But Mullins does not arrive in Gloucestershire cloaked in quite the same aura as we’ve come to expect.

He lost 60 horses when Gigginstown left his yard last autumn, while a freak training accident cost three-time Festival winner Vautour his life in November.

And then there were the injuries that prevented stable stars Faugheen and Annie Power going head-to-head in the Champion Hurdle, the Festival’s first day showpiece.

Mullins sent a record 61 horses to the meeting 12 months ago but still boasts a powerful and top-quality 40-strong team, despite all the setbacks of recent months.

And in Champion Chase favourite Douvan he’s still got a superstar, a horse he already mentions in the same breath as two-time Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly.

“There is lots of expectation but he keeps raising the bar and clearing the bar,” said Mullins. “He’s won everything we’ve asked him to but this will be the one that means the most.

“He’s our strongest hope and he could be the best I have ever had but he’s still got a long way to go. He’s 13 from 13 with me and nine from nine over fences, he couldn’t do much more than that could he?

“He’s so controlled in his jumping, he has such great scope and he’s such a lovely relaxed horse at home too.

“When you’ve got a horse like Douvan, such a favourite, then winning is a relief rather than a joy. A real joy is a 25-1 winner that isn’t expected.”

To be fair it’s now rare that Mullins has a 25-1 winner at the Festival and he’ll have other short-priced contenders, with the lightly-raced Melon likely to be among the favourites in meeting’s opening race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Vroum Vroum Mag will look defend her Mares' Hurdle title against stable mate Limini while Augusta Kate looks a tempting prospect, whether she runs in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle or the slightly-longer Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Un De Sceaux, beaten by Sprinter Sacre when starting favourite in last year’s Champion Chase, avoids the renewal - and a clash with Douvan - to step up in trip and focus on the Ryanair Chase.

While Djakadam will be Mullins’s best hope of winning the Gold Cup - a race won by his father in 1986 - for the first-time.

“It’s been a funny year with a lot of injuries and the races are more open, so maybe the luck will now be on our side for the Gold Cup,” he adds.

“It’s his third crack at it but the first year he was too young and the next year his preparation was bad. This year everything is right and obviously it remains one of my big ambitions to win it, it’s the biggest race. We are hopeful but we need some luck in our favour.”

Despite the weight of expectant punters’ money on his shoulders, Mullins looks remarkably relaxed as he purposefully strides around his yard, where winners poke their heads from every nook.

But in these fraught days before the Festival, he is surviving on a diet of little sleep and frayed nerves. Tension hangs heavy in the air.

“It's sport but it’s hard to enjoy when you’re right in the middle of it all,” he adds.

“I’m in a lucky position and you’ll never find me moaning. When you’re at the Festival you don't get chance to be too happy or too disappointed because you’re always thinking about what’s coming up next.

“In the evening we get time to relax, have dinner and sometimes a few drinks. Then it’s fun - especially if you’ve had a winner.”

Sportsbeat 2017