It’s the weekend of miracles and the arrival of Aintree feels as good a time as any to reflect on the one we witnessed last year.
Willie Mullins will never forget the spring of 2024, which was kickstarted by three remarkable days at Liverpool and ended with him creating history; his coronation as Britain’s Champion Trainer is a feat that has never been given the recognition it deserves.
When Mullins arrived in Liverpool 12 months ago, he knew there was a possibility of becoming just the second Irishman to conquer the British jumps scene (Vincent O’Brien was the first in 1954) but he needed everything to fall into place – and that included winning the Randox Grand National.
What happened was almost otherworldly: Mullins annexed five races over those three days, headed by I Am Maximus’s thunderous performance in the main event and supplemented by Il Etait Temps, Dancing City and Mystical Power. Every decision he made for his stable paid off.
There was Impaire Et Passe coming out on top in a photo-finish with Bob Olinger in the Aintree Hurdle; nine days later, Macdermott stuck his nose out in another head-bobber with Surrey Quest in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
Had those verdicts gone against his horses, Mullins would have been £157,690 worse off and when you think the difference between him and Dan Skelton at the end was just £297,012, the pixels in those freezeframes had enormous ramifications.
Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend celebrate after I Am Maximus claimed last year’s Grand National
Mullins will never forget the spring of 2024, which was kickstarted by three remarkable days on Liverpool and ended with him creating history
Mullins, pictured with Mark Walsh after the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, being crowned Champion Trainer is a feat that has never quite been given the recognition it truly deserved
Mullins was overjoyed to emulate the late, great Dr O’Brien and he kept the trophy on a table in his kitchen at home, filled with Lindt chocolate balls at one stage for him to have the odd treat as he reflected on the size of the achievement.
He might have the best string of jump horses in the business but unless they are trained and placed properly – not to mention ridden to perfection – it means nothing. Those who thought what Mullins was achieving was run-of-the-mill looked at this picture in completely the wrong way.
This was a prime equivalent of a football team getting into a groove and putting a sequence of victories together on route to a title or a golfer going down the back stretch in a major and seeing every putt struck roll sweetly into the middle of the hole.
The chances of Mullins repeating the trick this year are remote (he trails Skelton by £1.4million with three weeks to go, though has jumped from 62nd to fourth in the table in the past month) but those in front of him will be taking nothing for granted.
Lossiemouth, in the Aintree Hurdle, heads his team on day one – which, once again, is the highest quality single day of jump racing in the British winter – and the vibes are encouraging about I Am Maximus and his attempt to win the Randox Grand National once again.
Paul Townend rode him at Closutton last Saturday and jumped off the gelding with a notable smile on his face; Townend has long felt I Am Maximus to be the perfect Aintree horse, the kind that comes alive at the sight of spruce, and it would pay to keep him on your side.
That sentiment, plainly, is true of Mullins. He enjoyed an extraordinary Cheltenham, once again, but it could have been so much better. Just consider this: Galopin Des Champs finishing second in the Gold Cup and State Man falling with the Champion Hurdle at his mercy cost Mullins £480,075.
Had that money been in the bank, Skelton would now have been in a situation where he would have felt Mullins’s breath on his neck. The pressure may yet still be applied – and there are still people who will tell you this fabulous sport lacks interest.
The Emir of Qatar, second left, has had much to toast from his Wathnan stable in recent weeks
The gems of Qatar’s stable
Big things are expected from Wathnan Racing this season and the three horses they ran on the opening day of the flat season, at Doncaster and Kempton, all performed with great credit. Improvement will certainly be forthcoming in the coming months.
Wathan, which is the venture of the Emir of Qatar, remain on the look out to recruit good horses and one purchase they made over the winter that should be followed with interest is King’s Gambit, who remains in training with Harry Charlton.
King’s Gambit won the ultra-informative London Gold Cup at Newbury last May, a performance which led some to whisper that he could be a potential Derby candidate. Charlton instead aimed him for Royal Ascot and, really, he should have won the Hampton Court Stakes.
He then had frustrating afternoons at York (losing by half-a-length in both the SkyBet York Stakes and the Great Voltiguer) before finishing the season in the QIPCO Champion Stakes when he didn’t trouble eventual winner Anmaat.
There is, however, an engine within and it prompted Wathnan to buy him over the winter. The four-year-old has been gelded and is working well. His prime aim is the Wolferton Stakes at the Royal Meeting in June – a meeting at which his owners crave success.
Racing Confidential spent time with Bryony Frost last week in Chantilly and she was genuinely enthused about the prospect of being on a British racecourse for the first time in six months
But her new environment is helping her grow and last weekend was arguably her best yet when she won races on consecutive days
Frost thriving in new challenge
What a shame Bryony Frost will not be riding in the Grand National. Racing Confidential spent time with her last week in Chantilly and she was genuinely enthused about the prospect of being on a British racecourse for the first time in six months.
Frost’s bubbly personality and sympathetic riding style is missed in this jurisdiction but she deserves great credit for accepting a new challenge. It has been a culture shock in recent months, getting used to a new way of working and a new way of life, but she has immersed herself in this environment.
‘There were lot of differences at first,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know where my changing rooms were, I didn’t know some of the people but every day it’s getting better. I’m finding my rhythm. It’s all different – the culture, the people, the style of racing but that is part of challenging yourself.’
It is helping her grow and last weekend was arguably her best yet when she won races on consecutive days, at Fointanbleau and Auteuil, for her retained owners Simon Munir and Issac Souede. The last few years, of course, had profile difficulties – Frost deserves this chance to thrive.
William Haggas (left) has a commitment to being ambitious with his horses and it once again reaped a lucrative dividend Down Under
Haggas reaping dividends
Spotting opportunities is what separates the great from the good and William Haggas’s commitment to being ambitious with his horses has once again reaped a lucrative dividend Down Under.
He has now won more Group One races in Australia (seven) than in Ireland (six) thanks to Dubai Honour winning the King Tancred Stakes at Rosehill in Sydney on Tuesday; the gelding has now amassed more than £4.5million in prize money.
Haggas likes to fly under the radar but his ability to have a horse cherry ripe for a target is beyond question.
Word reaches this column that Economics, the most talented horse in his stable, is working nicely and is being lined up for a return at Royal Ascot.
