Ireland: Champion Mullins inducted into Cheltenham’s Hall of Fame
Champion trainer Willie Mullins, the most successful trainer of all time at the Cheltenham Festival with 61 winners, has been inducted into racecourse’s Hall of Fame.
A hugely successful amateur rider, Mullins rode three winners at Cheltenham between 1982 and 1996 but it is as a trainer that he has really made his name at the Festival.
Mullins is familiar to many Australian racing fans with the well-known character training third-placed Max Dynamite and sixth-placed Thomas Hobson in last year’s Melbourne Cup, while he also trained the prominent Wicklow Brave in recent times.
Tourist Attraction was his first Cheltenham Festival winner as a trainer in 1995 when she won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The following year, he both trained and rode Wither Or Which to win the Festival Bumper, a race he has trained the winner of on nine occasions in all.
Mullins secured the first of four Champion Hurdles when Hurricane Fly won under Ruby Walsh in 2011. Hurricane Fly won the race again two years later and Mullins also has won the Champion Hurdle in more recent times with Faugheen (2015) and Annie Power (2016). He became the first person to train the 1-2-3 in the Champion Hurdle when Faugheen beat Arctic Fire and Hurricane Fly in 2015.
He has also enjoyed Festival success with the magnificent Quevega which won the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle on six consecutive occasions. Sir Des Champs was a dual Cheltenham winner, as were Florida Pearl, Champagne Fever, Faugheen, Douvan, Un De Sceaux, Don Poli, Vautour, Yorkhill, Penhill and Hurricane Fly. He has been the leading trainer at the Festival on five occasions and holds the joint-record for most winners trained at one Cheltenham Festival with eight successes in 2015.
“I’m honoured to be inducted into the Cheltenham Hall of Fame,” Mullins said.
“Cheltenham Racecourse has been a special place for me over the years and I feel privileged to join some of Jump Racing’s most iconic and famous names in the Hall of Fame.”
Other horses and people that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame over the years include: Golden Miller, David Nicholson, Arkle, Sir Peter O’Sullevan, Vincent O’Brien, Best Mate, Martin Pipe, Michael Dickinson, Dawn Run, Jonjo O’Neill, Desert Orchid, Nicky Henderson, Kauto Star, Istabraq, Tony McCoy, Ruby Walsh, J P McManus and Quevega.
Willie Mullins – his record 61 successes at the Cheltenham Festival
1995: Tourist Attraction – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
1996:Wither Or Which – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
1997:Florida Pearl – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
1998:Florida Pearl – RSA Novices’ Chase
1998: Alexander Banquet – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2000: Joe Cullen – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2002: Scolardy – JCB Triumph Hurdle
2004: Rule Supreme – RSA Novices’ Chase
2005: Missed That – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2007: Ebaziyan – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2008: Fiveforthree – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
2008: Cousin Vinny – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2009: Quevega – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2009: Mikael D’Haguenet – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
2009: Cooldine – RSA Novices’ Chase
2010: Quevega OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2010: Thousand Stars – Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle
2011: Hurricane Fly – Unibet Champion Hurdle
2011: Quevega – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2011: Final Approach – Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle
2011: Sir Des Champs – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys H’cap H
2012: Quevega – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2012: Champagne Fever – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2012: Sir Des Champs – JLT Novices’ Chase
2013: Champagne Fever – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2013: Hurricane Fly – Unibet Champion Hurdle
2013: Quevega – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2013: Back In Focus – National Hunt Chase
2013: Briar Hill – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2014: Vautour – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2014: Quevega – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2014: Faugheen – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
2014: Don Poli – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys H’cap H
2015: Douvan – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2015: Un De Sceaux – Racing Post Arkle Chase
2015: Faugheen – Unibet Champion Hurdle
2015: Glens Melody – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2015: Don Poli – RSA Novices’ Chase
2015: Vautour – JLT Novices’ Chase
2015: Wicklow Brave – Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle
2015: Killultagh Vic – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys H’cap H
2016: Douvan – Racing Post Arkle Chase
2016: Annie Power – Unibet Champion Hurdle
2016: Vroum Vroum Mag – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2016: Yorkhill – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
2016: Black Hercules – JLT Novices’ Chase
2016: Vautour – Ryanair Chase
2016: Limini – Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
2017: Yorkhill – JLT Novices’ Chase
2017: Un De Sceaux – Ryanair Chase
2017: Nichols Canyon – Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle
2017: Let’s Dance – Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
2017: Arctic Fire – Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle
2017: Penhill – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
2018: Footpad – Racing Post Arkle
2018: Benie Des Dieux – OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
2018: Rathvinden – National Hunt Chase
2018: Bleu Berry – Coral Cup
2018: Relegate – Weatherbys Champion Bumper
2018: Penhill – Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle
2018: Laurina – Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle