IN the illustrious history of the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, there have been some extraordinary feats by trainers, jockeys and horses alike, but nothing like what we saw in the shadow of Cleeve Hill in March of 2022.

Willie Mullin has been dominating the four-day meeting for the best part of a decade but tightened his stranglehold on the sport’s most hallowed meeting to a frightening level 12 months ago – winning ten of the 28 races, including five on Gold Cup-day.

Legendary trainers like Fulke Walwyn, Fred Winter, Bob Turnell, David Nicholson and Tom Dreaper who all enjoyed great success in the Cotswolds during their respective hey-days would be left scratching their heads in bewilderment at the way Mullins is rewriting the record books.

With 88 festival winners already in the locker, the fortunes of the Carlow-based operation have become indelibly linked with the annual punting fate of the invading Irish hordes, and all the indicators point to Mullins maintaining his mastery of the festival next week.

The annual Cheltenham March spectacle is supposed to be the sport’s most competitive arena with the best hurdlers and chasers from Ireland and cross-channel going head-to-head in attempting to enter jump racing folklore. The problem is that most of these top horses are housed in the one yard.

It is a measure of the firepower at Mullins’ disposal that at one time or another he has been responsible for up to 14 of the ante-post market leaders for this year’s festival, while accounting for a staggering 55 entries across the four novice hurdles – Supreme, Ballymore, Albert Bartlett and Triumph.

Even if races where Ireland’s champion trainer doesn’t supply the favourite, he holds a powerful hand. Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon is still strongly fancied for the Arkle Novices Chase despite his recent laboured Warwick effort, but he will have a clutch of Mullins’ horses on his tail over the two miles – El Fabiola, Appreciate It, Dysart Dynamo and Saint Roi.

No wonder, there is an increasing negative commentary, especially cross-channel, on one trainer having so many stars of the turf under his wing. The reality is that mega-rich owners continue to flock to Mullins’ yard due to his proven track record for delivering success. The 66-year-old remains king of all he surveys.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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