Willie Mullins – Why To Follow The Cheltenham Festival’s Top Trainer

With 82 wins to his name at the Cheltenham Festival, Irish trainer Willie Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of jump racing’s biggest meeting.

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the jump racing world, and all trainers dream of one day having a horse good enough to win one of the many prestigious races on offer throughout the four days of action at the famous English track.

A lot of trainers will never know the feeling of entering the winner’s enclosure of a packed parade ring at the festival, so for Mullins to have achieved the feat on so many occasions is quite remarkable. Mullins is now 67 years old, but there is no sign of the legendary trainer slowing down just yet.

With the 2023 renewal of the Cheltenham Festival now just around the corner, Mullins is once again preparing for what promises to be another big week at jump racing’s greatest show.

Mullins’s Team For 2023

Willie Mullins achieved the record-breaking figure of ten winners 12 months ago, and he has a team of horses this year that could see that record being surpassed once again.

Below is a small list of horses that will be representing team Mullins at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023.

Galopin Des Champs

Mullins’s superstars are leading the betting market for nearly all of the big races of the week, and a quick look at a horse racing gambling site will tell you that they are all very small prices when it comes to their respective races. Probably the standout name amongst Mullins’s horses this year is the new star of the chasing sphere and the Gold Cup’s favorite with odds of +150, Galopin Des Champs. The brilliant young jumper is a sight to behold as he jumps his fences at full speed and it would be a huge surprise were he not to give his trainer a third win in the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Facile Vega

Facile Vega is the apple of his trainer’s eye and will be hoping to give Mullins a successful start to the week in the opening race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Last year’s Champion Bumper winner suffered the first defeat of his career last time in his native Ireland, but if he can return to his best at Cheltenham, he will prove very hard to beat.

El Fabiolo

Having tasted defeat just once since joining Willie Mullins from France, El Fabiolo has become one of the top 2-mile chasers in the jump racing world. His easy win in an Irish Grade 1 race last time has seen him fly to the top of the market for this year’s Arkle Novices’ Chase, and it would be a brave person to bet against him continuing his rise through the jumping ranks.

Energumene

The last horse on this small group of Willie Mullins favorites for Cheltenham 2023 is last year’s winner in the Champion Chase, Energumene. Having won the race in impressive fashion 12 months ago, he will be returning to the festival with a strong chance of retaining his crown and adding yet another victory to his trainer’s record festival winners tally.

The Cheltenham Festival in 2023 looks like it will be another week to remember for the racing legend that is Willie Mullins. Above are just some of the horses that are fancied to win their respective races, with the likes of Gaillard Du Mesnil, Impaire Et Passe, and Lossiemouth, also providing their trainer with more chances of victory.