Willie Mullins’s dominance underscores decline of British jumps racing

Pointing out that Willie Mullins has long been jump-racing’s dominant figure is like having the bleedin’ obvious as a specialist subject. But having long since won every race worth winning, the prospect of underscoring that dominance with a first trainer’s championship in Britain might be the juiciest of all cherries on top.

Vincent O’Brien was the last Irish-based trainer to manage the feat all of 70 years ago. Crucial to that was Royal Tan’s 1954 National success, the middle leg of a unique Aintree hat-trick with three different horses. If, in comparison to those times, last weekend’s National challenge felt more Bland than Grand, Mullins’s I Am Maximus still got £500,000 for winning it.

That was the 19th winner in Britain for Mullins this season. It’s a fraction of the races both reigning champion Paul Nicholls and his former assistant Dan Skelton have won on their home patch. But the championship is based on prize money, and I Am Maximus took Mullins to £2,874,693 (just over €3.3 million) with the campaign set to end at Sandown on Saturday week.

The Irish man is now odds-on to pull off the feat and having got into such an enviable position he is going all out to underline just how prepotent his status is in the National Hunt game

The National pot is the biggest of all, but nine Cheltenham Festival victories included large pay-offs in the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle too. Mullins landed just one of the sport’s most prestigious prizes when he got close to the British title in 2016 only to lose out ultimately to Nicholls on the final day. Any assumption he might have missed a singular boat back then has proved badly misplaced.

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The Irish man is now odds-on to pull off the feat and having got into such an enviable position he is going all out to underline just how prepotent his status is in the National Hunt game.

A platoon of 18 runners is going into unfamiliar territory at Ayr tomorrow where Mullins has half a dozen chances to win the Coral Scottish Grand National. A £112,540 (more than €131,000) first prize could prove decisive in maintaining a lead over Nicholls and Skelton in an intriguing conclusion to the British season.

Nicholls has said he and Skelton have been left mortified at a scenario where an occasional visitor winds up rubbing British noses into the reality of playing second fiddle to Ireland. Various teeth have gnashed at that Irish dominance; the prospect of Mullins being crowned top dog on both sides of the water will provoke more than a few rictus grins.

The prospect of Mullins being champion on both sides of the Irish Sea appears to particularly sting

As a reflection of jump racing’s pecking order, though, it would be impossible to quibble with. The point can legitimately be made that it isn’t so much Irish dominance as Willie Mullins’s dominance. His influence in the races that matter has been so overarching for so long that even a competitor like Nicholls will find it hard to argue with such a ranking.

It’s not like this is new ground either. As well as a pair of cross-channel trainer titles over jumps, Vincent O’Brien was twice champion on the flat in Britain. Paddy Prendergast did three years in a row in the 1960s. Aidan O’Brien’s tally is double that and there’s been little angst about it. However, the prospect of Mullins being champion on both sides of the Irish Sea appears to particularly sting, perhaps as statistical proof of just how far British jumps racing has declined.

Such umbrage will be perfectly understood by those of a certain vintage in Irish racing. Home failure in the top races here was an uncomfortable reality for long enough to prevent too much smugness now.

At the height of Vincent O’Brien’s and Paddy Prendergast’s pomp, English man Fulke Johnson Houghton was still champion trainer here twice in the 1960s

The roll of honour for Ireland’s flat trainer championship includes Michael Stoute. He had just a handful of victories here in 1986, but they included a trio of classic winners in Shahrastani (Derby), Colorspin (Oaks) and Sonic Lady in the 1,000 Guineas.

A decade earlier, Francois Boutin got the honour, through Malacate winning the Derby and the first Champion Stakes. At the height of Vincent O’Brien’s and Paddy Prendergast’s pomp, English man Fulke Johnson Houghton was still champion trainer here twice in the 1960s. No less than Etienne Pollet, who trained Sea Bird, topped the 1962 list through Tambourine in the first Irish Sweeps Derby.

Domestic dudgeon back in the day resulted in a flirt with deciding the honour on winners rather than earnings. Such attempts to save blushes were only a brief vacation from the real racing world which ultimately comes down to winning the races that count. Only the most protectionist mind can pretend a couple of winners at Roscommon should count for more than a classic. It’s a legitimate argument too for deciding the jockey’s championship.

That might have been behind Nicholls’s publicly stated ambition in 2008 to try to extend his championship dominance to Ireland. With stars such as Kauto Star, Denman, Big Buck’s and Master Minded in his possession, it mustn’t have seemed too much of a long-shot. It came to nothing but still illustrated the balance of power at that time.

Chagrin at the idea of an illustration of how far that balance has flipped the other way might be understandable. But it will only be the truth of the matter if Mullins manages it.

Something for the Weekend

MacDermott and Mr Incredible appear to be Mullins’s main Scottish National hopes although, at much bigger odds, it could be worth giving WE’LLHAVEWAN (3.35) another chance. He’s 5lbs “wrong” but considering how his jumping fell apart he ultimately didn’t run too badly in the Irish National. A more fluent round this time, and with a fast pace sure to suit, and the bottom weight could put it up to them.

Ballinrobe’s first meeting of 2024 this evening sees the famed Sue Magnier colours on board Philip Fenton’s bumper newcomer, Butch Cassidy. A half-brother to the 2017 champion Fayonagh, he must concede experience to MACK THE CHEMIST (8.07) who was well-backed when running over hurdles last month.