Huge crowds flock to see Closutton's Cheltenham heroes

Gaelic Warrior became the latest Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to receive a rapturous welcome home from the villagers of Leighlinbridge – and further afield – as he led a parade of Willie Mullins’ 2026 Festival heroes, on what the Closutton trainer said was an “extraordinary” Wednesday evening.

These post-Cheltenham events have become a regular occurrence in the County Carlow village where Mullins is based, such has been his dominance at National Hunt racing’s showpiece event in recent years, not to mention the Grand National.

The Rich and Susannah Ricci-owned Gaelic Warrior was the star turn, after the scintillating performance in the blue riband that saw him provide both Mullins and jockey Paul Townend with a fifth triumph in the week’s marquee contest. He was joined by the Riccis’ Champion Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth and also the powerhouse yard’s Champion Chase winner Il Etait Temps.

Mullins was clearly moved by the turnout of people, as he said: “I didn’t expect that many people to be out, I was wondering should we have a homecoming, but people were ringing up saying they wanted one, so we nominated today and luckily it was a nice day. I’ve met people from all over the world here, it’s absolutely amazing, extraordinary.

“We’ve got the weather and it’s amazing, because it’s the wettest winter we’ve had here! I’d like to pay tribute to my staff, they turned in ever morning to ride out and I’m not sure we had a dry day since the start of October.

“The horses have been in tremendous form (this evening), we’ve not had anyone kicked yet! It’s amazing because when they came back from Cheltenham they were so well in themselves, in fact on the gallops this morning I gave them an extra mile because they’d be fresh down here, but they behaved so well. It’s unbelievable.”

Mullins left Prestbury Park with eight winners and said of the week: “Cheltenham was incredible, it probably wasn’t our most profitable winter and things were very slow to get going, but they came right at the right time.

“We just had a brilliant Cheltenham, what more can you say?”

Mullins has yet to nominate plans for the rest of the season, however, and for now is just keen for the dust to settle.

He said: “We haven’t thought about anything, it sometimes takes a week to 10 days to find out how the horses really recover from that meeting, they look fine the following day then a week later you might find something, a pulled muscle or something. We’ll wait and see where we go.”

Mullins also reiterated his admiration for Townend, who is now out on his own in terms of Gold Cup successes.

He said: “Paul is an extraordinary rider, he’s very understated and I think he’s been underrated for a lot years, but now he’s truly made his mark. To be the winning-most rider in the Gold Cup in his own time, that’s legendary stuff, I think.”

Also a proud onlooker was Joe Chambers, racing manager to the Riccis.

“It shows how much of a following Willie’s yard has in the locality (the crowds that came to see the horses), it’s not just an isolated business stuck in a corner – there’s a trickle-down effect. It’s wonderful to see it. The (Lord) Bagenal (Inn) is doing well out of it and all the pubs have a few people in them. It’s lovely to see,” he said.

Of the decision to go for the Gold Cup, Chambers explained that while like Ricci he was in favour of a Gold Cup bid, the final call always rested with Mullins.

He went on: “I was always in that camp, and so was Rich – we had a chat with Willie after the DRF and a few weeks out from Cheltenham, but the last thing we want to be doing a fortnight before Cheltenham is to annoy him every day of the week, he has enough going on.

“I’ve said it a while, he is the horse we have with the most ability, it’s just about channelling it.”

He added: “We may have thrown a few quid at it, but we’ve struck on a few nice horses and there’s probably only one of the younger stock that disappointed us at Cheltenham and everything else has a future. We’re trying to find horses that will endure. Gaelic Warrior sounds like he’s been around forever, but he is only eight.”