The 2025 Cheltenham Festival: Willie Mullins Stable Tour

Willie Mullins, the most successful trainer in Festival history, opened the doors of his Closutton base in County Carlow to the media at a stable visit organised by The Jockey Club.

Looking ahead to the best four days in Jump racing, he said: “I think the string couldn't be in better order. We're very happy with how it how it is. I think, the prep since Christmas has been very good.

“I think maybe unlike other years, we have a lot of our plans fairly well made. I think there's very few horses that are 50-50 for different races. At least in my mind, anyhow!

“We're moving towards Cheltenham and looking forward to going there. Guy Lavender has been down here the last couple of days and from what he tells me, everything is going well there and we're really looking forward to going.

“I'm happy enough that we are probably way more forward this year than we have been in other years.”

Here's what he had to say about his horses. All comments the media morning on  February 5.

Race: Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

She is interesting for the mares’ novices’ hurdle. I was really taken with what she did around Fairyhouse and that was second time I think she has wpon around Fairyhouse. and I love horses for courses. I know the owners would dearly love to go to Cheltenham but the Grade One in Fairyhouse would look to be staring her in the face.

Race: Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

I am pleased with how he came out on his last race, very pleased. And I think it would take a bit from Paul to get off him. He needs to settle a little bit now, he was fairly at Leopardstown and Kempton, but I think I think that experience was good for him. We'll be settling him at home here, but I think with the size of the Cheltenham fences and everything, I hope it will be fine.

Race: Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

Dancing City goes for the Brown Advisory. I hope the ground is soft over there as he's a four-wheel-drive horse. He just gallops and jumps and he is a nice type.

Race: BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase.

It will be the Champion Chase for Energumene. Jonbon is way better at Ascot and Energumene is better at Cheltenham, that’s my hope. Softer ground will suit him too.

Race: Ryanair Chase.

My feeling at the moment is that he should probably up trip in trip for the Ryanair. I think it'll help his jumping. He might go the Red Mills for a pop around before.

Fact To File lets fly (Healy Racing)

Race: Gold Cup or Ryanair Chase.

He’s a very good jumper and maybe we could make more use of his jumping, but they’re all things that have to be worked out and we'll look at other opportunities for him. The Ryanair hasn’t been touched on since the race.

Race: Turners Novices' Hurdle.

He has only had two runs and I think 2m 5f on that track in Cheltenham in the Turners will suit him. He looks a real chaser and must be about 17’2hh - he is built as strong as any horse I've had.

He is probably more like Florida Pearl as he's just so strong through the body whereas Gallopin Des Champs is more evenly balanced through the body. He is a big unit. We go novice chasing next year.

Race: BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase or Ryanair Chase.

I was just disappointed with Gaelic Warrior on Sunday, disappointed in the overall context but I thought he looked to be going so average about the fifth last and it looked to everyone like Paul might pull him up.

Paul actually said the same to me that he was going to pull him up and then he just seemed to get his second wind and stayed on well, so the Ryanair comes into the equation now after that.

It could just be a bit too fast going down the back side for him (at Leopardstown), but I’m just wondering has he some other issue, which I’m trying to look into at the moment. I’ve a few things I want to look into and I want to check him before I say any more.

Race: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup

For me his performance the other day in the Irish Gold Cup was very good, although I thought Christmas was better. At Leopardstown, Paul got to the front and then he very steadily, I think, just slowed it down. We're not worried if someone wants to take him on, that's fine.

Paul can ride him anywhere he wants and he has complete faith in the horse - as he always said to me this horse gallops and jumps.

In his first Gold Cup, I wouldn't let him do that. I wanted him held up and I didn't want them to get him into a race because at that time he was very free and he was keen but he learned a lot from that and now he's very malleable for the want of a better word - you can put him anywhere in a race and he settles. Paul is able to ride him wherever he wants.

The Gold Cup is five weeks on Friday and I’d really love another week. He has got tremendous owners, Greg and Audrey Turley, and, you know, they really appreciate it and they're living it and enjoying it. I mean, to us, here, it's unbelievable that we have a horse that's going for a third Gold Cup win and could be in in the Best Mate and Arkle category.

It's a huge honour to be just involved with a horse like this and we just hope the dream keeps stays alive. We've got as I said five plus weeks for that that day to come. If, you think it's going to happen if probably won't, so I'm going to the opposite direction, you know! I'm just living the dream every morning I get up. 

I think of my father when he was training Dawn Run and the defending champion Gaye Brief got injured ahead of the Champion Hurdle. Now, when I'm in his position - every morning I wake up and hope I don't get a bad report about any of the horses and I'm also not wishing bad luck on my competitors, because I know what it’s like. 

It's a once in a in a lifetime job, isn't it. I mean, Arkle Best Mate, hopefully this horse, if he can do that. You know, there were many years between the first two - 1966 to 2004- so maybe we’re a generation too soon.

Hurricane Fly to us would be very hard to beat. and if we ever have one as good as again, I'd be delighted. Galopin Des Champs is is a tremendous horse and you know, he has his own piece of history already, but hopefully there'll be more to come.

Race: Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

She hasn’t been seen out this year but could go for Quevaga Hurdle in around 10 days’ time which we have used as a prep before. She goes for the mares’ hurdle.

Race: Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

I imagine it will be the Mares’ Hurdle as the target for her.

Race: Turners Novices' Hurdle.

He could go for the Turners although we haven’t discussed it yet. I thought he ran a cracker at Christmas. and then confirmed that the other day.

Race: Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

After what he did the other day, Ted Walsh rang me the following morning and said he hasn't seen him performance like that, since Golden Cygnet, which is huge for someone like Ted to say.

Paul (Townend) got down off the horse after the race and said he ran away with him three times in the race. Most normal horses if they run away with a jockey once, that's enough, a winning chance gone.

 It was a huge performance. We would never ask a horse that question at home. It blew my mind what he did at Leopardstown against a field of of top-class horses.

Race: Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

He will take his chance in the Brown Advisory. He will probably need a bit of luck to win it, but that's what happens around at Cheltenham. He’s there with his chance and deserves to take his chance.

Race: Unibet Champion Hurdle.

It was going to be a hell of a race, I think with and State Man at Leopardstown [in the Irish Champion Hurdle]. I don't know what happened to Lossiemouth. There was a flock of seagulls that just took off and maybe that took her eye off because she just pricked her ears straight before the hurdle and then just didn't get up. It was if she was looking at something ahead of her and she just didn't get up high enough.

Thankfully she's good after the race and Danny (Mullins) is good - he was just winded. She was traveling well and when you look at her pedigree, she is bred to, be a mile a quarter horse on the Flat.

I think we've been training her to steady her up not to make her go faster. I'd say in a Flat race, she'd beat them all, so she would. I imagine Paul, who has never hidden his admiration for State Man will ride him in the Champion Hurdle, and obviously a lot will happen with the bits of work we do between now and then, see we’ll see how both horses are.

We're going for the Champion Hurdle with Lossiemouth. We we've been training here for this for two years and I don't think my owner has ever said let's think about it.

I can't see Paul on anything that has happened up to now getting off State Man. State Man only does what he has to do, he only beats a horse by a length a length and a half. He's never flashy.”

Race: My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase.

He goes for the Arkle. He’s only five and looks a magnificent horse in the making – he does things so naturally.

It will be a real clash with Sir Gino, who looks like he could be anything and will be a tough nut to crack. He is a Triumph Hurdle winner and they tend to improve and get further with age

Race: Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle.

She put in a huge performance the other day, her first run over hurdles. We thought should we be going for a bumper with her instead?

And then, when we just reflected on how natural she was to jump to all her schooling, we just said here. take the bull by the horns and go for a maiden hurdle and that's why she's here now. She’ll go for the mares’ novices’ hurdle. It will be a big ask but she’s a brilliant jumper.

Race: Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

He's a horse that he has a very tender mouth as we saw in Punchestown and I think I think he's a lot of tactical speed.

The one thing I liked about the race in Punchestown was after looking like he had blown up and to be in a little bit of trouble then once he got his second wind, he just came through and won convincingly for me. It takes a good horse to do that.