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Willie Mullins 2024 Punchestown Festival stable tour and more

Last Updated: Fri 19 Apr 2024

Willie Mullins may have one eye on the British Jump Trainers’ Championship but he will still be sending a high-class team to the 2024 Punchestown Festival.

With over €3.5 million in prize money on offer and 12 Grade Ones to aim at across the five days - all live on Racing TV - Mullins is assembling a formidable squad, which is set to include Galopin Des Champs, State Man, Ballyburn and Lossiemouth.

Galopin Des Champs will bid to right his only ‘wrong’ of last year when he lines up in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, in which he finished second in 12 months ago. The dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is likely to again clash with Fastorslow.

One notable absentee will be El Fabiolo, though, as Mullins has confirmed his star two-mile chaser will head to Sandown for the Bet365 Celebration Chase instead.

Below, Mullins provides an update on his Punchestown Festival squad plus some of his other stable stars who have other targets, or are heading for their summer holidays.

ABSURDE

He has a couple of options at the Punchestown Festival – the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle, or he could run in a handicap instead.

What he did in the Ebor last year was extraordinary. I think I’ll try and get him qualified for the Melbourne Cup again this year, too. His owners really enjoyed their trip over there last time. He could even go for the Caulfield Cup.

ASHROE DIAMOND

Her next run could be her last run as she has been covered by Blue Bresil. She could head to Punchestown.

ASIAN MASTER

Asian Master surprised me (in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle). Should we have gone for the other race (Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle)? I don’t know.

He’s by Shirocco, and you’d think he should be going over three miles, but he has that bit of speed, and he jumps so fast.

He’ll go to Punchestown, and he’s going to be some novice chaser next year.

BALLYBURN

He impressed me hugely at Cheltenham – everyone was raving about him after his couple of wins in Ireland, and I thought he was a good novice, but I thought he was way more than that when I saw the way he went up the hill at Cheltenham.

He can go any trip, so we will leave that until later on, and we’ll see how the other races pan out at the Punchestown Festival.

Ballyburn looks a really good horse – what he did, I would be comparing him to Faugheen or Vautour, that was the sort of performance he put in for me at Cheltenham. A really top-end performance.

BLOOD DESTINY

He’s set to run in the the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival. He’s fit and well and looked in great order this morning.

BUNTING

Bunting will head to the Punchestown Festival. He’s entered in the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle.

DANCING CITY

Stepping up to three miles has made such a difference to him. He was a horse I thought a lot of when we bought him, and we were a bit disappointed when he split Ballyburn and Slade Steel at Punchestown last year. What a race that turned out to be, though! We’re hoping to send him to Punchestown.

DINOBLUE

She ran well in the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham. We could go back in trip with her at Punchestown, but I’d change tactics with her next time out.

EL FABIOLO

He just wasn’t right when he came back from Cheltenham. We just gave him a break after that run and let him find his feet. He’s been bucking and kicking for the past few mornings.

There was nothing to treat after Cheltenham, he just wasn’t himself when he got home. We’ve let him recuperate and seems in good form now. He’s fit as a flea.

He will definitely go to Sandown. The Celebration Chase is an important race, and it looks like a big race that we have the winning of, which would be huge.

A lot will depend on what happens between now and Punchestown, (but) looking at it, we’re about £50,000 in front, so if we won that (Celebration Chase), one of the other guys would have to win another feature and probably another race to pass us.

It’s a three-score game at the moment, but Paul is really a master of winning the championship and he will have his tactics in his head already. He could win the Scottish National and the bet365 Gold Cup and blow us out of the water, but you need a lot of luck to do that too.

We’re just hoping that we can get one nice prize – and with a bit of luck, it will make it difficult then for Dan and Paul.

We’re getting huge goodwill, especially from a lot of people across the water. They’re saying it’s adding a bit of spice to the end of the season and it’s a once in a lifetime achievement if we can manage to pull it off, so we’re going to put everything into it.

EMBASSY GARDENS

He holds an entry over three miles at Punchestown, but I wouldn’t be against trying him over an even shorter trip in the future.

FACT TO FILE

Like Majborough, he’s finished for the season and has gone back to Martinstown.

FERNY HOLLOW

He’s back in work now, which is great. He could go for the Galway Plate or something like that. The last thing I want to do now is get him back in work and then throw him out onto the grass for the summer.

We’ll keep him going and find a race for him somewhere. Galway is definitely a place he could go.

GAELIC WARRIOR

Gaelic Warrior always looked very, very good but that form got a huge boost, and it would be nice going to Punchestown with that, but I think he holds an entry in Sandown (Celebration Chase), so we’ll see how things go, but I’d like to go to Punchestown with him.

It’s not something I like doing (running a novice in open company), but maybe this year we might have to look. El Fabiolo will be there, though, maybe he’ll be enough.

I thought Gaelic Warrior lost the plot a bit at Leopardstown where he got very upset. There was a lot of loud music there that day, too.

We decided to put the hood on him at Cheltenham, even though we were coming back to two miles, and I think that worked. He was much easier to ride with the hood on at Cheltenham.

Coming back in trip, and putting a hood on, was sort of contradictory. I’m not sure we’ve ever done that before, but it worked on the day.

GALOPIN DES CHAMPS

It’s going to be tough for him (Galopin Des Champs) in the Punchestown Gold Cup. He got beaten there last year, but I think the two - the Paul Nicholls horse and himself - went at it very early and the other horse (Fastorslow) came and robbed them. Paul (Townend) might just use different tactics, and the horse seems good.

Galopin Des Champs turns up every day and runs a race and has had many runs this season. I’ve seen horses that are hardy, willing and turn up end up being very good horses because the good ones sometimes get injured and are not able to turn up every day – we’ve seen that this hugely year, with one horse in particular (Constitution Hill).

HIGH CLASS HERO

We were disappointed with him at Cheltenham. He scoped clear afterwards. He could run in the Channor Group Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

I AM MAXIMUS

I Am Maximus is definitely a Gold Cup horse and I couldn’t see much point in going back to Aintree again. I’ll be training him for the Gold Cup next season, anyway.

Il ETAIT TEMPS

I don’t think he underperformed at Cheltenham, I just think he’s learning all the time, and maturing and racing better. He’s learning how to settle over fences, which he didn’t do over hurdles.

I thought in Aintree he settled well, and jumped well, and he’s becoming more the finished article. It’s taken him a while.

Looking at Il Etat Temps, he’s not a traditional big, staying chaser, but I think as he goes further in trip, he’ll be better. He’s only about 16 hands, but he’s able to perform to a Grade One standard and beat those horses.

I just thought when I saw him walking round the parade ring at Aintree, I’ve never seen a horse move so well. The way he was striding out just at a walk, covering so much ground, hugely impressed me before the race. The break he got after Cheltenham, he just relaxed. He was so relaxed in the parade ring.

Does he not perform as well at Cheltenham? He obviously performed well twice in Leopardstown and then now in Aintree, so maybe just a flatter surface does do it for him and maybe a little better ground as well, though it was soft enough in Aintree.

IMPAIRE ET PASSE

He’s entered at Punchestown but would have to take on State Man (in the Boodles Champion Hurdle).

We will also have a think about sending him to France. Nothing is set in stone yet.

JADE DE GRUGY

We’ve entered her in the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. We’d like to run her at Punchestown, and that’s where she’s likely to go.

JASMIN DE VAUX

He’s set to run in the Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race at Punchestown.

He is good and has put on a nice bit of condition since he came back. I’m very happy with the way the whole string has put on condition. I was looking at them this morning and looking at the coats they have on them, and the flesh they’ve put on since Cheltenham, I was really pleased.

KARGESE

She has some engine! She pulled so hard at Aintree, and we’re going to have to change a few things with her. If we can get her to settle and race, then she is a real machine, I’d say.

I’d say she’ll be big enough to go novice chasing next season. Her type seem to settle way better over fences.

LOSSIEMOUTH

Lossiemouth will go for the mares’ race, at this point in time anyhow. We’ll let State Man go for the Champion Hurdle.

I was absolutely delighted with Lossiemouth in Cheltenham, and it looks like she’s coming on-song in her bid for the Champion Hurdle next year.

All those horses have to stay sound, though. It’s lovely thinking you have two or three for the Champion Hurdle, and maybe Constitution Hill will be coming back, but they’ve all got to get there, and as we’ve seen, they don’t. It’s not a given that you get there.

When you look at Lossiemouth on the track you think she’s a little grey mare, but when you stand into her you get a fright. It’s always a good sign when you look at a horse and think they’re a normal size, but then when you stand in, they’re much bigger, it just shows how well proportioned they are.

Earlier in the season, it was part of the plan to run her in France, but I don’t think she’ll go there now.

MAJBOROUGH

He’s done enough for the season and has gone back to Martinstown for the summer. I’d love to have run him at Punchestown, but he’s probably done enough. He’s a big horse and is one to look forward to next season when I expect he’ll go novice chasing.

MIRAZUR WEST

He holds entries in the Grade One novice hurdles at the Punchestown Festival, so there’s a good chance he’ll run in one of them.

I think a change of tactics helped him at Fairyhouse last time out where we made the running, and he was able to use his stride and jumping to good effect. He’ll make a nice novice chaser next year.

MYSTICAL POWER

I’m hoping he’ll head to Punchestown, and he holds an entry in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle.

READIN TOMMY WRONG

Unfortunately, he has a small injury, so won’t be heading to the Punchestown Festival.

SALVATOR MUNDI

He’s entered at the Punchestown Festival, and we might take our chance there. We’ll have a look at the race closer to the time and then decide.

STATE MAN

State Man turns up every day and wins all those Grade Ones, and might not be looked at in the same light as Constitution Hill, but if you’re the owner, trainer or jockey, they’re the ones you want to be on – good, hardy, sound horses.

He’ll head to the Punchestown Festival again this year.

STORM HEART

He’s in good form. He’ll head to the Punchestown Festival.

TULLYHILL

I imagine Tullyhill will go to Punchestown. He’s a winner round Punchestown, and he was in some form on the gallop this morning. He was pulling his rider’s arms out!

He was very disappointing (at Cheltenham). Paul said he went out like a light. We didn’t find anything wrong with him, but he just wasn’t up to scratch on the day.

He’d worked very well (prior to Cheltenham). I don’t like working them very hard at home, but he comes up the gallop pulling a roller, and maybe he just left his race at home? Who knows.