granger
Senior Jockey
I don't think DR tried a yard in the main race either
Schooling session
Schooling session
Leopardstown Christmas
- Thread starter granger
- Start date
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
Schooling in a Grade 1?
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Sent from my MediaPad M1 8.0 using Tapatalk
Tanlic
Senior Jockey
good race..Champion Hurdle form?.........never in a month of Cheltenham Tuesdays
Tanlic
Senior Jockey
Nothing untoward there.....loved the way he decided to chase the front 2 after they went 15 lengths clear.......then of course being 6 canters short of a gallop he blew up.
Biggest certainty of the season he'll win when wanted
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
**** that. If a horse needs a run put it in some other race. And that applies to the **** in charge of Martello Tower as well.
granger
Senior Jockey
hard to see what else they were doing with him
Nooo, thats exactly the point, thats dangerous riding and the stewards should've given him 1 month ban at least for what he did yesterday on Don Poli. The only reason he didn't performed any dangerous activities in the home turn on IT was that Ruby was on NC and would've had a few words with him afterwards. The stewards should've prevented him from that criminal riding tactics, not being afraid of Ruby..
I have nothing against him, only that I've said after the KG that he shouldn't be riding Don Cossack as he has a very poor record of him.. otherwise he's a v. good jockey but needs to stop endangering his fellow riders.
granger
Senior Jockey
he was a length and a half ahead, in the same situation Ruby wouldn't have been as generous.
they were a mile from home too.
when Mullins was retained rider for Barry Connell, and on Our Conor he didn't give McCoy an inch in a far tighter situation and not a word was said.
they were a mile from home too.
when Mullins was retained rider for Barry Connell, and on Our Conor he didn't give McCoy an inch in a far tighter situation and not a word was said.
granger
Senior Jockey
I dont think Martello Tower is all that either.
Slightly flattered at chelt last season and a slowboat.
i would think cruising speed of a high enough level will be needed to get past the thistle horse come March
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
Patrick Mullins on his excellent Christmas:
"Christmas is a very exciting time for any jockey or anyone involved in horse racing and I was obviously very much looking forward to going to Leopardstown but when I was having Christmas dinner on Friday I wasn't expecting that 24-hours later I would be getting the thrill of a lifetime by riding Douvan in a Grade One.
It was a week that had started disappointingly at Clonmel with A Toi Phil failing to get beyond the first bend in the amateur hurdle but the week couldn't have really ended much better.
Paul Townend was due to ride Douvan but unfortunately for Paul when he rode Beau Mome in the first race he just tweaked his ankle and wasn’t able to continue.
Dad was Kempton and the ride on Douvan hadn’t been discussed because we just thought that Paul would be alright. A Toi Phil was running again and although Dad had jocked Paul up on him when we thought he’d be okay, Michael O’Leary very kindly text Dad and said that I could ride him if I wanted to, after what had happened at Clonmel so it was nice to make amends on him.
Then maybe after winning on A Toi Phil I was at the front of Dad’s mind and I just got told about the ride on Douvan after the third race. It was funny, I didn’t feel any pressure around it, I was just buzzing to ride him.
When I spoke to Dad he just said not to give Ttebbob an easy lead. We had seen him win from the front and the plan wasn’t for me to make the running but I had in my head that Ttebbob had a hard race in Navan and might not be able to reproduce that again so quickly so I was maybe more worried about Sizing John. The three of us went down to the first fence at a million miles an hour and I winged the fence and from there on Douvan was just travelling so easy and kept out jumping Ttebbob that I let him do what he was happy doing.
I think Dad was listening to the commentary in Kempton while putting the saddle on Vautour and he asked; “Where’s Ttebbob”
“He’s in second”
“Where’s Patrick?”
“He’s in front,”
and Dad responded; “What the f**k is he doing there…”
I knew we were going fast but the horse was telling me ‘I’m not going fast’. He jumped great. He got in a bit tight going to the second last and he put down at the last but like in Navan he seems to know where his feet are and he knows what’s doing but unfortunately I didn't get a good picture at the last… but we got over it!
It was just such a buzz riding him and I imagine it was like sitting into a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, you could just feel the power. I had never even rode him out at home, Gail Carlisle, - who looked after Hurricane Fly as well - wouldn't let me! She deserves massive credit because she has done a lot of work with the horse. He’s the apple of her eye.
Essentially, Saturday’s race was just a schooling session for Douvan and anyone could have sat on him for it but I was just very lucky to get the opportunity and it was great to be able to take that opportunity. To win the bumper on Bacardys and complete the treble capped a very memorable afternoon.
Then on Monday there was the five strides when I thought I was going to win the Lexus!
Since On His Own came back from Cheltenham he had been working very well and the blinkers turned him inside out. He worked very well during the week and I thought he would run well, he was enjoying himself in the blinkers and when Bryan got upsides me on Don Poli but didn't go by me I thought we might have a chance here and I knew that I wanted to keep away from Don Poli rather then get into a battle with him.
He finished fourth but that was a great thrill as well. He’s a super horse and I’ve got to ride him in a Gold Cup and a Lexus and I’m very lucky. The Grand National at Aintree is a race I really want to ride in again and I think I might be able to keep the ride on On His Own so if that was to happen it would be quite exciting.
I was obviously delighted for Dad to win the Lexus with Don Poli. It was a strange anomaly that he had yet to win it and it was great to get.
Obviously we are very lucky to have a lot of good horses. That was the thing about Coneygree being ruled out for the season and that was a huge pity as the Bradstock’s don’t have a large string. For me, he was the best story in racing full stop. A home bred who was trained by the family to win a Gold Cup, that for me is the magic of jump racing.
We are in a very good position that we have four or five horses there but it will happen before Cheltenham that one of them will go the wrong way, it’s just the law of averages.
Also, when you have the likes of Faugheen and Nichols Canyon in the yard it helps to replace Hurricane Fly. I think Dad might be keeping Hurricane Fly as a pet though because he’s still in the yard and riding out and nobody really knows what is happening with him but it’s great to have him around and nice to have two horses that look like they are going to pick up the mantle.
It’s funny really, Clonmel was a disaster and you come out of it feeling like a fool but that is the ups and downs of racing. I always think of the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘If’;
“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;”
On another day Douvan might have fallen or the bumper horse might have got beaten by a neck… some days everything goes right and other days everything goes wrong, you’ve just got to take it.
When I was growing up, we were always second to Noel Meade. That was just the way it was and I remember we used to always look at the statistics and wonder if we could beat Noel this year.
Rich Ricci really got the ball rolling with us and we got a different class of horse and that helped us attract Graham Wylie when he became available and Gigginstown also. I think it would have been very different without Rich.
There are a lot of good trainers in Ireland and for me, there are a lot of people that are as good at training as my father but just not in the same quantity of numbers. I think his ability to train a lot of good horses and take the pressure, handle all the staff, jockeys and owners is what sets him apart.
As a family it has been a good year for the Mullins’ and we are all incredibly lucky. That stems from my grandfather and my grandmother and I think we all hope to be like my grandmother when we are her age. They laid the foundations for our parents and our parents laid the foundations for us so we are making the most of it.
My cousin David is the last of us to come along but he is probably the best of us.
I thought how Danny rebounded from losing the job with Barry Connell is a huge testament to him. He works so hard and deserves everything he gets.
Emmet liked his dinners too much so he’s gone training now but he is very good at it. Out of the four of us I can see he is going to enjoy it the most and it was no coincidence that when Simenon went to run in the Melbourne Cup that it was Emmet that went with him so I think he’ll have plenty of success to come. He’s one to watch out for.
I have enjoyed many very memorable days in racing, and some funny one’s too… I always remember walking into Cheltenham one day I was going to ride Uncle Junior. We were in a queue going in and I got chatting to a fella beside me and asked him what he fancied to which he replied; “I’d fancy that Uncle Junior in the cross country race but that w****r Mullins is riding him!”
My target for the season is always to be champion amateur - when you are riding for Willie you kind of have to be, but when you have to be it, you have to get it.
Riding any winner over fences means a lot to me because that is what jump racing is all about in my eyes. To ride a Grade One winner over fences on Douvan at Leopardstown was the thrill of a lifetime and is right up there with Cheltenham and all my good days."
"Christmas is a very exciting time for any jockey or anyone involved in horse racing and I was obviously very much looking forward to going to Leopardstown but when I was having Christmas dinner on Friday I wasn't expecting that 24-hours later I would be getting the thrill of a lifetime by riding Douvan in a Grade One.
It was a week that had started disappointingly at Clonmel with A Toi Phil failing to get beyond the first bend in the amateur hurdle but the week couldn't have really ended much better.
Paul Townend was due to ride Douvan but unfortunately for Paul when he rode Beau Mome in the first race he just tweaked his ankle and wasn’t able to continue.
Dad was Kempton and the ride on Douvan hadn’t been discussed because we just thought that Paul would be alright. A Toi Phil was running again and although Dad had jocked Paul up on him when we thought he’d be okay, Michael O’Leary very kindly text Dad and said that I could ride him if I wanted to, after what had happened at Clonmel so it was nice to make amends on him.
Then maybe after winning on A Toi Phil I was at the front of Dad’s mind and I just got told about the ride on Douvan after the third race. It was funny, I didn’t feel any pressure around it, I was just buzzing to ride him.
When I spoke to Dad he just said not to give Ttebbob an easy lead. We had seen him win from the front and the plan wasn’t for me to make the running but I had in my head that Ttebbob had a hard race in Navan and might not be able to reproduce that again so quickly so I was maybe more worried about Sizing John. The three of us went down to the first fence at a million miles an hour and I winged the fence and from there on Douvan was just travelling so easy and kept out jumping Ttebbob that I let him do what he was happy doing.
I think Dad was listening to the commentary in Kempton while putting the saddle on Vautour and he asked; “Where’s Ttebbob”
“He’s in second”
“Where’s Patrick?”
“He’s in front,”
and Dad responded; “What the f**k is he doing there…”
I knew we were going fast but the horse was telling me ‘I’m not going fast’. He jumped great. He got in a bit tight going to the second last and he put down at the last but like in Navan he seems to know where his feet are and he knows what’s doing but unfortunately I didn't get a good picture at the last… but we got over it!
It was just such a buzz riding him and I imagine it was like sitting into a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, you could just feel the power. I had never even rode him out at home, Gail Carlisle, - who looked after Hurricane Fly as well - wouldn't let me! She deserves massive credit because she has done a lot of work with the horse. He’s the apple of her eye.
Essentially, Saturday’s race was just a schooling session for Douvan and anyone could have sat on him for it but I was just very lucky to get the opportunity and it was great to be able to take that opportunity. To win the bumper on Bacardys and complete the treble capped a very memorable afternoon.
Then on Monday there was the five strides when I thought I was going to win the Lexus!
Since On His Own came back from Cheltenham he had been working very well and the blinkers turned him inside out. He worked very well during the week and I thought he would run well, he was enjoying himself in the blinkers and when Bryan got upsides me on Don Poli but didn't go by me I thought we might have a chance here and I knew that I wanted to keep away from Don Poli rather then get into a battle with him.
He finished fourth but that was a great thrill as well. He’s a super horse and I’ve got to ride him in a Gold Cup and a Lexus and I’m very lucky. The Grand National at Aintree is a race I really want to ride in again and I think I might be able to keep the ride on On His Own so if that was to happen it would be quite exciting.
I was obviously delighted for Dad to win the Lexus with Don Poli. It was a strange anomaly that he had yet to win it and it was great to get.
Obviously we are very lucky to have a lot of good horses. That was the thing about Coneygree being ruled out for the season and that was a huge pity as the Bradstock’s don’t have a large string. For me, he was the best story in racing full stop. A home bred who was trained by the family to win a Gold Cup, that for me is the magic of jump racing.
We are in a very good position that we have four or five horses there but it will happen before Cheltenham that one of them will go the wrong way, it’s just the law of averages.
Also, when you have the likes of Faugheen and Nichols Canyon in the yard it helps to replace Hurricane Fly. I think Dad might be keeping Hurricane Fly as a pet though because he’s still in the yard and riding out and nobody really knows what is happening with him but it’s great to have him around and nice to have two horses that look like they are going to pick up the mantle.
It’s funny really, Clonmel was a disaster and you come out of it feeling like a fool but that is the ups and downs of racing. I always think of the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘If’;
“If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;”
On another day Douvan might have fallen or the bumper horse might have got beaten by a neck… some days everything goes right and other days everything goes wrong, you’ve just got to take it.
When I was growing up, we were always second to Noel Meade. That was just the way it was and I remember we used to always look at the statistics and wonder if we could beat Noel this year.
Rich Ricci really got the ball rolling with us and we got a different class of horse and that helped us attract Graham Wylie when he became available and Gigginstown also. I think it would have been very different without Rich.
There are a lot of good trainers in Ireland and for me, there are a lot of people that are as good at training as my father but just not in the same quantity of numbers. I think his ability to train a lot of good horses and take the pressure, handle all the staff, jockeys and owners is what sets him apart.
As a family it has been a good year for the Mullins’ and we are all incredibly lucky. That stems from my grandfather and my grandmother and I think we all hope to be like my grandmother when we are her age. They laid the foundations for our parents and our parents laid the foundations for us so we are making the most of it.
My cousin David is the last of us to come along but he is probably the best of us.
I thought how Danny rebounded from losing the job with Barry Connell is a huge testament to him. He works so hard and deserves everything he gets.
Emmet liked his dinners too much so he’s gone training now but he is very good at it. Out of the four of us I can see he is going to enjoy it the most and it was no coincidence that when Simenon went to run in the Melbourne Cup that it was Emmet that went with him so I think he’ll have plenty of success to come. He’s one to watch out for.
I have enjoyed many very memorable days in racing, and some funny one’s too… I always remember walking into Cheltenham one day I was going to ride Uncle Junior. We were in a queue going in and I got chatting to a fella beside me and asked him what he fancied to which he replied; “I’d fancy that Uncle Junior in the cross country race but that w****r Mullins is riding him!”
My target for the season is always to be champion amateur - when you are riding for Willie you kind of have to be, but when you have to be it, you have to get it.
Riding any winner over fences means a lot to me because that is what jump racing is all about in my eyes. To ride a Grade One winner over fences on Douvan at Leopardstown was the thrill of a lifetime and is right up there with Cheltenham and all my good days."
TheBear
At the Start
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2013
- Messages
- 1,831
I'm not convinced he does like better ground. Admittedly he did well at the back end of last season but a lot was made about his action prior to his 3rd in the Neptune. I backed him regardless for that race but all I could watch was his incredibly high knee action and knew I was in trouble from quite a way out. Looks like he prefers to get his toe in to me.
granger
Senior Jockey
Where did you source that Euro?
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
Via a Facebook group. It's from a show or article called Talking Tuesday
thats a myth harry - plenty of small fields on both sides of channel this winter and there might have been some odd results but real quality shines through as well and no coincidence that so many leopardstown winners end up winning at festival in differont conditions
Actually that may well be fair comment Bear. Looking back at his flat form his best runs came on softer ground. His breeding would suggest he should be pretty versatile in terms of ground, but actually thinking back to the end of last season I was thinking they would step him up in trip as he was looking more of a stayer.
That said he clearly has the speed for two miles and it's hard to argue with Willie who clearly thinks he's the number two to Faugheen.
granger
Senior Jockey
Needed a reason to not declare him
Racing day before not acceptable so he developed a cough
Racing day before not acceptable so he developed a cough