Cooldine was also mentioned, no set backs and he seems happy with the horse. Listening to the interview, he was definitely most negative about Fiveforthree in the sense that he was likely to only reappear well into the new year.
Mullins's Stable Stars
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Cooldine was also mentioned, no set backs and he seems happy with the horse. Listening to the interview, he was definitely most negative about Fiveforthree in the sense that he was likely to only reappear well into the new year.
Irish Stamp
Forum Moderator
That was the case last year too Gal - don't think the horse has ever run before February of a season. IIRC he came back in Feb of his Novice Hurdling career and last year he was out till April and his debut was in a Bumper at Punchestown at the end of Feb anyway.
Bit more worried about the news on Quevega - might enable us to get a better price for whichever race she contests at Cheltenham though (still worried about her attitude after seeing her at Auteuil and that she might sulk abit having been stopped to a walk by Barker).
Bit more worried about the news on Quevega - might enable us to get a better price for whichever race she contests at Cheltenham though (still worried about her attitude after seeing her at Auteuil and that she might sulk abit having been stopped to a walk by Barker).
Sheikh
At the Start
I'll be keeping a close eye on this one again 'Fixed Fee'
granger
Senior Jockey
Was this from todays RP or where did you source it Gal?
granger
Senior Jockey
Yes please. What was said about Glencove and did they outline any plan for Cooldine? Also did he say much about any of his new recruits or did he mention which horse excites him most for this season.
Thanks Gal
Thanks Gal
Glencove Marina - basically only back in the last few days so they are just hoping his old injuries are behind him now. No plans for him yet - still only 7.
Cooldine - Did not scope cleanly after Punchestown. In good form now and might start off in the Durkan Chase but it might be too short for him and they might look for a second season novices for him instead. Will be aimed at the top three milers after that.
Huge number of horses profiled in the RP - will have a look through it and try and put some others up later.
Cooldine - Did not scope cleanly after Punchestown. In good form now and might start off in the Durkan Chase but it might be too short for him and they might look for a second season novices for him instead. Will be aimed at the top three milers after that.
Huge number of horses profiled in the RP - will have a look through it and try and put some others up later.
Dylan Thomas
At the Start
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- Aug 13, 2009
- Messages
- 276
is Kauto Stone in the totetentofollow
Ya, as some one said earlier he'd only the 1 race before winning the ballymore at Cheltenham but novice chasing is a different kettle of fish. I know Mullins was keen to send him chasing last year but injury put a halt to that. A major contender for the World Hurdle if he comes back in time. He goes well fresh, he seems to improve the longer the distance, has a super engine and relishes the Cheltenham hill. A horse I really like.
Irish Stamp
Forum Moderator
Don't think so Dylan Thomas and it would be very dangerous to put him in on the back of one performance where the favourite had a valid excuse. Will be better with time but the general consensus is that he's not as good as Kauto Star was when he was running in France.
He can be included in the Talking Horses Ten To Follow though.
He can be included in the Talking Horses Ten To Follow though.
To be honest he and Karabak look the only serious dangers to Big Bucks at this stage.
He hasn't run for a good long while. Any reason you are encouraged?
He had an open day at his yard today....from Sportinglife -
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Willie Mullins admits it could be another couple of weeks before his powerful string are firing on all cylinders on the racecourse.
The County Carlow maestro is preparing what he describes as "the best team of horses I've ever had" as he bids to be crowned champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland yet again, but feels the dry autumn has held up his preparation.
"We took a good team of horses for a racecourse gallop at Thurles the other day and while it went well, they are probably not as far forward as I thought," said Mullins.
"I've a few entered up at Down Royal this weekend but they may not run as I think the majority of the horses are still two or three weeks away from a run.
"Thankfully we've had no huge hold-ups with them and hopefully that will continue and we'll have them out before Christmas.
"With the way the weather has been I've been afraid to work horses on the fast ground, but hopefully we'll have a good few out in 10 days or two weeks' time.
"Everyone wants to be good at their job and I'm no different, so I'd be delighted if I can be champion trainer again.
"Last season we were lucky as we never had any problems with the general health of the yard, so hopefully it will be the same again this time."
Yet again Mullins is mob-handed in all divisions, with his novice hurdle team looking particularly strong at this early stage.
"We had some really nice bumper horses last season and hopefully they'll all do well over hurdles," the trainer continued.
"Cadspeed did well to win two bumpers in testing ground and I'm hoping he'll make a very nice staying hurdler this season.
"Quel Esprit ran fourth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and that has turned out to be a fantastic race.
"I think he'll be another one who'll do very well over two or two and a half miles. He's an out-and-out chaser really but he was one who galloped very well at Thurles the other day. As we have so many novice chasers already, we thought we'd have a season over hurdles with him. He has a huge cruising speed.
"Others to keep an eye on are Secant Star, a very nice horse we got from France, Rhyl Accord, Sicilian Secret and Fionnegas.
"There is also a horse called Zaidpour, who is a half-brother to Zaynar. I think I've got great value with him and is as good a bargain as I've had all year - or at least I think so at the moment!"
The novice chase division is equally strong with the brilliant Mikael D'Haguenet heading a team which also includes Cousin Vinny.
"They are all well and Cousin Vinny will start off in a few weeks somewhere. We'll just find the first available novice chase and take it from there," Mullins added.
"After that I could see him running in something like the Drinmore at Fairyhouse.
"Obviously my son Patrick rode him in bumpers and over hurdles but I don't think he's experienced enough just yet to ride him in novice chases so I would say Ruby (Walsh) or Paul (Townend) will ride him most of the time.
"Kempes is another who'll go novice chasing and he seems to give his fences a lot more respect than he did his hurdles, so all being well he could be an Arkle horse.
"As could Sports Line, who is a bit of a dark horse this season. He hasn't done anything wrong and although he's a little hard on himself in his work, I think he's very good."
Barker and Golden Silver will fly the Mullins flag in the open two-mile chase division, with the former considered a live candidate for the Champion Chase.
Quevega is likely to bid for a second victory in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and may have one run beforehand, while Fiveforthree is currently only in light training after another setback and is not guaranteed to run this season.
One horse who is due for a return to the racecourse in the near future is Glencove Marina, who has been on the sidelines since January 2008.
"I'm delighted with Glencove but it will probably be near Christmas before he'll run," said Mullins.
"He hasn't done any fast work yet but he is a horse with so much natural ability and we just want to get him back into the routine.
"You always worry when a horse has had leg problems but he seems fine at the minute and the plan is to go down the Gold Cup route."
One area where Mullins famously excels is in bumpers, and once again he is preparing another strong assault on National Hunt Flat events.
"I have a nice team of bumper horses again but they are quite backward and I would say the nicer ones will not be out until Christmas or even January," Mullins added.
"It's always a rush to get them qualified for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham so we'll just see how they all get on."
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Willie Mullins is confident his RSA Chase hero Cooldine can bridge the gap between top novice and realistic Cheltenham Gold Cup contender this season.
The seven-year-old showed steady improvement throughout the last campaign and turned in arguably the most impressive performance of the entire Cheltenham Festival when destroying his rivals by 16 lengths and more.
Mullins admits there is still work to do to challenge the likes of current Gold Cup hero Kauto Star and his stable companion Denman, but he may be given a chance to test his mettle against the former in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
"Cooldine is in great order and is just one of those horses that has continued to improve with racing," said Mullins.
"At the moment we're looking to start him off in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown and then we'll be looking at something over Christmas with him.
"The Lexus would be an obvious target but that has not been the luckiest race for us over the years and we might just have a look at the King George for him.
"I prefer not to travel over to England with horses early in the season and will stay at home with them if possible, but if the right race comes up, then we will go.
"That could be the case with the King George and Cooldine and while the track might not be ideal, it will do him good to get jumping at pace round there.
"He probably need to improve another 8lb or 10lb to challenge the best of them but he could just do that as he just seems to get be getting better all the time.
"He has all the qualities you need as he stays well and is as tough as they come, so he could just make the grade for a Gold Cup."
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Willie Mullins may have a trip poser at Cheltenham in March with Mikael D'Haguenet.
The five-year-old has swept all before him since arriving from France, winning each of his six starts in novice hurdles in devastating fashion.
Mullins is confident there will be even more to come now he prepares to tackle fences on Irish soil for the first time, and is delighted a splint problem he picked up after returning from a summer break now seems to be behind him.
"Mikael D'Haguenet is fine and thankfully he seems none the worse after the splint trouble he had," Mullins said at an open day organised by Horse Racing Ireland.
"We're hoping he'll get back on track now, but this is only his third morning on the big gallop so I would say it will be well into December before we see him on a racecourse again.
"He's run in France over fences before and we know he jumps well, so hopefully we'll get a run into him somewhere and then look at something like the Moriarty Chase at Leopardstown in February.
"Florida Pearl won that and then went straight to Cheltenham and this fellow could do the same.
"I'm not sure about the trip with him because it's sometimes hard to tell with French horses, but you'd hope he'll stay three miles having won the Ballymore Properties Hurdle at Cheltenham.
"Having said that, he could end up being an Arkle horse because he certainly isn't short of gears.
"Hopefully there is plenty to look forward to with him anyway."
---------------------------------------------
Willie Mullins is considering an early trip to Cheltenham for Hurricane Fly as the trainer maps out a campaign he hopes will see his charge return for a crack at the Champion Hurdle in March.
The exciting son of Montjeu enjoyed a fantastic novice season after arriving from France, including three victories in Grade One company.
But the five-year-old missed the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a setback in his preparation and Mullins feels some experience of running at Prestbury Park would stand him in good stead.
"Hurricane Fly is in great form and seems a lot stronger than he was last season," said Mullins as he hosted the media at his County Carlow base.
"The plan is to go to Punchestown with him for the Morgiana Hurdle (November 15). That looks a good place to start off as he's won at the track before and I think it's nice to go somewhere they know.
"I know Binocular and Solwhit have been mentioned for the race and of course you are always worried about the opposition.
"We probably have 10lb to find with those horses at the minute, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he was beaten there.
"I'll have him ready enough to run but at least if he's beaten and is running on at the end, we have the whole season to progress.
"After that, there is a good chance we could go over to Cheltenham with him for one of those races, as long as it all fits in well.
"It's not that I have any worries with him travelling as he's been to France before with no problems, but it's nice to go there and do it on the pitch (Cheltenham).
"I'm not sure what race he would go for just yet, but the trip wouldn't be a problem for him.
"You would hope he'll be a Champion Hurdle horse, but we'll just have to see how it goes."
Hurricane Fly heads the ante-post market for the Smurfit Kappa-sponsored Champion Hurdle at a general 3-1.
-----------------------------
Willie Mullins admits it could be another couple of weeks before his powerful string are firing on all cylinders on the racecourse.
The County Carlow maestro is preparing what he describes as "the best team of horses I've ever had" as he bids to be crowned champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland yet again, but feels the dry autumn has held up his preparation.
"We took a good team of horses for a racecourse gallop at Thurles the other day and while it went well, they are probably not as far forward as I thought," said Mullins.
"I've a few entered up at Down Royal this weekend but they may not run as I think the majority of the horses are still two or three weeks away from a run.
"Thankfully we've had no huge hold-ups with them and hopefully that will continue and we'll have them out before Christmas.
"With the way the weather has been I've been afraid to work horses on the fast ground, but hopefully we'll have a good few out in 10 days or two weeks' time.
"Everyone wants to be good at their job and I'm no different, so I'd be delighted if I can be champion trainer again.
"Last season we were lucky as we never had any problems with the general health of the yard, so hopefully it will be the same again this time."
Yet again Mullins is mob-handed in all divisions, with his novice hurdle team looking particularly strong at this early stage.
"We had some really nice bumper horses last season and hopefully they'll all do well over hurdles," the trainer continued.
"Cadspeed did well to win two bumpers in testing ground and I'm hoping he'll make a very nice staying hurdler this season.
"Quel Esprit ran fourth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and that has turned out to be a fantastic race.
"I think he'll be another one who'll do very well over two or two and a half miles. He's an out-and-out chaser really but he was one who galloped very well at Thurles the other day. As we have so many novice chasers already, we thought we'd have a season over hurdles with him. He has a huge cruising speed.
"Others to keep an eye on are Secant Star, a very nice horse we got from France, Rhyl Accord, Sicilian Secret and Fionnegas.
"There is also a horse called Zaidpour, who is a half-brother to Zaynar. I think I've got great value with him and is as good a bargain as I've had all year - or at least I think so at the moment!"
The novice chase division is equally strong with the brilliant Mikael D'Haguenet heading a team which also includes Cousin Vinny.
"They are all well and Cousin Vinny will start off in a few weeks somewhere. We'll just find the first available novice chase and take it from there," Mullins added.
"After that I could see him running in something like the Drinmore at Fairyhouse.
"Obviously my son Patrick rode him in bumpers and over hurdles but I don't think he's experienced enough just yet to ride him in novice chases so I would say Ruby (Walsh) or Paul (Townend) will ride him most of the time.
"Kempes is another who'll go novice chasing and he seems to give his fences a lot more respect than he did his hurdles, so all being well he could be an Arkle horse.
"As could Sports Line, who is a bit of a dark horse this season. He hasn't done anything wrong and although he's a little hard on himself in his work, I think he's very good."
Barker and Golden Silver will fly the Mullins flag in the open two-mile chase division, with the former considered a live candidate for the Champion Chase.
Quevega is likely to bid for a second victory in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and may have one run beforehand, while Fiveforthree is currently only in light training after another setback and is not guaranteed to run this season.
One horse who is due for a return to the racecourse in the near future is Glencove Marina, who has been on the sidelines since January 2008.
"I'm delighted with Glencove but it will probably be near Christmas before he'll run," said Mullins.
"He hasn't done any fast work yet but he is a horse with so much natural ability and we just want to get him back into the routine.
"You always worry when a horse has had leg problems but he seems fine at the minute and the plan is to go down the Gold Cup route."
One area where Mullins famously excels is in bumpers, and once again he is preparing another strong assault on National Hunt Flat events.
"I have a nice team of bumper horses again but they are quite backward and I would say the nicer ones will not be out until Christmas or even January," Mullins added.
"It's always a rush to get them qualified for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham so we'll just see how they all get on."
----------------------------------------
Willie Mullins is confident his RSA Chase hero Cooldine can bridge the gap between top novice and realistic Cheltenham Gold Cup contender this season.
The seven-year-old showed steady improvement throughout the last campaign and turned in arguably the most impressive performance of the entire Cheltenham Festival when destroying his rivals by 16 lengths and more.
Mullins admits there is still work to do to challenge the likes of current Gold Cup hero Kauto Star and his stable companion Denman, but he may be given a chance to test his mettle against the former in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
"Cooldine is in great order and is just one of those horses that has continued to improve with racing," said Mullins.
"At the moment we're looking to start him off in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown and then we'll be looking at something over Christmas with him.
"The Lexus would be an obvious target but that has not been the luckiest race for us over the years and we might just have a look at the King George for him.
"I prefer not to travel over to England with horses early in the season and will stay at home with them if possible, but if the right race comes up, then we will go.
"That could be the case with the King George and Cooldine and while the track might not be ideal, it will do him good to get jumping at pace round there.
"He probably need to improve another 8lb or 10lb to challenge the best of them but he could just do that as he just seems to get be getting better all the time.
"He has all the qualities you need as he stays well and is as tough as they come, so he could just make the grade for a Gold Cup."
--------------------------------------
Willie Mullins may have a trip poser at Cheltenham in March with Mikael D'Haguenet.
The five-year-old has swept all before him since arriving from France, winning each of his six starts in novice hurdles in devastating fashion.
Mullins is confident there will be even more to come now he prepares to tackle fences on Irish soil for the first time, and is delighted a splint problem he picked up after returning from a summer break now seems to be behind him.
"Mikael D'Haguenet is fine and thankfully he seems none the worse after the splint trouble he had," Mullins said at an open day organised by Horse Racing Ireland.
"We're hoping he'll get back on track now, but this is only his third morning on the big gallop so I would say it will be well into December before we see him on a racecourse again.
"He's run in France over fences before and we know he jumps well, so hopefully we'll get a run into him somewhere and then look at something like the Moriarty Chase at Leopardstown in February.
"Florida Pearl won that and then went straight to Cheltenham and this fellow could do the same.
"I'm not sure about the trip with him because it's sometimes hard to tell with French horses, but you'd hope he'll stay three miles having won the Ballymore Properties Hurdle at Cheltenham.
"Having said that, he could end up being an Arkle horse because he certainly isn't short of gears.
"Hopefully there is plenty to look forward to with him anyway."
---------------------------------------------
Willie Mullins is considering an early trip to Cheltenham for Hurricane Fly as the trainer maps out a campaign he hopes will see his charge return for a crack at the Champion Hurdle in March.
The exciting son of Montjeu enjoyed a fantastic novice season after arriving from France, including three victories in Grade One company.
But the five-year-old missed the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a setback in his preparation and Mullins feels some experience of running at Prestbury Park would stand him in good stead.
"Hurricane Fly is in great form and seems a lot stronger than he was last season," said Mullins as he hosted the media at his County Carlow base.
"The plan is to go to Punchestown with him for the Morgiana Hurdle (November 15). That looks a good place to start off as he's won at the track before and I think it's nice to go somewhere they know.
"I know Binocular and Solwhit have been mentioned for the race and of course you are always worried about the opposition.
"We probably have 10lb to find with those horses at the minute, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he was beaten there.
"I'll have him ready enough to run but at least if he's beaten and is running on at the end, we have the whole season to progress.
"After that, there is a good chance we could go over to Cheltenham with him for one of those races, as long as it all fits in well.
"It's not that I have any worries with him travelling as he's been to France before with no problems, but it's nice to go there and do it on the pitch (Cheltenham).
"I'm not sure what race he would go for just yet, but the trip wouldn't be a problem for him.
"You would hope he'll be a Champion Hurdle horse, but we'll just have to see how it goes."
Hurricane Fly heads the ante-post market for the Smurfit Kappa-sponsored Champion Hurdle at a general 3-1.
Grasshopper
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
- Messages
- 16,050
Nice one, Gal.
Positive mentions for a couple of horses I like for this season: Sports Line in novice chases and - particularly - Rhyl Accord, who could be a bit special if his bumper run behind Sweeps Hill last Christmas is anything to go by.
Positive mentions for a couple of horses I like for this season: Sports Line in novice chases and - particularly - Rhyl Accord, who could be a bit special if his bumper run behind Sweeps Hill last Christmas is anything to go by.
I agree about Cooldine, but I like how Mullins is talking about him. A run in the Durkan and Kempton sounds more like an attempt to get more jumping experience at pace into him before Cheltenham - much like last year.
granger
Senior Jockey
I'm delighted to see they are considering a tilt at the KG. Its easily my favourite race post Christmas. Jumping at speed against the very best will test his mettle and bring him on greatly I think