Can Willie Mullins Retain The UK Top Trainer Crown This Year?

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willie mullins jump racing trainer

With the new jump season underway, all eyes will be on last season’s British Champion Trainer winner, Willie Mullins, to see if he can retain the title and win it for just the second time.

While this was his maiden title, he has won the Irish Champion Trainer title 18 times – 17 consecutively, while the likelihood is, he will repeat this feat next time around, however, having tasted the success of the biggest crown, he will no doubt be eager to acheive this again. It was also the first time in 70 years since Vincent O’Brien that an Irish based trainer won the British title.

It has led many to believe that he is the one to watch for the new jump season and, based on his stable, it could well be hard to argue with them.

Similar to O’Brien, Mullins’ case was aided by his winner in the Grand National – a superior display from I Am Maximus – the second win in the race for his yard, since Hedgehunter, 19 years previously. Of course, this also demonstrated the formidable partnership of Mullins and his chief jocky, Paul Townend.

It was also an impressive Cheltenham festival for Mullins, who had nine winners, including in the Gold Cup, with Galopin des Champs, who retained this title, and, under Mullins will be bidding to win it a third consecutive time and become only the third horse to win the race three times, along with Best Mate and Arkle.

Who Will Be Key For Mullins?

There is no doubt that Mullins boasts a strong stable and there are many eye-catching standouts who could rack up numerous wins for the trainer over the course of the season.

One horse that is firnly on our radar is Ballyburn who has come back stronger than ever. A good chaser who does well over the fences, he was four from five last year and is likely to be heavily backed in each of his races.

Also, there will be a lot of intrigue about Capodanno, who put in a good performance in the Grand National, despite pulling up, and he is likely to feature in the top races this time around.

Meetingofthewaters is another intriguing prospect for the Mullins camp. A solid horse, he had a respectable run in the Grand National and it is likely that he could rack up a number of places this season, while another run in the Topham Trophy could also be on the cards.

An option that could be considered interesting for Mullins is Minella Cocooner, though the likelihood is that he will need to use him wisely after being such a consistent runner last year. Mullins will be wary of fatigue, but he is very capable and should be among the top runners in this year’s field if he performs to his best. Definitely one to watch.

A wildcard shout might be Nick Rockett who has shown great form as a chaser and while he could only manage seventh in the Irish National last year, there is definite room for improvement and the potential is certainly there.