Willie Mullins Stable Tour: younger horses

Form profile

A winning point-to-pointer, she won all four of her starts in bumpers last season including the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival and the equivalent contest at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

She’ll go novice hurdling and we’ll start her off in mares’ races if we can. She’s one that could end up taking on the boys, but I’m always a believer in winning the races you can at Cheltenham and come home with a winner rather than a loser, so I’d imagine she’ll be one for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle if all goes well through the season. It would be hard to think that we might end up with a better mare than her. She races lazily enough and if she looked like she wanted further, the Ballymore would be there as an option too.

Form profile

Made a winning debut in a bumper at Navan in February and finished fourth in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer says

He’s a big, chasing type, but we will go novice hurdling with him. He’ll be one for the staying division, I’d imagine.

Form profile

A son of Annie Power, he has a bumper and both of his starts over hurdles at the Galway Festival and the Listowel Harvest Festival.

Trainer says

He was excellent the other day at Listowel, but he’s not going to make it to the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle as he’s picked up a little injury that will need a month off, maybe more. We’ll be looking to have him back for a spring campaign. He’ll keep improving as he matures, much like his mother did.

Form profile

Made an impressive winning debut in a bumper at Cork in April.

Trainer says

I like him. He’s a nice type and will go novice hurdling.

Form profile

A winning point-to-pointer, she made an impressive winning racecourse debut in a mares’ bumper at Fairyhouse in December and ran well in stronger bumpers thereafter.

Trainer says

She’s one that will definitely go hurdling. She disappointed us a little bit in the second half of last season, but she’s come back in nice and strong. She’ll jump a fence down the line and will stay well.

Form profile

A two-time winner in bumpers including a Grade 2 at Aintree in April.

Trainer says

He’s one to go novice hurdling.

Form profile

Rated 105 on the Flat, he made it second-time lucky over hurdles when winning a maiden at the Galway Festival.

Trainer says

He runs in the Cesarewitch this weekend. He looks more of a Ballymore horse at the minute, but we’ll see. He could be one to give a little break after Saturday.

Form profile

A 157-rated hurdler, he won three of his five starts over hurdles including a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April.

Trainer says

I think our inclination at the minute is to stay hurdling with him. He’s been a difficult horse to train, and he might be easier to train if we stay over hurdles. I don’t want to be held to that, but that’s the way I’m thinking at the minute. He has a huge engine and would seem to be a two-miler.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, he won three of his five starts in novice hurdles last season including the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the equivalent race at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

We’re going to have to have a good think about whether he stays hurdling or goes chasing. He won a point-to-point, but he didn’t jump great. I have to figure out if he’s another Ballyburn and might just prefer hurdling. I’m not going to make a decision until a good bit more schooling done with him.

Form profile

A 143-rated hurdler, he finished a close second in a valuable handicap hurdle at the Grand National Festival at Aintree.

Trainer says

He’s in great shape. He didn’t quite live up to the hype that surrounded him last season, but he’s a nice prospect. He might go novice chasing, but we’ll see. We thought he could get up to the top echelon last season, but he didn’t, so let’s see if he can do so this season.

Form profile

Shaped well without winning the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the equivalent contest at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

He looks more of a chaser than a hurdler, but he will stay over hurdles this season. I was disappointed in his two runs for us, but I think he’ll be a different kettle of fish once he sees a fence. He’s a huge, big, long chasing sort and maybe our hurdles don’t suit him as well as the French hurdles which are bigger and more substantial. Maybe the new white hurdles will suit him?!

Form profile

A bumper winner, he has won both his starts over hurdles including a Grade 3 novice at Tipperary in October.

Trainer says

He was very good the other day. I think he’s improving out of all recognition. We wanted to keep him as a colt, but we couldn’t get him to show us any ability, but after we gelded him, he just seemed to mature. However, that is a late maturing family.

Form profile

A 137-rated hurdler, she is a three-race maiden that finished a close fifth in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last season.

Trainer says

She’s still a maiden over hurdles and ran very well in the Triumph Hurdle. That puts her up there with the most interesting ones amongst the fillies and mares for novice hurdles this season. Looking at her pedigree, she might want further, but we’ll see.

Form profile

A 127-rated hurdler, she won a maiden hurdle at Punchestown and acquitted herself well without winning.

Trainer says

She’ll be one for mares’ hurdles and should be one that can progress.

Form profile

Rated 91 on the Flat, he shaped well without winning in two starts in Grade 1 juvenile hurdles last season.

Trainer says

I’m looking forward to getting him back over hurdles. Harry Cobden was very impressed with him in his two runs in the spring, but he’s disappointed me since in his runs on the Flat. I’ve given him a little break to have him ready for the National Hunt season proper. I think he could be a big player in either the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle or the Ballymore, but probably more likely the former.

Form profile

Made a winning debut in the Goffs Defender Bumper at the Punchestown Festival.

Trainer says

I haven’t sat down and thought about her yet. She looks great at the minute. She could stay in bumpers, but we just need to go through it with her owners.