Willie Mullins DRF Stable Tour: older horses

Form profile

Unbeaten in two starts over hurdles when trained in France, he made an impressive winning Irish debut in a Grade 3 hurdle at Fairyhouse in November.

Trainer says

Anzadam is a very interesting horse and we are all looking forward to seeing just how good he can be. I’m trying to find an intermediate race for him, the Red Mills Hurdle or even the Limestone Lad at Naas on Sunday, maybe something like that. He’s in at the Dublin Racing Festival, but I’m going to have a look and see. There’s a nice race on Sunday he’s entered for. We had him as a juvenile and he hurt himself, he gave himself a bang somewhere and we couldn’t get him out. I was so disappointed. Even though we had Majborough in the Triumph Hurdle, Anzadam was right up there, so that’s the sort of company I’d put him with.

Form profile

A 162-rated hurdler, he won four of his five starts in novice hurdles last season including Grade 1 contests at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Festival. He made a winning chasing debut at Punchestown in November prior to being beaten by Sir Gino in the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton in December.

Trainer says

He will take his chance in the Leopardstown Ladbrokes Novice Chase. Looking at the pedigree he has and the fact he is a big stamp of a horse, he has stayer written all over him. Hopefully his attitude will let him stay, he will have to settle and do a few things better to stay the trip but that’s all part of him maturing. We found out there and then at Kempton at Christmas he couldn't jump at that pace. Sir Gino could be a superstar and maybe if he wasn’t there, he might have been ok at two miles, but it seems to be the case that he wants a longer trip.

Form profile

A 149-rated hurdler, he made an impressive winning chasing debut at Fairyhouse in January.

Trainer says

He is likely to run in the Leopardstown Ladbrokes Novice Chase. He’s been in good shape since his run and should be capable of improvement.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, he has won four of his six starts over hurdles including Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Aintree Grand National meeting and at the Punchestown Festival. He made a winning chasing debut at Punchestown in December.

Trainer says

Three miles is more so his trip than the shorter distance of the Leopardstown Ladbrokes Novice Chase, so I’d say he’s more likely to go to Naas this Sunday.

Form profile

A 175-rated chaser, he has won six of his seven completed starts over fences including four Grade 1 races, but hasn’t been seen this season yet.

Trainer says

El Fabiolo did a nice bit of work yesterday, but he hasn't been himself to my satisfaction this season. He's a little more difficult to train, but I hope to get a run into him and we'll see where we are at in the last quarter of the season. We've a few festivals to go to yet.

Form profile

A 157-rated chaser, he has won three of his five starts over fences including the O'Driscoll's Irish Whiskey New Year's Day Chase at Tramore on his seasonal return.

Trainer says

Embassy Gardens disappointed us a little last year in the National Hunt Chase. He loves galloping and jumping and Tramore worked out really well. Sean and Bernardine Mulryan don't have Fastorslow but now they might have another to take over as their one horse in this division this year. We're just a little worried about his second-half-of-the-season form last season, so we'll do a bit of soul searching before he runs next. I’ve heard it said that he might be best fresh, but I’m not so sure. Maybe I just need to keep him fresher at home and not train him as hard in between runs.

Form profile

A 168-rated chaser, he has won four of his six starts over fences including the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase. He most recently finished second to Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

Trainer says

Fact To File is good. JP and Mark are keen to take on Galopin Des Champs again, so I am sure all being well he'll do that. I think he will have to do something different. I'll leave that to Mark and see what he wants to do, he might have a different tactic up his sleeve, but we'll leave that until the parade ring before the race. He was a bit gassy alright, but horses go through the season and are less keen as they go throughout the season. He has options later in the season, but we're here to talk about the DRF.

Form profile

A 165-rated chaser, he has won three of his six starts over fences including a Grade 1 novice chase at Limerick’s Christmas meeting and the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival. He finished second to Solness on his seasonal reappearance in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.

Trainer says

Gaelic Warrior will be our main hope in the Dublin Chase. Jonbon will be a very hard nut to crack looking at him on Saturday, but maybe Cheltenham isn't Jonbon's favourite track and we are hoping it might edge our way. I know Gaelic Warrior might be a little better right-handed, but I wouldn't let that worry me too much. You try to straighten a horse up as best you can and hope that ability gets through. Some people go mad thinking about left-handed and right-handed.

Form profile

A 177-rated chaser, he has won 10 of his 15 starts over fences including nine Grade 1 contests, most notably the last two renewals of the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer says

I'm delighted with how Galopin Des Champs has come out of the Savills Chase and I think we're all set for Leopardstown and another showdown with Fact To File. To me, Galopin was awesome. He has put in two huge performances in the Savills Chase. He just loves Leopardstown and hopefully he can do it one more time in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.

Form profile

A 160-rated chaser, he has won four of his six starts over fences including a Grade 1 novice chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree and the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival, but is yet to race this season.

Trainer says

I’m not sure he’s going to get to run this season, which is disappointing. He had a little knee trouble and he was back in training, but it went wrong again. I’ve more or less pulled the plug on his season in my own mind, but there is a remote possibility that he could be back for the Punchestown Festival. That is the very best we can hope for at this stage.

Form profile

A 153-rated chaser, he has won both his starts over fences including a Grade 2 novice chase at Naas in January.

Trainer says

We’re going to let him run in the Irish Arkle and then we decide from there whether he goes to back to Fairyhouse or Aintree for the two-and-a-half mile races. He will be better at two miles on soft ground, but he doesn’t need it soft over further. He has a lovely action. We are happy to take on Majborough with him.

Form profile

A 154-rated chaser, he has won both his starts over fences including the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick’s Christmas meeting.

Trainer says

Impaire Et Passe is a possibility for the Leopardstown Ladbrokes Novice Chase. The trip would suit him well.

Form profile

A 147-rated hurdler, she has won three of her four starts over hurdles including the Honeysuckle Mares’ Novice Hurdle at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival.

Trainer says

Jade is back in and going again. Hopefully we will have her ready for the rest of the season. I’m hoping we will have her back for Cheltenham.

Form profile

A 152-rated chaser, he has won both of his starts over fences including a Grade 3 novice chase at Punchestown in January.

Trainer says

I think the Dublin Racing Festival might come a little too soon for him.

Form profile

A 160-rated hurdler, she has won nine of her 11 starts over hurdles including the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023 and the Mares’ Hurdle at the same meeting in 2024. She most recently finished second to Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

Trainer says

Lossiemouth set off at about two-and-a-half or even three-mile pace and she did well to finish as close as she did. We’d been settling her all the time and she just couldn’t handle the pace because that is what we’d been teaching her. To me, the race was gone before she hit the first hurdle. She wasn’t competitive. I thought she ran well given what we’d been teaching her the last couple of years. We’ll sharpen her up at home. It will be different the next day. We haven’t decided on her next engagement, she’s in at Cheltenham and Leopardstown and we’ll have a war council in the next 24 hours and decide.

Form profile

A 150-rated hurdler, he only ran twice for Mullins as a juvenile hurdler and won the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March. He made an impressive winning chasing debut at Fairyhouse in December.

Trainer says

Majborough is in great order and looks like Arkle material. He handled Leopardstown very well, so we’re happy to go back there with him. I was very impressed with him. When you have a horse of that calibre, I don’t enjoy watching them as much, my heart is in my mouth watching him putting in those spectacular jumps. You’re waiting for the worst to happen!

Form profile

A 154-rated hurdler, he won four of his five starts in novice hurdles last season including the Grade 1 contests at the Aintree Grand National meeting and the Punchestown Festival. He has been well beaten in his two starts this season.

Trainer says

What can you do? I’d like to go up in trip with him, but we’ll have to see.

Form profile

A 168-rated hurdler, he has won 12 of his 17 starts over hurdles including 10 Grade 1 races, but disappointed at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Trainer says

State Man goes to Leopardstown. He didn't turn up and we were very disappointed at Christmas, but I would hope we can get him back to himself. We are happy with what he is doing at home. The winner put in some performance, I'd be delighted to have her in the yard here, do you hear that Michael (O'Leary)? It was a huge performance. I was watching in the stand, in awe of Brighterdaysahead. State Man just couldn't handle the pace, a bit like Lossiemouth when she went to Kempton. He disappointed us, but we’ll never knock a horse too much for one bad run. He’s still our number one contender.