Sports
Ireland’s champion trainer set to launch huge assault on Cheltenham
THE Cotswolds in March of 2015 had never seen anything like it before. Expectations had been high that Willie Mullins’ raiding party possessed the potential to leave a lasting legacy on the Cheltenham National Hunt festival, but few punters anticipated that Ireland’s champion trainer would plunder the meeting in such a breathtaking manner.
Mullins broke new ground by turning out nearly a third of the winners at the sport’s flagship event 12 months ago, but it’s probably only setting the standard for what will unfold in the shadow of Cleeve Hill for years to come. The Co Carlow based handler continues to raise the bar each season, with the extraordinary firepower currently at his disposal threatening to again sweep all before them next week.
Assumptions that his record-breaking haul of eight festival wins last year would stand the test of time, at least in the medium term, are already looking premature as bookmakers are diving for cover over the prospect of Mullins’ heavy artillery surpassing that number at the 2016 meeting. It’s easy to see why too as the top trainer at four of the last five Cheltenham festivals is preparing to saddle ante post favourites virtually running into double figures.
We have been long used to Mullins lording it over his training contemporaries in Ireland, but blowing cross channel handlers out of the water on their home turf last March really emboldened his reputation despite the yard failing to deliver a telling blow in the festival bumper – traditionally, a Mullins benefit at Cheltenham.
This is supposed to be National Hunt racing’s most competitive arena, but Mullins is starting to turn the meeting into his own personal fiefdom. After last year’s scalding, the layers are taking no chances with the likes of Douvan and Un De Sceaux priced at odds against since Christmas to deliver for the second year running in the Cotswolds, while punters will hardly get rich either in supporting the stable’s Limini in the new mares novices hurdle.
It was on the first afternoon of Cheltenham 12 months ago that the Mullins bandwagon really took off, despite the last flight tumble of Annie Power (1/2) when she had the OLBG Mares Hurdle at her mercy. With the stable’s Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Faugheen having already romped home, the bookmakers were facing massive liabilities on the Mullins’ four-timer, and though the yard still won the race with 6/1 chance Glens Melody, that scenario avoided a day of carnage for the layers.
Incredibly, however, racing’s great alliance of Mullins and jockey Ruby Walsh are on target next Tuesday to pull off the feat which so agonisingly eluded them in 2015. Douvan, now Arkle Chase bound, Annie Power, re-routed to the Champion Hurdle after Faugheen’s shock suspensory injury, Vroum Vroum Mag and Min, bidding to give connections a fourth consecutive triumph in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, are all strongly fancied market leaders for their respective races.
Another measure of the extraordinary depth of talent in the Mullins yard is the fact that he is responsible for virtually 25% of the entries spread over the festival’s four novice hurdles, with the Closutton-based operation accounting for 22 of the 78 original entries for the Neptune Hurdle next Wednesday alone. In total, Mullins is set to cross the Irish Sea with a raiding party numbering around 60.
Indeed, such is the presumption of Mullins plundering the vast majority of prizemoney on offer at the Olympics of National Hunt racing, he is only being quoted around evens to become champion cross-channel trainer this season – a scenario which would represent a staggering achievement in the modern era and would be somewhat embarrassing for his top English counterparts like Paul Nicholls, Philip Hobbs or Nicky Henderson.
But is another Mullins bonanza at Cheltenham guaranteed? For starters, two of the stable’s bankers, Killultagh Vic in the JLT and Faugheen, have been ruled out by injury, while in late January a quartet of runners with strong credentials returned from their trip across the Irish Sea empty-handed – Djakadam fell on Trials Day at Cheltenham, while Shaneshill, Up For Review and Morning Run all disappointed on the same afternoon in Doncaster.
That may have been a sobering experience for devotees of Mullins, but he has so much ammunition to fire in the Cotswolds next week, despite Arctic Fire being the latest casualty, that punters won’t be deterred, even if picking the right one of the champion trainer’s contenders in specific races will prove a challenge in itself judging by what happened on Irish Gold Cup day at Leopardstown last month . . . notably Bellshill getting turned over by a much less fancied stable inmate.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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