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‘All dominant’ Willie Mullins closes on century of Cheltenham wins

Trainer needs three victories to hit milestone, while Gordon D’Arcy calls for statement performance against Scotland

Jockey Paul Townend and trainer Willie Mullins lift the Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy after winning with State Man. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

Mary Hannigan's face
Mary Hannigan
Wed Mar 13 2024 - 10:49

Honeysuckle might be a retired lady of leisure these days, but, as Brian O’Connor tells us, “the Rachael Blackmore-Henry de Bromhead team has a bright new festival star on its hands”, Slade Steel landing Tuesday’s Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham. And Blackmore has a notion that “the sky’s the limit for him”, reckoning that he “could be back here on the Friday [for the Gold Cup] some day, you never know”. Brian rounds up all the action from day one, the “all-dominant Willie Mullins” now just three winners away from a century of festival victories after a Grade One hat-trick, including State Man’s Champion Hurdle triumph.

And that century could well be completed today, among Mullins’s three strong favourites Fact To File who already has the trainer “dreaming of next year’s Gold Cup”. Brian profiles his “old school” jockey Mark Walsh, while also previewing the Champion Chase and the rest of the day’s races.

In rugby, Gordon D’Arcy reflects on Ireland’s Twickenham defeat, which he puts down to their failure “to adequately manage the final few minutes”, and says that they need to produce “a statement performance” against Scotland if they are to “dispel the notion that there might be blood in the water”. The “testy relationship” between Ireland and Scotland over the years will, writes Johnny Watterson, add a little extra spice to the encounter. “We have our perception of them and I’m not going to verbalise it here …. we both love beating each other,” says Tadhg Beirne. Gerry Thornley, meanwhile, hears from Simon Easterby who concedes that Ireland’s “much-lauded defence” has to up its game if they are to wrap up the championship on Saturday.

In Gaelic games, four years since “the worst global health crisis in a century”, Seán Moran looks at the impact of Covid on the GAA, one he says that left “an indelible mark” and altered the association’s “modern existence forever”.

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In soccer, Gavin Cummiskey brings news that Bohemians are in talks with Stephen Kenny about him taking over as manager following the departure of Declan Devine from the club last Sunday.

Meanwhile, you would never, ever guess from his column today that Dave Hannigan is a Cork man. It is pretty much a love letter to Jimmy Barry Murphy and Cillian Murphy, the latter reminding him of the former when he collected his Oscar this week, when he was “almost bashful about the fussing and foostering his routine excellence has wrought”. Both men display a humility that, Dave concedes, is “not a trait commonly associated with our DNA by outsiders”. We’re saying nothing.

TV Watch: It’s day two of the Cheltenham Festival (Virgin Media One and UTV, 1pm-4.30pm) and there’s more Champions League fare this evening – Atlético Madrid are 1-0 down going in to the second leg of their round of 16 meeting with Inter Milan (Virgin Media Two and TNT Sports 1, 8pm), while Borussia Dortmund drew their first leg with PSV Eindhoven (TNT Sports 2, 8pm).

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