TOM Mullins believes that he has a live Galway Hurdle contender in the shape of last weekend’s big handicap hurdle winner Top Othe Ra and he knows what it takes to win big races.
Horses like Asian Maze and Alderwood won Grade 1s for Mullins, but it just goes to show how tough National Hunt racing is when you see a trainer like Tom Mullins with no more than 20 horses to run for the winter season.
“I’d have around 30 horses in, but as far as the jumps horses are concerned, I’d have somewhere between 15/20 horses for the season and a few of them won’t run after Christmas as they won’t handle that real bad ground in January and February.”
“It’s a tough business to be in at the minute and we’ve had a good run with the horses that we have and we have some very good owners, but Helen and myself own nearly half of what we have here,” Mullins explained.
“You’d like more horses and we’d always have some horses for sale and I’d like to think that we do well with what we have, but getting new horses and clients into the yard isn’t easy,” he added.
“It’s a numbers game and the more horses you have, the more you’ll get.
“We did well with a few flat horses this year and Powersville, which cost €2,000 as yearling, won over €35,000 this year.
“The prize money at the moment is fantastic and the new Foran Equine EBF Series is a great initiative for new owners to buy inexpensive yearlings and I’d be hopeful that she (Powersville) will develop into a nice three-year-old next year.
“I’ve always been a dual-purpose trainer and I’m never afraid to run a good jumps horse on the flat. It can keep those older horses sweet when you can mix it with them on the flat and over hurdles/fences. I think it can extend their careers a bit and if they have the pace to win on the flat, they have a great chance of paying for themselves.
“No matter what day of the week it is, be it mid-week or a good Sunday fixtures, you’ll need a very, very good horse to win a maiden hurdle or a novice chase. You are taking on graded horses every day no matter where you go and those races take a lot of winning at the minute.”
As a by the way, it’s worth looking at the race record of Fosters Cross, who started his flat racing career at Wexford under a certain 17-year-old apprentice called Joseph O’Brien.
Fosters Cross was eight at the time. The following year, he won the valuable amateur handicap at Galway and just three days later, he was second in the Galway Hurdle. He raced away until he was 13 years of age.
Top Othe Ra won a €50,000 pot last week at the age of nine, while Grand Partner ran a very creditable race in the November Handicap at Naas last Sunday and he seems better than ever as a sprightly nine year old.
Mullins has a knack of keeping his horses sweet and gives them time.
Being a son of Paddy, you’d expect nothing else and despite the fact that his numbers are down, Tom Mullins can be relied upon to keep the score board ticking over.
ARCTIC LIGHT
5yo b g (1256009-70PP0U)
Bushranger - Novelina
Melvyn J Kennedy
He is a nice horse which won a bumper first time out for us last year but he has been struggling a bit this year and I’d say we’ll leave him off and give him a break and have him back for the spring. The ability is there, but he has just been struggling with his jumping. He needs better ground.
EMILY SQUARE
4yo b f NH: 00785-02 F: 349670-624238
Bushranger - Novelina
B M Owens
She ran well the other day at Fairyhouse where she finished second and hopefully she can win a race in her own grade over hurdles. She has been running well without winning and she has been placed a few times on the flat for us this season. She hasn’t done a lot of racing over hurdles and her run at Fairyhouse was encouraging and hopefully she can build on that.
GRAND PARTNER
9yo b g NH: (/5P/42013280-778 (F: (1-8283714)
Millenary - Bens Partner
Helen Mullins
He has been running well for us and was fourth in a premier handicap on the flat at Naas on Sunday. I had thought about the Brown Lad Handicap at Navan for him, but he could also go for the Greatwood at Cheltenham. Originally I had planned to send him straight over fences for the winter but I think there is a good day in him over hurdles, so it will be either the Greatwood or the Brown Lad for him and we’ll keep him on the go. The good handicap hurdle at Leopardstown after Christmas is also an option for him. He has had his problems, but he is fine again now.
LOCKEEN GIRL
7yo b m (5144/6700-266272924)
Beneficial- Lady Marnay
Adios Amigos Syndicate
She has been struggling a bit to win a handicap but we’ll keep going with her and we’ll give her a break at some stage. She is a grand, honest mare, which has a good attitude and hopefully she’ll have a day.
OSCAR KNIGHT
8yo b g (F525/171363U-0)
Oscar - Cool Supreme
J.P McManus
We are hoping that he’ll be competitive in one of those good handicap chases over the winter. The likes of the Troytown and Paddy Power Chases are there for him and long term he might go back and have another go at the Irish National. We had his wind done after the National this year and on his day, he is a good horse. He might run over hurdles at Naas on Saturday.
PHAR ISLAND
6yo b g NH: (2F-0536904)
Trans Island - Queen Of Harts
Melvyn J Kennedy
We have only found out his trip lately and hopefully now he can win a handicap over two miles or two-two. He handles soft ground and he should be able to win a couple of hurdle races before he goes chasing. He has form on soft ground but I would doubt that he’ll handle real winter ground.
REPARE MON
4yo br f NH: (U060) F: (4112660499)
Big Bad Bob - Breakmeheart
Joseph M Fitzpatrick
She’ll be okay but I can’t get her into a hurdle race so she’ll have one more run and then I’ll send her home. She has won two on the flat this year and she’ll be a nice dual-purpose type of filly for next year on a bit of nice ground.
RUSSELLSTOWN
8yo g NH: (/487P2333423-7)
Beneficial - Black Wind
Hilary Walsh
He was a bit disappointing the last day at Wexford but he got a little nick there and hopefully we’ll have him back for a handicap hurdle in a few weeks’ time.
He has been placed a few times for us and I think he’ll be competitive in handicaps in his own grade.
He wouldn’t want real bad ground and he should win a couple of hurdle races before he goes chasing.
SCOIR MEAR
7yo gr g (/6304908/112225P-8)
Exit To Nowhere - Princess Rosie
J.P. McManus
He ran a nice enough race on his first start over fences at Punchestown and hopefully he can build on that. He looks a chaser and we’ll find another novice chase for him and see how that goes. He did well for us over hurdles and hopefully he’ll be as good over fences. I think he is a three-miler.
SPARKY STOWAWAY
5yo b g (4-4453036)
Stowaway - Torose
Mrs Helen Mullins
He is weak and babyish and I’d say we won’t see the best of him until this time next year. He has been placed over hurdles and hopefully he can win a race or two over hurdles before we send him chasing.
SPIDER WEB
6yo b g NH: (000/114759-B46)
Presenting - Poetics Girl
J.P. McManus
He won a handicap hurdle for us last year and he’ll be going chasing reasonably soon.
STREAK
7yo b m NH: (3/P35/8-06P08 P08) F: (1/44/600/04005
Marju -Eliza Gilbert
Melvyn J Kennedy
She has had her wind done and she has had her share of problems so I’ll keep going with her. She will do a bit of both and we might try her again in Dundalk. She has enough ability to be competitive in handicap hurdles. Hopefully our patience will be rewarded.
TARA DYLAN
5yo b m NH: (2) F: (11310006-36549500)
Dylan Thomas - Tara’s Wells
Melvyn J Kennedy
She is a good mare and she ran a cracker on her first start over hurdles at Thurles behind what is a very good mare of Willie’s. Both were having their first start over hurdles and I’ll keep her going now until Christmas anyway, but she won’t run on real bad ground and I think she’ll develop into a good mare for us next year on the flat and over hurdles. She disappointed me a few times on the flat, but she has taken well to hurdles and there are some nice races for mares in the spring.
THAT’S A WRAP
6yo b g (009314/P111627-4)
Scorpion -Full Of Fruit
J.P. McManus
He won three lovely races over hurdles last year and he looks a chaser. Those beginners’ and novice chases are very competitive at the minute and he had his first run over fences at Punchestown and I was happy with him. Hopefully he’ll improve off that and develop into a nice chaser in time. Two miles is his trip.
TOP OTHE RA
9yo ch g (/264320-4211261)
Whitmore’s Conn -The Top Road
Mrs Helen Mullins
His long term plan is the Galway Hurdle and he is in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and we’ll see he might go there. He won the other day on soft ground but he is much better on better ground. He got bogged down in the heavy ground at Listowel and then he won well last weekend. We might keep him going until Christmas time, but he has had a good season and he owes us nothing. He has had his problems and he has broken down a couple times.
I tried to fix him and couldn’t, so I threw him out in a field and he fixed himself. He is a bit of a sentimental horse and David doesn’t like me saying it, but he learned a lot off him as a young horse. He gave him a great education and he has been with us for a good few years and he is just a very likeable horse. Even though he is nine, he has only run 25 times in his life and there is more to come from him I think.