Mullins admits to Cheltenham difficulty

Willie Mullins may have finished last week as leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the sixth time, but the Closutton maestro has no doubts about how tough it is to get winners there.

Mullins masterminded four wins across the four-day meeting. He landed the opening two contests on Tuesday when Klassical Dream won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Duc Des Genievres took the Arkle.

The see-saw nature of a Cheltenham was illustrated later on Tuesday however as Benie Des Dieux crashed out at the final flight with the Mares’ Hurdle at her mercy.

“We went over with lower expectations than usual. I thought Benie Des Dieux would be the one to break the ice for us on day one and we might get one or two more along with her. I certainly didn’t think we’d win the first two races, that’s for sure,” said Mullins.

“Cheltenham is tougher than most people realise. It’s very tough. To get winners there is never easy and we have been very lucky.”

Having six-times trained the runner-up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Mullins finally landed the Blue Ribband when Al Boum Photo and Paul Townend stormed up the hill to win on Friday.

In a race where Kemboy, Bellshill and Invitation Only had also represented him, Mullins admits he wasn’t feeling too confident by halfway.

Despite being seen as somewhat of a master of Prestbury Park, the Irish handler, the Irish handler says he still does not have a formula for what counts in Gloucestershire.

“Al Boum Photo went from being my third or fourth choice to being my number one very quickly as all of my others were out of the race. It looked like it was going to be one of those races where nothing went right,” said the trainer.

“But, knowing Paul’s body language, and the way he rides, I knew he was travelling very sweetly. I know the way he rides inside out, and the position of his body made me think the horse was going very well.”

Al Boum Photo is 8/1 with Betfred to retain his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown in 2020, with RSA Chase hero Topofthegame the same price, while Nicky Henderson’s Santini is 10/1.

Odds subject to change