ENGLISH TEXTS
with Willie Mullins?
David Casey. I started in 1994 as an apprentice jockey. I spent almost my entire career with him, even though I also rode for other trainers and owners when I was a jockey. I used to go to Willie’ s yard two to three times a week to ride work in the mornings.
G. How did you start working with Willie?
D. C. At the beginning, I was riding on the flat, but the trainer I was working for was retiring. So I had to find a new place. A friend, whom Willie and I both know, told me that two of Willie’ s jockeys were leaving for England and that there might be a spot for me on his team. He put us in contact and that’ s how it started. I began at his yard when he had five horses. Today, it’ s closer to two hundred and fifty. The yard has grown a little bit( laughs)! It’ s now ten years since I retired as a jockey, and I had already anticipated that career change. Five or six years before stopping, I discussed my future with Willie and he said there would always be a place for me in his team. Especially as the yard was getting bigger and bigger, so the need for an assistant was becoming obvious. I took up the role when he sent his first horse to Australia for the Melbourne Cup. We finished second with Max Dynamite. It all felt quite natural. I knew how he trained his horses, what he expected from them and from his team. And we knew each other so well.
G. What does your daily routine look like?
D. C. I’ m at the yard every day at seven o’ clock. I go around all the horses, I make sure everything is ready and that there are no problems. Then I ride a few lots and take care of entries and declarations. I don’ t go back in the afternoon, but I am always reachable.
G. Describe Willie Mullins in three words:
D. C. Patience, perseverance, and loyalty. Willie is very patient with horses. He never rushes them and gives them all the time they need. He is prepared to wait. If he believes a horse has talent, he will do everything he can to make it perform. And he is extremely loyal, both to his owners and his team. Very few trainers have all these qualities combined, and that’ s what makes the difference. I think he partly gets his values from his father, from whom he learned a lot and whose approach inspired him. But I also think his family upbringing and his mother have a lot to do with it. He always looks for the best in each horse and in each person. Everyone is given a fair chance. Also, he never stops learning. He listens to everyone in the industry and takes inspiration from them. The goal is constant improvement- both for the horses and for his whole team. He is very open-minded and takes the best ideas from all around him. I think it’ s also important to mention that Jackie is a key part of the success, even if she is less in the spotlight.
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THE MANY HATS OF WILLIE MULLINS
BY MÉLODIE JANVIER
Willie Mullins: The Master of Jumps Racing At 69, Willie Mullins continues to dominate the world of NH racing. From Closutton, in County Kilkenny, where he settled at the age of 30, he has established himself as the absolute benchmark of the discipline- not only in Ireland and Great Britain, but also internationally. Irish Champion Trainer without interruption since 2008, he became in 2024 the first Irish trainer in 70 years to win the British title, which he retained the following season. From his first winner, Silver Bachelor( 1988), to his 4,000 th success with Bronn( 2023), Willie Mullins has never stopped pushing the limits. From Punchestown to Leopardstown, from Aintree to Cheltenham-where Jasmin De Vaux( 2024) gave him his 100 th victory- from Auteuil and even Nakayama, Willie Mullins has just about won it all. He is the man of records. Among the most impressive, besides his overall record and his Cheltenham tally, he holds the world record for the number of Group 1 wins in a single season( 39), as well as the record number of winners in one Irish season, no fewer than 257( 2023 – 2024). His name will forever be linked to Hurricane Fly, the superstar with 22 Group 1 victories, ten wins at Leopardstown, and a double Champion Hurdle crown. But also to Florida Pearl, Rule Supreme, Quevega, Thousand Stars, Faugheen, Un de Sceaux, Footpad, Min, Al Boum Photo, Douvan, Energumene, El Fabiolo, Galopin Des Champs, State Man, I Am Maximus, Lossiemouth, and so many others, the list is almost endless.
From NH Racing …
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