I Really Want Willie To Win The Trainers’ Championship

We’re heading into a busy period for the yard with Perth and Punchestown coming up.

It’s that transitional period in the year where the winter horses are finishing up and the summer horses are emerging – we’ll be kept busy as I’ve a big team in for the summer months.

Perth
We haven’t as strong a team as usual heading to Perth. The proximity of Punchestown and the fact some of the summer horses are a bit behind means the team is smaller. We are only sending four over – it’s a meeting that has been good to us over the years. The prize money on offer is very good and we’re always well taken care of over there.

The quality of the meeting has increased markedly over the last few years and the Trainers’ Championship battle will see some big names over the next few days. I never thought I’d see Willie Mullins bringing horses to Perth three years ago!

Trainers’ Championship

I’m keeping a close eye on the race for the Trainers’ title and I hope Willie Mullins can win it.

It would be a great achievement if he could pull it off. If either Willie or Paul Nicholls land the former Whitbread on Saturday, that will probably decide it. You can really see the competitive nature in both of them – it’s that winning mentality that has got them both to the top of their professions.

Johnson Delight
I’m delighted Richard Johnson will finally be crowned champion jockey too. He’s operating at 24% for us this season in the UK – 20 of our 28 winners have been ridden by him and we are only too happy to use him when he’s available. Aside from being a jockey, he’s a gentleman to deal with.

There’s no bullshit out of him and the fact AP McCoy is no longer around, means he’s probably not feeling as much pressure as before.

The Don Is Ready For Punchestown
Before I finish, I’ve an update on ‘The Don’ – he really pleased in a recent piece of work. He seems a much better horse during the Spring and I’m expecting a big performance next Wednesday.

We’ve one more hard piece of work to do and that will be him ready for battle. The re-match with Cue Card and the likely participation of Vautour means the Punchestown Gold Cup will be one of the most eagerly anticipated races in recent years here in Ireland!