Cheltenham in the blood *

Patrick Mullins and Cousin Vinny in the Cheltenham winners' enclosure image:sportinglife.com

WHEN you grow up in a family steeped in racing, Cheltenham is hardwired into your DNA. For Patrick Mullins this is certainly the case. Grandson of the legendary Paddy Mullins and son of the champion trainer Willie, Cheltenham is in his blood.

“I’ve grown up in a household where the whole year is geared around one week in the year and that’s Cheltenham. I can remember my father winning there in 96 on Whither or Which and its always something I wanted to do. My grandfather had winners there and my uncle too.  It’s just to try and emulate the rest of my family,” he explains.

Very early in his riding career he became the first of his generation of the family to have a festival winner. He was just 18 when he rode Cousin Vinny to win the 2008 Champion Bumper, twelve years after his father rode and trained Whither or Which to win that race. It was an extraordinary and special day for Patrick and his family.

“Everyone was there. My grandfather was the only person in my family who wasn’t there but everyone else who counted was there and it was great to see them and they were all as happy for me as I was at winning the race. It was the day of a lifetime and I’d be very lucky if I ever got another day like it,” he says.

Which brings on to this year. He has his biggest book of rides at the Festival yet and has some good chances of having another day of a lifetime. The Cross Country Chase later this afternoon brings up his first ride of the festival and he has a live chance of winning, whichever of the two horses he ends up riding,

“In the cross country race I’m not sure what horse I ride yet, whether it’s Uncle Junior or Scotsirish but there’s not a lot between them. They’ll both love the ground. Junior would stay better than Scots. He’d be tougher but Scots would have more class,” he explains.

His week could end on a high in the Christie’s Foxhunters’ Chase. He rides Boxer Georg in the race after the Gold Cup on Friday. “He’ll love the ground. His half brother Bothar Na was fourth in the race a couple of years ago and he’ll stay the trip. His form in Clonmel has worked out very well so I’m looking forward to riding him,” he adds.

His rides tomorrow bookend the card with Allee Garde in the first race and either Champagne Fever or The Paparazzi Kid in the last. “I’ll probably ride Allee Garde in the four mile chase (Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase). His form at Christmas with First Lieutenant and Last Instalment is as good as any other horse in the race.”

The Champion Bumper has been farmed by his father and everyone always wants to be on the Mullins horse in that race. However, he is not too bullish about the prospects of following up on Cousin Vinny’s bumper triumph this year but feels that favourite Champagne Fever is a horse with an exciting future.

“I think Champagne Fever is the best of ours in the bumper but he might just be like Quel Esprit in that he could run a brilliant race and finish third or fourth and go on and be a Grade One chaser over three miles. He might just lack a gear over two miles on good ground,” he explains.

He also has a ride on Up the Beat, the top weight in tomorrow’s concluding race but the horses’ welter burden and inexperience may tell against him. “I also ride Up the Beat in the Kim Muir but he’s a novice with 11- 11. I think that’s a big ask.”

Twelve months on from their stunning opening day victories Hurricane Fly and Quevega are back for more and odds on to repeat the trick this afternoon. Patrick is optimistic they can make it another day to remember for his family.

“Hurricane Fly is the best since Istabraq. Obviously he had a bit of an interrupted start to the season but everything has gone to plan since. He worked on the Curragh last Tuesday with Quevega and the two of them went brilliant and jumped fantastic. They are both on track.”

Promising novice chaser Sir Des Champs added further lustre to the Mullins legend at the Festival last year when Patrick’s cousin Emmet rode a thrilling race on him to just get up on the line in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. He holds entries in the RSA Chase tomorrow and the Jewson Novices’ Chase on Thursday and whichever race he goes for, Patrick feels he has a strong chance of winning.

“Sir Des Champs is another horse that we are very excited about. He’s unbeaten over fences. He’s won at Cheltenham so we know he handles the ground, handles the track and he’s yet to have a horse finish in front of him and I think he can win again.”

Since his move to Ireland Boston Bob has been one to watch. This novice hurdler tops the betting for the Neptune investments Novices’ Hurdle and the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle and Patrick thinks this is his father’s best chance of a winner outside of Hurricane Fly, whichever races Willie finally plumps for.

“Boston Bob is very exciting. From the first day he came into the yard from Howard Johnson’s he’s just caught the eye. He’s a chaser to look at but he jumps hurdles very well too and he’ll probably go for the three mile (Albert Bartlett). If he goes there he will be very hard to beat but if Dad changes him to the two mile five (Neptune) he jumps well enough that he will be able to keep himself in it.”

This year’s Gold Cup looks to be one of the most open in recent years. Quel Esprit is a horse he has always thought highly of and he thinks that this year’s Hennessy Gold Cup winner has definite place prospects.

“I think he’s a very good place chance. It might be difficult to see him winning it but it is a bit of an open Gold Cup and I think he might have won the RSA last year only for he fell and we seem to have ironed out his jumping problems this year so he’s a good each way shout.”

This article first appeared in The Nationalist  13 March 2012