Willie Mullins, successful already in 12 of the 30 runnings of the Cheltenham Grade 1, is responsible for no fewer than 13 of the race's 42 entries, which were revealed on Tuesday, and among them are four of the first five in most ante-post lists on the race. Patrick has ridden nearly all of them, but it would be easy to pick the wrong one, as he has done on occasions in the past.
The race runs throughout the Mullins family’s DNA and Patrick has memories stretching back as far as his father’s first success in the race as trainer/rider on Wither Or Which 27 years ago. Even now, after 88 Cheltenham Festival winners, it remains as important to the family as ever it was.
Patrick recalls: “I grew up with photos on the wall of Wither Or Which winning in 1996, of ‘Woody’ (Richard Dunwoody) winning on Florida Pearl in 1997, and of Ruby (Walsh) winning on Alexander Banquet in 1998. Also of Joe Cullen, who Charlie Swan rode in 2000, who was owned and bred by my mother and who only went on the lorry because Adamant Approach was lame the day before.
“It’s obviously been a very lucky race for us, and winning on Cousin Vinny in 2008 was the dream, because I hadn't been riding very long and I’d gone there expecting to ride Drive On Regardless, who finished out the back. It was the year that the Wednesday was called off and the bumper was run as the tenth race on Thursday, in near darkness. You never forget a day like that. It was my first Grade 1 and very special.”
Patrick won for a second time on Champagne Fever in 2012 and then again on Facile Vega last year, but he chose Appreciate it when stable-mate Ferny Hollow won in 2020 and Kilcruit, another short-priced favourite, when beaten by stable-mate Sir Gerhard in 2021.
The stable’s entry this year perhaps lacks a candidate with such obvious credentials as Facile Vega, but there is any amount of potential and there’s no telling what might be lurking among the stable’s apparent lesser lights. It’s worth remembering that Briar Hill (2013) and Relegate (2018) were relatively unfancied 25-1 chances when winning for the stable.
Patrick said: “This year nothing has put its hand up to say ‘I’m the special one’, but these horses don’t run very often and they improve at different rates, and so it’s hard to get a handle on them. There are lots of options, and I’m probably guaranteed to pick the wrong one. I remember Briar Hill was very average at home and I wanted him to stay at home for Limerick the week after, but Willie’s view is that if they have a chance they go, and every year we have a 20-1 winner.
“It’s very hard to pick the right one, but as Ruby and I both have three previous winners it would be nice to have another one.”
Running his eye over some of the stable’s likelier types he said: “The betting says It’s For Me is our best chance. He won his point-to-point very well, but he was a big price there and although I thought he’d win at Navan last month, I didn’t expect him to win in the manner that he did. I’m not sure it was a particularly strong race, but the way he did it was impressive and he would be a fair favourite I’d say.
“Westport Cove was very good in Fairyhouse, and I like him as he’s got a good bit of speed. Western Diego was also very good at Naas, and although he’s quite keen he’s by Westerner and is probably a stronger stayer.
“Chapeau De Soleil and Lecky Watson are both maidens, but they’ll probably both go and I couldn’t rule them out either. Lecky Watson has been very unlucky as he should have won the first time and then did win the second time, only to get disqualified. With Chapeau De Soleil we are just waiting for him to show his spark again at home.
“Fact To File improved hugely from his win at Leopardstown at Christmas, so I rode him at the Dublin Racing Festival where he was only beaten by a Flat-bred rival (John Kiely’s Weatherbys Champion Bumper second favourite A Dream To Share) in a slow-run race on good ground. There has to be a chance that he could reverse that form on more watered ground with a hill.
“Loughglynn’s win at Naas has been franked again and again, and Chosen Witness was very good at Limerick on soft ground, although I guess he’s unlikely to be getting that at Cheltenham this year.”
Last, but by no means least, Patrick gets to Fun Fun Fun, who carries the same double green colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede as It’s For Me and will give him a second chance of winning, however his own choice goes, since he bred her.
He said: “Fun Fun Fun was hugely impressive at Leopardstown earlier this month in a strongly-run Grade 2, but as she’s a mare I can’t do the weight. I bred her myself out of a mare I bought in foal because she was a sister to Yorkhill, and she’s entitled to improve. She hadn’t run for more than three months and so I was afraid she mightn’t be fit enough that day.
“She’s got two younger siblings coming through by Doctor Dino, and a third by Jukebox Jury, so if I can’t win it I’m hoping it’s her coming past me on my outside!”