Willie Mullins has become the first Irish-based trainer since Vincent O’Brien 70 years ago to be crowned champion over jumps in Britain.
Ezeliya took the step up to Group 3 company in her stride when making a successful seasonal debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes at Navan.
Jonbon emerged a convincing victor in his long-awaited clash with El Fabiolo in the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown.
Givemethebeatboys got his season off to a winning start but only just when edging out Betsen in a thrilling finish to the Space Traveller Irish EBF Committed Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien’s expensive purchase Camille Pissarro justified odds-on favouritism when making a winning debut at Navan.
My Racing StorySponsored By Tote
I'm from a place called Eadestown, just outside Naas, beside Punchestown racecourse. I had a pony when I was younger at home and I was kind of mad for a bit of speed! I got into Michael Halford's when I was 12 or 13. I rode out there on my school holidays and weekends for five years before I left school. There were some brilliant lads in Michael Halford's at the time like Sean Corby, who rode as an apprentice for a while, Shane Foley was stable jockey and Conor Hoban was apprentice there. You can see from Michael Halford's track record, he had some brilliant apprentices over the years including Gary Carroll. It was a great place to learn and I learned plenty. I was still very weak and green and I wasn't quite sure whether I was going to be good enough to be a jockey but, in fairness, it was the route for me. I had a crack at college in Carlow, but I didn't enjoy that - I only lasted about three weeks! I missed the horses a lot.
Weather has always been the number one topic of conversation in Ireland which is most odd considering we don’t actually get extreme weather events like other countries and for the most part we don’t even have seasons.
Up to last Saturday it had rained almost every day since July, but that hasn’t stopped our population discussing the weather incessantly. Weddings, funerals, business meetings, casual encounters in the street, every conversation starter is invariably about the weather.
- A somewhat controversial winner of the Aintree Hurdle when causing interference on the run-in, IMPAIRE ET PASSE still looked the best horse in the race despite his errant ways and he could be the one to seal a historic British trainer's title for Willie Mullins. Anything like his best should be good enough, although connections of Langer Dan may feel confident of overturning the form from Aintree and a return to the Esher track should not inconvenience him, having won the Imperial Cup here in 2021. Runner-up to the latter in the Coral Cup and now 10lb better off at the weights, Ballyadam is a capable sort on his day and cannot be ruled out either.
