Going - Soft (Heavy in places).
Jackpot Pool - £70,422.54 Dividend - £10,162.60 Winning Units - 4.92. Placepot Pool - £1,396,333.53 Dividend - £179.10 Winning Units - 5689.2. Quadpot Pool - £31,566.25 Dividend - £57.20 Winning Units - 408.33.
Bally burns off rivals with consummate ease
It’s the first time he’s wowed me, I thought ‘wow, what a performance’ and to me that was a Champion Hurdle performance,. It was really really spectacular. With his size, scope and pedigree our owners might decide to go chasing with him next year, I don’t know. But with that performance he can go anywhere. Our team are in flying form, but we are just so sorry for Nicky Henderson that he has had to pull his good horses out. It could be us, so our sympathies go to him.
Fact To File gets the job done with minimum of fuss
I think Mark did a great job to get him settled and I think he will learn a lot from that race, I’m just relieved. It’s all in front of him and when Willie decided to go straight chasing with him I had no objection, it sounded good to me. It has been vindicated. That was very impressive, it was a Gold Cup performance potentially, but he’s been like that since the day he came into the yard. I thought he’d win the Champion Bumper last year, then of course JP came and beat us with A Dream To Share, but that’s how good I thought he was. The fact that he was a ready-made steeplechaser from the first day he came into the yard is why I skipped hurdling with him and I’m very happy we did that now. I think JP had a nice little wager for the staff earlier in the season on this fellow for this race, so he more or less made the decision. He’s a beauty of a jumper and he gave Mark a tremendous ride, I’d say it was some thrill riding him round there. He’s just a real gentleman of a horse, that’s what he is. I’ve seen the potential. He’s like a child’s pony in the stable, he’s got the temperament for it. You know the plan (for next season), he could start off in the John Durkan, then run at Christmas, then the Dublin Racing Festival and back here. That’s the bones of the plan, but he has to stay right and JP might have other ideas, so I’ll have to have a chat with him about that.
Langer Dan repeats Coral Cup victory for Skelton team
They are a brilliant group of owners, they’ve been with me a long time. After two winners we’re going to go and have an expected party now!. It’s been a remarkable day, I’m just very proud of the horses, they are running out of their skins. It’s remarkable that the horses are in such great form, Harry gave him a fantastic ride. He was a bit further forward than he needed to be but he found two big jumps and my only concern turning in was that he was there to be aimed at. He was never going to stop over two miles and I don’t think he’s been quite getting home over further. I’m in a very lucky position, I’m the head of the team but I’m not the team itself. This has been a really satisfying day for all of us.
Captain Guinness and Blackmore rise to the occasion in dramatic Champion Chase
Obviously after El Fabiolo went you knew then that the race had opened right up and we felt we had a right chance then. Can mistakes happen more at the speed they go in this race, I don’t know. He had his thing at Christmas (fibrillating heart) and I just kept thinking the horse deserved to get his Grade One so much, to get this one is amazing. Everyone at home has done a fantastic job and the vets. The tests he went through after Christmas, his heart specialist was happy and the IHRB (Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board) was happy and everyone was. In fairness to Sam who looks after him, he hadn’t known him in such form. We took a view from Leopardstown in February we just wouldn’t train him hard and keep him fresh and happy and that’s what we did. We just wanted him really bullish and he’s been trying to buck Sam off for the last two weeks, so I’m not sure he was as happy with the plan as I was, but it’s worked out for us all now.
Magical Mullins brings up 100th Festival winner in Champion Bumper
The team of owners we have help and I can’t train winners without a team of owners who have horses and then the team from my wife Jackie, to David Casey, Patrick, Ruby (Walsh), all our head people, it’s huge for them. I think they are probably going to enjoy it more than I will. It’s extraordinary stuff. For Patrick to do it makes it very special and to do it for one of my biggest owners (Simon Munir and Isaac Souede). The team of owners we have make the job what it is, I can’t do it without them. They all praise each other when they have a winner and share in each other’s disappointment. Without owners I wouldn’t be here, none of us would, it’s their sport. I was really pleased that Patrick was the one to do it because I wasn’t sure he was on the right one but he was spot on and I was wrong. I’m just delighted, I wouldn’t say emotional. When I started out I didn’t think anyone would ever train 100 Cheltenham winners and I certainly didn’t think it would be me. People were saying I should have done it last year!
