Have we found Willie Mullins' weak spot? Top trainer can't even manage a place on festival Thursday
It was a surprising thing last year when Willie Mullins blanked on day three of the Cheltenham Festival, the first time since 2020 that an entire card had been staged at the great meeting without him finding the winner's enclosure. Now it's happened again: he dominated for two days, couldn't even nick a place on the Thursday, took over again on Friday.
The best sporting occasions thrive on tradition and I wonder if we're looking at the establishment of a new one. Henceforth, the festival running order will be: Champion Day, Style Wednesday (yuck), Mullins Takes A Breather Day, Gold Cup day.
It shows good tact and diplomacy for the Closutton maestro (TM) to allow his rivals a chance of success. If you're the centre of attention for the whole party, people may get tired of you.
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