Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 7 April 2025

With so many pundits in social media and the racing press, I would like to think that someone will apply themselves to trying to ascertain why Willie Mullins has such dominion over his contemporaries.

I am no statistician, but I see from the Racing Post site that this season he is operating at a 25 per cent strike-rate in Ireland and a 20 per cent strike-rate in Britain. These are useful returns but there are a few better.

Tony McCoy used to say that for all his winners, he had actually had more losers than anyone else, and perhaps the same applies to Mullins. The Racing Post reveals that in Ireland this season he has sent out 552 losers from his 732 runners and in Britain 114 of his 143 runners have lost.

Yet his achievement in training the first, second, third, fifth and seventh in the Grand National must rank as one of the greatest feats in the history of the sport, even surpassing Michael Dickinson’s first five home in the 1983 Gold Cup.

The reason why I think Saturday’s performance ranks higher is because not only did he have the challenges of the course to overcome, but he was also up against the handicapper, whose primary role is to give every horse an equal chance.

Can his dominance be attributed to the quality of the stock he buys? He has owners with the buying power to dig deep for the right horse, but then JP McManus and Paul Nicholls can raise hefty sums if the right horse appears on the market.

Or is he simply a better trainer than anyone else? If so, what is he doing differently? Barry Geraghty said in a very revealing interview shown before Cheltenham that when he rode work there he had never been so fast in a home gallop.

My colleague Jodie Standing has seen many of the yard’s horses over the years and says that you seldom find one carrying extra condition. They are mostly racey types without much of a back end.

I actually sold a store horse to Willie Mullins in his first season as a trainer. He was a four-year-old store by Orchestra, who went on to win a bumper and over fences before being sold on to another yard and he was a lean horse rather than a big scopey individual.

I don’t know what is giving Willie Mullins the edge over his rivals, but such is his strength in depth that he is most unlikely to forfeit his superiority in the near future.

The other big talking point over the three days of Aintree was the fall of Constitution Hill, following his departure four hurdles from home the time before in the Champion Hurdle.

I am no horseman, but to my eyes the eight-year old took off a stride too soon on both occasions, landing on top of the hurdle. He had also flicked the top of the last in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in January.

Whatever has been said in public, I would be surprised if the thought hadn’t crossed the mind of the trainer and owner that there may be a communication issue between rider and horse.

Some horses are best when left to do their own thing, while others need to be directed more assertively.

Ruby Walsh was a relatively passive rider, while Tony McCoy was more active. Kauto Star, for example, seemed to resent McCoy’s forceful handling in the 2011 King George, whereas Walsh used to allow the horse to fiddle away.

I’m not sure if it would have been possible to adjust Constitution Hill’s stride pattern so that he took the hurdle cleanly. It all happens so quickly. It may be that the horse travels so easily that he doesn’t need to focus and loses concentration.

What is the answer?

Perhaps consideration is being given to sending him chasing in the hope that the fresh challenge will stimulate him? Could blinkers help? Would he prefer to lead, free of the distraction of his rivals?

Whatever the case I expect the partnership between rider and horse to remain intact. I really don’t know what more Nicky Henderson and his team can do. Further schooling won’t help because there is nothing wrong with his technique.

It is more a mental aberration which happens too quickly to address.

Following the excitement of Cheltenham and Aintree, the turf Flat Season is now upon us with the Craven Meeting starting next Tuesday and then it’s just over a fortnight to the Guineas meeting at Newmarket.

Subscribers to the Weekend Card ended the season in great form, with Jodie leading the way with her inspired advice for Deep Cave, recommended at 50/1, in the opening race on Grand National day. Other winners given in the last few weeks were Caldwell Potter, 7/1 and 11/4, Bambino Fever 4/1, Haiti Couleurs 4/1, The New Lion 3/1, Jagwar 3/1, Youdecide 15/8 and Lossiemouth twice.

There have also been numerous placed horses at big prices, including Senior Chief 40/1, Crest Of Fortune 25/1, Famous Bridge 18/1, The Goffer 14/1, Tanganyika 14/1, Old Cowboy 9/1, The Wallpark 7/1 and many more.

I have a fantastic team of writers to guide you through the new season, with Rodney Pettinga, dark two-year-old specialist Dan Briden, jumps and point-to-point expert Jodie Standing, Irish contact Ronan Groome, Ian Carnaby and me.

You can order the full season’s Weekend Card by referring to our online shop at www.martenjulian.com or contacting Rebecca (rebecca@martenjulian.com).

This week’s edition will feature a handful of unexposed/unraced horses to follow from Dan and me.

I look forward to your company over the next few weeks and I wish you every good fortune in the months to come.

Bye for now

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