Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival ground damage horses, Digi Mart USA News: Willie Mullins has criticized ground conditions at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, claiming there was “significant damage” done to some of his horses in the final two days of the biggest meeting on the racing calendar.
The JP McManus-owned Fact To File was a high-profile late withdrawal from the Ryanair Chase on the Thursday of the Festival. That day began badly for Mullins when even-money favourite Bambino Fever was well beaten in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Speaking at the Lord Bagenal Inn after hosting members of the media at his nearby Closutton base for the launch of the National Hunt season, Mullins said Bambino Fever “got a bit jarred up” in the race. He warned that owners will begin to send their horses elsewhere if the events of last March become a regular occurrence.
“I’m a bit worried,” Mullins said. “There was a lot of damage done the last two days in Cheltenham last season because they hadn’t watered properly.
When Simon Claisse used to be the clerk of the course, you’d know going to Cheltenham that you’d start with the word ‘soft’ in the ground on the Tuesday, and then depending on whether it was going to be dry or wet, he’d decide whether to water or not water.”
“JP took out Fact To File and we had significant damage from the Thursday and the Friday with some of our runners, which is not on. It needs to be checked and looked at.
I was a bit annoyed that we didn’t get to run Fact To File; he was probably the banker of the week. He’s a big unit and you’ve got to try and keep those horses sound.”
“Whether it’s the clerk of the course or whether it’s the manager or whoever does it, if they want the horses that race on soft ground and nice ground all winter there, I think they have to produce the ground for those horses. It’s not good for racing if they’re not going to produce winter ground for winter horses.
If you’re producing a different surface, that’s going to bring different horses into the game.”
Mullins said top horses may stop running at the course if the trend continues. “If that’s the way they want to go, people with the really good horses just won’t run there.
That’s my worry, that if we see trends happening, we’re going to change. Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, they’re not pushed about going to Cheltenham, and a lot more of my owners are heading towards Aintree and Punchestown because the ground is becoming an issue.”
