The Cheltenham Festival proved a profitable one for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend. Reports suggest they earned well into six-figures, as they look to make that in one race in the Grand National next month.
Read more of the racing news today in our Monday round-up.
Willie Mullins enjoys Cheltenham riches as Grand National now in sights
Willie Mullins is estimated to have made as much as £200,000 at the Cheltenham Festival last week. The master trainer saddled eight winners at Prestbury Park. They included victories in the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. In all of those, Mullins’ winners were ridden by Paul Townend. With close to £2 million earned by the owners of his winners, Mullins is estimated to make around 10% of that, as most trainers charge on race winnings from their owners. As such, he and Townend may both be six figures richer. (Irish Mirror)
Grand National hero Nick Rockett will make his reappearance to strengthen Mullins’ claims of another victory in the race. The nine-year-old has not raced this season having been a late non-runner for the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown. He will take part in an open chase at Down Royal against former Gold Cup second Gerri Colombe. Both have the National as a season-ending target, where Nick Rockett is 1lb below top-weight and stablemate I Am Maximus. (PA via MSN)
Weekend winners: Nicholls’ stayer and renewal of Irish flat
After enduring a difficult Cheltenham Festival, Paul Nicholls sent out the winner of the Midlands Grand National. 28/1 shot Isaac Des Obeaux was victorious in a gruelling renewal of Uttoxeter’s marathon handicap. He overcame long-time leader and top-weight Rock My Way. Sam Twiston-Davies took the mount for his former boss, with the horse part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson. Nicholls failed to send out a winner at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. (BBC)
The flat season got underway in earnest in Ireland on Sunday. The Curragh hosted its first card of the season, featuring the Irish Lincoln. That feature contest went the way of Ribee, trained by Michael Mulvany. A four-year-old, Ribee went off a 20/1 shot, but ran out a convincing winner of the 1m handicap. Declan McDonogh took the mount, with intended jockey Gary Carroll unable to do the weight. (RTE)
Courtfield Cup hosts big crowd turnout
An amateur horse race taking place at the home of Henry V attracted a significant crowd over the weekend. The Courtfield Cup is run over nearly a mile further than the Grand National in Goodrich, Herefordshire. Thirty different riders took part in the old school contest as Maurice Linehan claimed the first prize. Around 300 people viewed the event at the Courtfield Estate, at which Henry V lived at the end of the 14th century. (BBC)