Willie Mullins' Team Hits Stride as Cheltenham Festival Approaches
Dan Skelton may have celebrated another winner on the final day of the November meeting at Cheltenham, but a more significant development for the Irish trainer Willie Mullins is his team's growing momentum ahead of the Grade Ones at the festival. In a dominant display, Final Demand, one of last season's standout novice hurdlers, made a flawless debut over fences, confirming his status as a serious contender in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase.
Mullins' squad is starting to take shape, with Final Demand now just 6-4 for the Grade One event. The trainer praised the horse's natural ability, saying, "He was just so natural, wasn't he? Jumping down the back, taking fences in his stride." Mullins will be pleased with the way his team is coming together.
The November meeting, while not traditionally a 'family day' at Cheltenham, saw some quality performances. Joe Tizzard's Alexei, who followed up a win at Ascot earlier this month, won the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle in impressive fashion. The German-bred horse received a 40-1 quote for next year's Champion Hurdle after his dominant display.
Tizzard was delighted with Alexei's performance, saying, "I thought this was the best I'd had him but this was a step up again." The trainer is taking things one race at a time, but it's clear that he has a talented horse on his hands. With Final Demand and Alexei set to clash in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase, it promises to be an exciting festival for Mullins' team.
The Cheltenham Festival, which takes place in March, is shaping up to be one of the most competitive events on the calendar. With horses like Final Demand and Alexei starting to make a name for themselves, it's going to be a battle for Willie Mullins' title rivalries. But with his team hitting stride, he'll be hoping to come out on top once again.
Dan Skelton may have celebrated another winner on the final day of the November meeting at Cheltenham, but a more significant development for the Irish trainer Willie Mullins is his team's growing momentum ahead of the Grade Ones at the festival. In a dominant display, Final Demand, one of last season's standout novice hurdlers, made a flawless debut over fences, confirming his status as a serious contender in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase.
Mullins' squad is starting to take shape, with Final Demand now just 6-4 for the Grade One event. The trainer praised the horse's natural ability, saying, "He was just so natural, wasn't he? Jumping down the back, taking fences in his stride." Mullins will be pleased with the way his team is coming together.
The November meeting, while not traditionally a 'family day' at Cheltenham, saw some quality performances. Joe Tizzard's Alexei, who followed up a win at Ascot earlier this month, won the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle in impressive fashion. The German-bred horse received a 40-1 quote for next year's Champion Hurdle after his dominant display.
Tizzard was delighted with Alexei's performance, saying, "I thought this was the best I'd had him but this was a step up again." The trainer is taking things one race at a time, but it's clear that he has a talented horse on his hands. With Final Demand and Alexei set to clash in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase, it promises to be an exciting festival for Mullins' team.
The Cheltenham Festival, which takes place in March, is shaping up to be one of the most competitive events on the calendar. With horses like Final Demand and Alexei starting to make a name for themselves, it's going to be a battle for Willie Mullins' title rivalries. But with his team hitting stride, he'll be hoping to come out on top once again.
! Willie Mullins' team is on fire and I'm so here for it 
. With Final Demand looking like a dark horse (pun intended) in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase, I think Dan Skelton's got some serious competition brewing 
. And let's not forget about Alexei - that German-bred horse is giving me all the feels 
! It's gonna be an epic festival and I'm excited to see who'll come out on top 
.
I think its all about the form right now 
, and Willie Mullins team is definitely looking strong. Dan Skelton may have won a few races recently but Final Demand is giving him some serious competition. The way that horse jumped down the back of the track was insane 
! And Alexei winning the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle was just another showstopper. Its gonna be a tough festival for anyone trying to take down Mullins. I'm guessing he'll be right up there with the likes of Paul Townend and Nico de Boinville 
! Final Demand's debut over fences was pure perfection 
. The question is, how's Dan Skelton going to keep up with this Irish powerhouse? 
Meanwhile, I'm loving Alexei's dominance in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle - that 40-1 quote for next year's Champion Hurdle has got to be a good omen 
. It's shaping up to be an epic battle at Cheltenham 
!
meanwhile dan skelton's still got game tho 
mullins has been quiet but his horses are lookin like theyre gettin ready to take the stage 
got my money on final demand 6-1 or lower in the brown advisory 
also alexei looks like he's the real deal, dont know what happened to joe tizzard last season wasnt he always a bit of a dark horse? 
! And Alexei, wow... a 40-1 quote for next year's Champion Hurdle? That's insane! 
Mullins' team is shaping up to be super competitive, so it'll be interesting to see how they stack up against the rest. But with their momentum building, I'm totally rooting for Willie to bring home another title 
️
It's going to be interesting to see how the other trainers respond to their pace 
I wonder what kind of prep he'll get before the festival.
And I love how Tizzard is just taking things one step at a time with Alexei - patience is key in the horse racing world, right? 
Can't wait for March! 
The Irish are definitely making some noise in the racing world right now