Five Willie Mullins Horses To Follow Over The Christmas Period

Nobody loves this time of year more than Willie Mullins, with the master of Closutton having a scarcely believable 170 entries at the time of writing between now and New Years’ Day. 

With so much to digest, we’ve taken a look at Mullins’ vast number of entries and picked out five key horses to keep an eye on over the next week or so. 

The Reverend (TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle, Leopardstown, Friday 26th December)

We begin this list with an obscure race at first glance, though it is one that could potentially hold some clues for next year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. 

Mullins has won the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser a record eight times and he regularly targets this maiden event with some of his nicer novices, with both Klassical Dream (2019) and Kopek Des Bordes (2024) picking this up on their way to success in the Cotswolds. He has one entry this time around, Leader d’Allier, who’s due to make his first start for the yard since switching from France. 

The four-year-old has some solid form under his belt so far, winning each of his last five races over both codes, including a Grade 3 bumper at Vichy over the summer. Mullins traditionally does well with his French recruits and it’s interesting that he’s chosen to just declare Leader d’Allier for this, having had several entered. 

The master of Closutton made some pleasing comments about the son of Cokoriko in his blog on Sporting Life, saying he’s settled in well, and his price of 16/1 for the Supreme suggests that he’s expected to hit the ground running. With that in mind, Leopardstown’s opener on St Stephen’s Day could prove to be very insightful indeed. 

Jimmy Du Seuil (Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, Kempton, Friday 26th December)

Kempton hosts one of the best cards of the year on Boxing Day in the UK and Mullins will have several interests, including Jimmy Du Seuil in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase. 

A classy winner of the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival in March, the six-year-old made a winning start over fences at Fairyhouse last month, defeating a field which included two Graded winners over hurdles in The Big Westerner and Jacob’s Leader. 

He jumped particularly well that day and while this is a big step up in class, it’s one that Jimmy Du Seuil ought to be able to handle having chased home classy stablemate Ballyburn in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago. 

The biggest threat looks likely to come from stablemate Kitzbuhel, a Grade 3 winner over timber last year who made a winning start at Punchestown last month, but there was a lot to like about Jimmy Du Seuil’s opening effort over fences and he gets the nod to take this. 

Gaelic Warrior (King George VI Chase, Kempton, Friday 26th December)

The feature race on Boxing Day in the UK is the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, a race that Mullins has won twice previously with Florida Pearl (2001) and Tornado Flyer (2021). The three-mile contest is one of the key races with the Cheltenham Gold Cup in mind, though winners generally need to show speed over stamina if they are to take this. 

With Dan Skelton holding a commanding lead at the top of the Jumps Trainers’ Championship, Mullins would likely need to take the £142,375 winning prize if he is to have a realistic chance of becoming champion trainer for a third straight year and he relies on Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File to do so. 

The latter would be a credible threat if translating the form of his Ryanair Chase success back in March to three miles, but there’s no doubt that Gaelic Warrior is the stable’s first choice - with Paul Townend booked to ride. 

An excellent winner of the Arkle Trophy back in 2024, the seven-year-old reinvented himself as a stayer when storming to success in the Aintree Bowl last spring. Whether he is an out-and-out stayer is still up in the air, but he’s favoured by speed tracks and this race looks likely to suit him down to the ground. 

He made an impressive winning return when knuckling down well to see off Fact To File over an extended two and a quarter miles in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last month, a run which solidified his favouritism for this race. That effort ought to have blown away the cobwebs and he’s fancied to take this on route to a full tilt at next year’s Gold Cup. 

Ballyburn (Christmas Hurdle, Leopardstown, Sunday 28th December)

Sunday’s card at Leopardstown is a fascinating one and should answer plenty of questions for Mullins with the big spring festivals in mind, particularly in the case of Ballyburn. 

A three-time Grade 1 winner over hurdles as a novice in 2024, things never quite clicked over fences for the seven-year-old last term, who disappointed in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham before being turned over at the Punchestown Festival a month later. 

That winless streak grew to three when he was defeated on reappearance by Teahupoo in the Hatton’s Grade Hurdle at Fairyhouse last month, though there was a lot to like about that run, going down fighting to a six-time Grade 1 winner over an inadequate trip. 

Conditions certainly favoured Teahupoo that day, with Ballyburn closing all the way to the line and just losing out in a photo finish. With staying trips the long-term target for both, there’s plenty of reasons to think that Ballyburn is the one to beat in this division and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this rematch over three and a half furlongs further. 

We’re without a standout name in the three-mile hurdling division and it would be no surprise should Ballyburn be trading a lot shorter than his current price of 3-1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle should he get his nose in front at the weekend. 

Galopin Des Champs (Savills Chase, Leopardstown, Sunday 28th December)

Galopin Des Champs got within six lengths of becoming the first horse since Best Mate to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times back in March and his redemption arc begins in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday - a race he has won for two years running. 

The nine-year-old went down fighting behind Inothewayurthinkin on the Cotswolds, though there’s a case to be made that he wasn’t quite on song that day, something that he put right when storming to success in the Punchestown Gold Cup a month later. 

Mullins opted to swerve Galopin Des Champs’ annual pipe opener in the John Durkan last month, meaning he arrives here fresh for a rematch with his Cheltenham conqueror, who could only finish a tame fifth in that same race. 

With the exception of the Betfair Chase winner Grey Dawning and stablemate Gaelic Warrior, there aren’t too many credible new threats to Galopin Des Champs in the staying division, meaning plenty will fancy him to regain his crown this year. 

He’s at his best when the rain comes down and it would be no surprise should he reannounce himself as a key Gold Cup contender for next spring - particularly if the heavens open in Dublin this week.