I had to retire so young as a jockey, – it broke my heart for many years

A quick spin with Tony Mullins

Willie Mullins (left) and his brother Tony Mullins in front of the Dawn Run statue at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham. Photo: Sportsfile

March 17 2021 02:30 AM

How did you get started in racing?

I was born into it. I remember my first pony at three years of age, his name was Hucklebuck. You never forget your first.

What is your favourite race track and why?

I’d great luck at Aintree but Cheltenham is the ultimate track. If you have a champion, Cheltenham to me is the one and they are set in stone when they prove their class there.

Who is your favourite horse and why?

Dawn Run because I believe she was the greatest mare that ever jumped a fence or hurdle.

What is your favourite Cheltenham Festival memory?

Unfortunately, I was watching on but it was Dawn Run getting up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, something I’ll never forget. It was very exciting for our family, disappointing for myself not to be on board, but outweighed by the excitement for the yard and the family.

What’s your favourite Festival race?

The two-mile Champion Chase. Speed and jumping accuracy are the name of the game and it’s exciting. To watch the likes of Sprinter Sacre strut his stuff was something else. His speed, accuracy and fluency was just a sight to behold.

Who’s your sporting hero?

There’s so many there but I thought Ruby Walsh for brilliance and Tony McCoy for dedication. They were the two that stand out.

Name an opponent or rival you especially admire and why?

My brother Willie has brought National Hunt training to a new level. It annoys me at times when you have a nice, young horse and he beats it every time but he’s phenomenal.

What’s your racing ambition? Do you have one?

My ambition is to train a champion and I think if we’re lucky enough, soundness and all, that Princess Zoe has more to prove. I’ve seen more at home than the people have seen in public yet and that’s what we’re going to set about trying to prove this year.

Name your dream racing trio (jockey/trainer/owner)?

Ruby, Willie and the late Khalid Abdullah, who was brilliant as an owner, a breeder and a person.

If you could change something about racing, what would it be?

I’d like to have more winners! But seriously, I think an owner or a trainer being allowed eight or nine runners in a race, in my opinion to purely prevent other lads from running, is wrong and I think there should be a change brought on that both for owners and trainers. The Irish National with Gigginstown and JP McManus and the huge numbers that they run, in my opinion, that is not right and fair to the wider public. There are plenty of people that support the game greatly and are not able to get into these races because they haven’t got €400,000 to give for these horses and these horses prevent other horses with a decent chance from running, that’s my belief.

If you could be associated with one horse in training, who would it be and why?

I am, and her name is Princess Zoe.

If you could relive one racing occasion, what would it be and why?

Paddy Kehoe and my mother owned a great mare called Grabel and I won the biggest jumps race in the world on her in America. The Dueling Grounds International Hurdle was worth $750,000, and that was 31 years ago and it was the biggest race ever run over jumps in America, even to this day.

That five seconds after I passed the post in Kentucky, I had to grab her mane because I nearly fell off with excitement. It was a surge of excitement that I never felt before and I only possibly ever felt it again in Longchamp this year with Princess Zoe.

One horse that you think could be a future superstar?

I’m hoping Kilcruit will be as good as I believed he was. He was here with me from when he was a foal, I reared him for my mother and I believe he is a champion. We probably won’t see him that often because he’s a very light-framed horse but I think when he matures, he’s going to be a very, very good horse.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Doesn’t have to be about racing.

One thing that has always got to me my whole life is that I had to retire so young as a jockey. I was more or less finished at 30 and that broke my heart for many years. Only now that I know I’m definitely too old to ride, it’s only now I’ve accepted that I’m definitely finished. I had a back injury that kept getting worse every fall I got and I had two operations on my back after I retired but I’d still have back pain that has never been cured.

What’s your most treasured possession (racing or otherwise)?

The business that we have here, I love horses and I love my business.

Who’s your favourite jockey of all time? Why?

Ruby, because he was the best I’ve ever seen by a long way, I don’t even have to think about it.

Who would your three dream dinner guests be? (Doesn’t have to be racing) What venue would you choose?

Billy Connolly, the comedian; John Magnier as the man that has done more for the thoroughbred industry than anyone I know; and Bill Clinton as one of the great world leaders that I’ve seen in my time. The Lord Bagenal in Leighlinbridge, I’ve had more fun there than anywhere else I ever was in my life.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

There’s a question now. Being content with your work and a happy home life.