Tom Segal on why the Willie Mullins domination is slowly eroding the competitive foundations of racing
For about a decade our family used to go to north Devon for a week away every year. We stopped going when the kids got too old and found walking on the beach far too boring, but before we did I will never forget the Dutch pancake seller on the beachfront telling us in no uncertain terms that the whole north Devon economy was dying.
He thought the reason was because all the houses were being bought up by wealthy people who spent at most a couple of weeks in them a year and as a result the local economy was unsustainable. I'm no economist and there are surely many more issues than that, but there's no doubt that small business get swallowed up by the big fish all the time and we surely have to be careful that racing doesn't go the same way.
Last week Willie Mullins had runners in eight Graded races and won seven of them, with six other horses placed in the same races. At Cheltenham he won the Cotswold Chase with Capodanno, who was beaten out of sight by his best staying chaser, while Lossiemouth would surely be second favourite for the Champion Hurdle if she was to run there but won't because Mullins has two others in the race. If that isn't an example of what the Devon pancake seller was trying to tell me, then nothing is.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
- Why those with long-term aspirations should be queuing up to use this stallion - plus my idea of the Derby winner
- The pass Derby favourite City Of Troy is being given in so many quarters for his lamentable Guineas effort staggers me
- This horse is one for Arsenal fans and I love his style - he's one to follow even if he doesn't run in the Derby
- The 2,000 Guineas is one of my favourite races but I simply cannot work out how City Of Troy ran so badly on Saturday
- Willie Mullins is a phenomenon who's rewriting the record books - but his dominance could cause long-term damage to racing
- Champions League final double odds boost: get 100-1 for Dortmund to win OR 40-1 for Real Madrid
- Epsom Derby betting offer: get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes for the big race at Epsom
- Champions League final odds boost: claim Sky Bet's exclusive 50-1 odds for 1+ shots on target during Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham betting offer: get enhanced odds of 40-1 for Bellingham to have 1+ shots on target in the Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Champions League final
- Epsom Derby festival Ladies Day betting offer: claim £40 in free bets from Ladbrokes for the Betfred Oaks and more
- Why those with long-term aspirations should be queuing up to use this stallion - plus my idea of the Derby winner
- The pass Derby favourite City Of Troy is being given in so many quarters for his lamentable Guineas effort staggers me
- This horse is one for Arsenal fans and I love his style - he's one to follow even if he doesn't run in the Derby
- The 2,000 Guineas is one of my favourite races but I simply cannot work out how City Of Troy ran so badly on Saturday
- Willie Mullins is a phenomenon who's rewriting the record books - but his dominance could cause long-term damage to racing
- Champions League final double odds boost: get 100-1 for Dortmund to win OR 40-1 for Real Madrid
- Epsom Derby betting offer: get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes for the big race at Epsom
- Champions League final odds boost: claim Sky Bet's exclusive 50-1 odds for 1+ shots on target during Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
- Jude Bellingham betting offer: get enhanced odds of 40-1 for Bellingham to have 1+ shots on target in the Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Champions League final
- Epsom Derby festival Ladies Day betting offer: claim £40 in free bets from Ladbrokes for the Betfred Oaks and more