Willie Mullins continued his Dublin Racing Festival domination - but what impact is that likely to have on Cheltenham?

It was once again the Willie Mullins show at the Dublin Racing Festival (DRF), where he won six of the eight Grade 1 races, but how did his haul compare to previous years and what could it mean for the Cheltenham Festival?
The trainer has dominated the meeting since its inaugural staging in 2018 with 54 winners – 40 of which came in Grade 1s – from 362 runners. To underline his consistency, he also had 29 seconds and 37 thirds in that time, while his closest rival Gordon Elliott has had fewer than half his number of winners with 16, seven at the highest level.
This year, Mullins sent out seven winners from 53 runners across the two days, largely mirroring his average return of 6.75 winners per meeting since 2018. But it was his lowest return since 2022 and down from nine the previous year, when he won all eight Grade 1s.
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Published on inDublin Racing Festival
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