'Horses jump better without schooling' - this quote shows why there will never be another Willie Mullins
An interview with Lydia Hislop at Cheltenham revealed plenty about the champion trainer
If anybody else said it you would laugh hysterically and call the nonsense police. It makes no sense and if you said it out loud yourself you would be surrounded by men in white coats within seconds. Yet, when Willie Mullins said it, it somehow made perfect sense.
Allow me to bring you back to the opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and Lydia Hislop's interview with Mullins on Racing TV after Lossiemouth had won the Mares' Hurdle.
Mullins had explained his reasons for the grey mare sticking with her own sex rather than going for the Champion Hurdle before we were granted rare access into the mind of racing's very own version of Albert Einstein for about 45 seconds. It doesn't happen very often and it is utterly compelling when it does.
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
Published on inDavid Jennings
Last updated
Copy- Kieran Shoemark will have to get used to spooning out the ice-cream - here's the underappreciated rider who should be head chef
- Why this Cheltenham runner-up is my jumps horse of the year - and no, it’s not the one you’re probably thinking
- My seven best bets for the 2025 Flat season - including a 25-1 shot who's only going to get shorter
- Constitution Hill's legacy is on the line - can he really be classed as an all-time great on what he's done so far?
- It's a numbers game - but being allowed to run 11 horses, including newcomers, in the Triumph really is a joke
- Kieran Shoemark will have to get used to spooning out the ice-cream - here's the underappreciated rider who should be head chef
- Why this Cheltenham runner-up is my jumps horse of the year - and no, it’s not the one you’re probably thinking
- My seven best bets for the 2025 Flat season - including a 25-1 shot who's only going to get shorter
- Constitution Hill's legacy is on the line - can he really be classed as an all-time great on what he's done so far?
- It's a numbers game - but being allowed to run 11 horses, including newcomers, in the Triumph really is a joke