Willie Mullins trained ten race winners at Cheltenham, shattering his previous personal best in the process.
As the curtains came down at Cheltenham, OTB Sports' own, John Duggan paid tribute to one of Ireland's sporting greats on the latest edition of Friday Night Racing.
"It was a great day for Mullins today," Duggan said.
"He is a great representative for the sport I find. He is a gentleman.
"We are in good hands as Irish racing fans with Willie onside and Rachael [Blackmore] onside.
"He has been in the game a long time. His first winner was Tourist Attraction in 1995.
"It took him a while to get going. Once he got the big owners into his yard and once he could prove with the ammunition that he had that he was able to train at the very top level it just rolled from there.
Despite having to wait until the final race on the first day to register a winner, Mullins' team dominated proceedings thereafter and it could have been even better for Carlow based yard.
Indeed Galopin Des Champs' dramatic fall at the very end of the Turner's Novice Chase on Thursday cost Mullins an 11th winner.
"Galopin Des Champs should have won and that would have been 11 winners," Duggan continued.
"That is over a third of the winners of the 28 races at Cheltenham festival. It is an incredible achievement."
It's a team effort at Mullins yard- Patrick Mullins
🗣 "It is a day you dream of."
🗣 "We have fantastic team at home."
Patrick Mullins paid tribute to the fantastic team that played a part in Willie Mulllins' success at Cheltenham. 🐎@HRIRacing | #EveryRacingMoment
Full chat ➡️ https://t.co/W12WNTK6Tz pic.twitter.com/j7b3PJRCVD— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 18, 2022
While Willie Mullins will deservedly take plenty of the plaudits following the amazing success this week, his son Patrick praised the background team at the yard for their contribution.
"It is a day you dream of," Mullins said of the final days racing.
"We have a fantastic team at home.
"Willie does a lot and he gets the owners in, [however] there is a fantastic backup team and they deserve it [too]."
https://www.otbsports.com/racing/jordan-gainford-davy-is-my-idol-he-always-was-and-always-will-be-1318532