Tag Archive for: Neil Mulholland

Willmount to bypass Aintree and go novice hurdling next year

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Neil Mulholland’s Willmount will be saved for next season after a highly promising bumper campaign.

The five-year-old, who was a costly purchase at £340,000, won an Irish point-to-point as a four-year-old before changing hands and stables.

On his bumper debut and his first start for Mulholland at Doncaster in January he cruised home to win by 13 lengths, beating Nicky Richards’ subsequent winner Luckie Seven.

At the same track in March he was a winner again, taking another National Hunt Flat contest with a four-and-a-half-length victory when carrying 22lb more than the runner-up.

Cheltenham was never a target for the gelding and Aintree was only loosely mentioned, but connections have agreed that his season has come to a close and he will return for a novice hurdling campaign next term.

“We’ll just keep him for novice hurdles next year, I spoke to the owner last night and he’s not going to go to Aintree,” Mulholland said.

“He’s won his two bumpers, we’re very happy with what he’s done. We’ll put him away for next year and away we go.

“He can’t do any more, he won his bumper first time out by 13 lengths. The horse that finished second has come out and won a bumper since.

“We won his second bumper giving 22lb away to the second horse. Two runs, two wins – he’s done what we wanted.

“He’s a very nice horse, an exciting horse for the future, and we’re looking after him.”

Mulholland sweet on Milkwood’s County chance

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Neil Mulholland is confident Milkwood can outrun his odds in the McCoy Contractors County Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday week.

The nine-year-old was beaten just over two lengths into third place in the 2021 running of the fiercely-competitive handicap before going on to win the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr and finish second in the Galway Hurdle later that summer.

It is fair to say results have been mixed since, with a fourth place at Wetherby last month his latest effort.

But his rating has dropped from a high of a 151 to a perch of 141 ahead of his return to the Cotswolds, meaning he is now only 1lb higher than when he lined up for the same race two years ago – and Mulholland believes the general 25-1 shot is back to his best.

“He’ll run in the County Hurdle and he’s back to where he was, hopefully,” said the trainer.

“He’s on a dangerous mark now and I’d say he’s as good as he’s been for a long time.

“I’d say Sam (Twiston-Davies) will probably ride him.”

Mulholland’s other likely Festival runner is Lord Accord, who is primed to line up for Tuesday’s Ultima Handicap Chase – a race the Somerset handler won with The Druids Nephew in 2015.

Lord Accord won over fences at Cheltenham earlier in the season and has been saved for the Festival since finishing down the field in the Cleeve Hurdle in late January.

Lord Accord in action at Uttoxeter
Lord Accord in action at Uttoxeter (Mike Egerton/PA)

A decision on who will replace his sidelined rider Richie McLernon has yet to be made.

Mulholland added: “The horse is in good order. He had an away-day yesterday (Tuesday) and I’m very happy with him.

“We’ll decide later in the week who rides him, once we’ve had a good look at the confirmations.

“We’ve won the Ultima before and had a good few horses placed at the Festival. I wouldn’t be surprised if both horses run big races this year as they’re going there in good order.”

Mulholland in no hurry to map out Willmount plan

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Neil Mulholland is in no hurry to make firm plans for Willmount, who remained unbeaten when cruising to success in a bumper at Doncaster on Saturday.

The five-year-old, who cost £340,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale last year, was a two-and-a-half-length winner of his four-year-old maiden point and duly won his first bumper in January by 13 lengths under Jamie Moore.

Willmount followed up on his second start for Mulholland with a convincing four-and-a-half-length win in the Virgin Bet Open National Hunt Flat Race, this time partnered by Sam Twiston-Davies.

Mulholland was suitably impressed and said: “We’ll see what happens. He had 22lb more than the runner-up (Broomhill Road) and they didn’t go that quick.

“He hit him once before the wings of the last and he went from one length clear to four and a half lengths clear in the space of half a furlong.

“I thought it was a good run, giving 22lb away to a horse who will probably win next time out.

“He only started to get going in the last half-furlong. They didn’t go that quick early on, because the ground was plenty quick enough.”

Though he does not hold an entry in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, he could be under consideration for Aintree’s Grand National meeting next month.

The Wiltshire-based handler is in no rush to commit Willmount at this stage, however.

“If he runs anywhere, he will run at Aintree, but obviously he’s a nice novice hurdler for next year.

“For any horse to win two bumpers is a good achievement. We know he is a nice horse and we’re happy with what we have and there is no pressure to run him.

“If there is a bit of rain around, that’s fine. But that was good ground at Doncaster.”

Mulholland is still pondering who will ride Lord Accord at next week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Though the eight-year-old holds an entry in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, he is expected to line up in the Ultima Handicap Chase on day one of the four-day meeting, for which he is a general 12-1 chance.

Mulholland is mulling riders for Lord Accord
Mulholland is mulling riders for Lord Accord (Mike Egerton/PA)

Regular partner Richie McLernon is ruled out after suffering a broken leg and knee damage, sustained when Mulholland’s Crossing The Bar was brought down in a handicap hurdle at Doncaster in January.

The trainer is still sizing up options for Lord Accord, who won a Cheltenham handicap in October and was runner-up to Frodon in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton the following month.

He added: “We’ve booked nobody yet. I have to speak to the owners and see.

“Unfortunately, Richie McLernon is injured. I think he is hoping to be back for Aintree, but the horse is in good order and we’re very happy with him.”

Willmount delighting Mulholland since exciting debut

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Neil Mulholland is eyeing the spring festivals for his exciting bumper horse Willmount.

Bought for £340,000 following an impressive display in the pointing field at Comea in February last year, he went some way to justifying that price-tag when a commanding 13-length scorer on his rules debut at Doncaster earlier this month.

Jamie Moore was motionless aboard the Ollie Harris-owned five-year-old during the closing stages on Town Moor and Mulholland was delighted to see the son of Blue Bresil make a winning start – while also believing the team at Conkwell Lodge are only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

He said: “He’s a nice horse who has come out of the race really well and we’re hoping he’ll have come on for the race as well.

“I’ll have to speak to the owner, but we’ll be looking at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree and places like that.

“Everything of course has to be good and go well and we’re hoping he’ll be a nice novice hurdler next year. But if he keeps on improving the way he is we’ll definitely be at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree – that’s what the owner buys these horses for, he wants to be at the big meetings.

“He’s a nice horse to get and thankfully his first run lived up to expectation. Now he has to obviously step up again, but we would be more than confident there is hopefully more to come. He definitely wasn’t drilled for his bumper at Doncaster.”

The decision on if Willmount will run again before the spring is yet to be finalised with a Listed bumper at Newbury on February 11 a possibility. Although Mulholland appears to be favouring heading straight to the Champion Bumper on March 15 – a race for which he is a best price of 25-1 with bet365, but as short as 14-1 in places.

“I would suspect he would go straight there,” continued Mulholland.

“We don’t want to be overracing him and he’s backwards enough. It’s long-term we want this horse for so we’ll do what is right for the horse.

“We could go for a bumper at Newbury in the middle of February, but then you’ve only got four weeks to get over that to go to Cheltenham.”

Cleeve date for Lord Accord before chasing return

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Neil Mulholland will send Lord Accord to the Dahlbury Stallions at Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham before he goes back over fences.

The lightly-raced eight-year-old has won three of his nine starts over fences and triumphed in six of 17 races under rules, with three runner-up efforts to his name.

The consistent Yeats gelding won at Cheltenham in October, before chasing home previous King George VI Chase winner Frodon in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton.

His last run saw him finish ninth to Le Milos in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

Lord Accord (nearside) has a hurdles date
Lord Accord (nearside) has a hurdles date (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Mulholland is keen to give him a tune-up before going back over fences and said: “It wasn’t the worst run in the world in the Hennessy (Coral Gold Cup) and we have put him away for the winter now.

“Obviously, he won at Cheltenham and finished second in the Badger Ale.

“He will probably run in the Ultima Handicap Chase, but he will probably run in the Cleeve Hurdle in between.”

Milkwood will wait for suitable ground
Milkwood will wait for suitable ground (Jeff Holmes/PA)

Meanwhile, Milkwood, who finished runner-up in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las before getting stuck in the mud when last of four to Knappers Hill in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, will be kept on the sidelines until the ground is better.

Mulholland added: “Milkwood got a little bit jarred up after Wincanton. We will just wait for a bit of nicer ground and to be fair, he will run more when the ground is right.

“He is in good order and we are happy with him.

“We have had minus 10Cs, minus 8Cs and I do feel that it has knocked the horses a little bit. It is hard to keep them on the go when it gets like that.”