Cheltenham Festival 2026: ‘Willie’s in the Bumper’ – but which one?
Willie Mullins will saddle five runners in search of a remarkable 15th Champion Bumper win on Wednesday.
It’s 30 years since the master trainer’s first win in the race with Wither or Which, whom he rode himself, and it’s taken a total of 108 bullets to hit the target 14 times.
Ammunition aside, last year’s winning rider, Jody Townend, believes Mullins’ ability to “get them sharp” is key.
Speaking to Horse.bet, Townend, who won last year’s Champion Bumper aboard the Mullins-trained Bambino Fever, said:
“He seems to be able to get them to click. He trains them to be quite sharp, working them over a lot of short distances. That helps a lot of the bumper horses as it means they’re so straight when they get to the racecourse. They know how to gallop, which is what they need to do in a bumper.”
While Townend celebrated her first Cheltenham Festival win at her third attempt in the Champion Bumper, it’s Willie’s son, Patrick, who’s ridden the most winners in the race for Closutton.
Patrick Mullins is four wins from 15 rides in the race, bettering legendary stable jockey Ruby Walsh’s strike rate of three wins from 18 spins. Despite having ridden 10 times in the race, Jody’s brother Paul, who’s Mullins’ number one rider, has only carded one win from 10 attempts.
However, Jody revealed: “Patrick [Mullins] would get first pick, then Paul. Hopefully I’m on the third string, but there were plenty in Willie’s putting their hands up for rides, so I’m just happy to get one at all! I was refreshing the declarations all morning until I saw my name under The Wager, so I’m buzzing.
“Riding anything for Willie, you have a chance. I suppose The Wager is a bit of an outsider but he certainly has ability. He’s a bit of a quirky character, who can be a bit tricky, but if he puts it all together he could run into a place at a nice price.
“On the day he won he took plenty of cajoling by Patrick. He pricked his ears when he hit the front though and won with plenty in hand. Hopefully I can get the best out if him.”
Assessing this year’s bumper team, Townend said: ““Patrick has chosen Love Sign d’Aunou which is understandable, because he was really impressive in Naas. I rode Vienna Storm that day and I couldn’t get near him. He’s not the flashiest at home, but he brings his best to the race track.
“The Irish Avatar is Harry Cobden’s ride and I think he’s a great chance. He’s got good form with Low Kick coming out and winning easily since he bit him and he looks a good horse.”
“Paul will ride Quiryn, who is working well. I rode him at the Curragh the other day and he felt good. He’s had plenty of training having come over from France, where he was supposed to go on the Flat but had troubles with the stalls. He has plenty of mileage on the clock for a four-year-old, so while the four-year-olds don’t have a great record in the race, he goes well.”
At the prices, Horse.bet’s research reveals you shouldn’t be afraid of following one of Mullins’ in at big odds. Only two of his 14 winners went off favourite, while two have been first past the post at 25/1.
No jockey has ever won back-to-back Champion Bumpers, so Townend will have to buck a long-standing trend if she is to retain the crown this year.
