Horse Racing Tips
Who’s the best National Hunt trainer?
Who’s the best National Hunt trainer?
In the competitive world of British and Irish Jumps racing, four trainers have stood out in recent times. But who is the best National Hunt trainer?
If you look solely at the Cheltenham Festival, then the easy answer is Willie Mullins. The Irish handler has sent out 94 winners at the March meeting and has been crowned the festival’s top trainer 10 times.
But the competition comes from Gordon Elliott, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls. Overall, this quartet of trainers sent out 12 winners during the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, including victory in each of the Championship races.
However, the Emerald Isle’s dominance in the Prestbury Cup – awarded to the country who has the most festival winners – is mostly down to the success of Mullins and Elliott, whose battles on either side of the Irish Sea have become regular highlights of the National Hunt calendar. Although, Henry De Bromhead has emerged as another top Irish trainer.
While Mullins and Elliott have gone hammer and tongs day in, day out in Ireland, it’s a battle between Henderson and Nicholls on the UK front. The Trainers’ Championship is judged on money earned and not for most wins, though the two go hand-in-hand.
Which of jumps racing’s ruling quarter should be considered as the top dog? Let’s scratch the surface and discover, for all their accolades, what else these top National Hunt trainers have left to achieve.
Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins is one of the sport’s most recognisable names
Let’s start with the master of Closutton. Mullins is the one that many would regard as the best National Hunt trainer, but he’s still faced setbacks – notably the fallout with Gigginstown. Yet he’s rolled the punches thanks to the support of other owners and continued his success.
Mullins has the ability to get a horse primed to win competitive races, even after lengthy absences. A couple of examples down the years at the Cheltenham Festival have been with Arctic Fire in the 2017 County Hurdle and Penhill in the 2018 Stayers’ Hurdle.
It didn’t matter that these horses had over 400 and 300 days off the track respectively, Mullins got them race fit and brought them over to Cheltenham to land more success.
As well as bringing horses back to fitness, Mullins is the master of training mares. He won the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in eight consecutive years, six times with Quevega and this is a division he’s had plenty of success in.
And it’s part of that why Mullins has won the Irish Jumps Trainers’ Championship on 16 occasions, including in each of the last 15 seasons. Plus, he’s now won each of the four Championship races at the Cheltenham Festival with Al Boum Photo (x2) and Galopin Des Champs giving him three Gold Cups since 2019 – a race that had eluded him for so long.
With El Fabiolo and Impaire Et Passe coming through the novice ranks, while Galopin Des Champs and Energumene establish themselves at the top table, it won’t be long before Mullins reaches 100 Cheltenham Festival winners.
However, the Grand National is a race he’s only won once. In 2005, Hedgehunter justified favouritism to give him that success and throughout the years he’s only had six other horses in the places in the famous race. Will that change this year?
Last year of Willie Mullins in Horse Racing
So far, 2023 has seen Willie Mullins train six Cheltenham Festival winners and a further 12 Grade 1 races after the Festival.
It’s not just the top National Hunt races that Willie Mullins excels in, however, as he has also trained a Royal Ascot winner this year, in the shape of Vauban, and the Ebor Handicap winner, Absurde.
View the latest jockey and trainers’ betting odds here
Gordon Elliott
Learning from the masterful Martin Pipe stood Elliott in good stead when he launched his own training career in 2006. He saddled Silver Birch to Grand National glory at Aintree in 2007 before even having a winner on home soil in Ireland.
It was an auspicious start to Elliott’s training career, and it took him multiple attempts before he won his first Irish Grand National. In 2018, Elliott sent out 13 runners in the race and finally ended his hoodoo as General Principle was first past the post.
Now, Elliott has to try and breakthrough in the Irish Trainers’ Championship, something he’s yet to do, proving how difficult it is to dethrone Willie Mullins with the firepower he has.
However, he’s had plenty of joy at the Cheltenham Festival, where in 2017 and 2018 he was crowned the top trainer, recording 14 winners across the two years. And it was even before that he got his first taste of Gold Cup success at Don Cossack (2016) beat Mullins pair Djakadam and Don Poli.
It was this year’s Cheltenham Festival that saw him add another Championship race to his resumé with Sire Du Berlais causing a 33/1 upset in the Stayers’ Hurdle. While he’s dominated the Cross Country, winning five of the last seven renewals with the likes of Tiger Roll and Delta Work.
Tiger Roll gave Elliott further success in the 2018 and 2019 Grand Nationals to take him to three winners – just one behind Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain. And in 2023, Delta Work could be the one that takes Elliott alongside that legendary pair.
Last year of Gordon Elliott in Horse Racing
Elliott trained 4 winners at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and further three winners at the following Aintree Grand National Festival.
The new National Hunt season got underway in fine style in October, when Elliott won the Munster National with Gevrey.
Nicky Henderson
Nicky Henderson talking the media during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows, Lambourn.
Seven Barrows trainer Henderson has been on the scene for some 40 years now, having previously assisted Fred Winter during the mid-1970s. No trainer has saddled more Champion Hurdle winners than Henderson who reached nine as Constitution Hill stormed up the Cheltenham run-in.
And the veteran trainer has had plenty of success in the other Championship races at the Cheltenham Festival.
Henderson has won the Queen Mother Champion Chase six times – joint-most with Tom Dreaper and Paul Nicholls. While he’s also sent out two wins in both the Stayers’ Hurdle and Gold Cup.
But the Grand National is a race that has evaded Henderson. Despite having sent out 20 runners in the world’s greatest steeplechase, he’s only seen five complete and has never placed in the race.
He’s not won the Scottish or Welsh equivalents either, but then again, you probably don’t associate too many stayers with Henderson. Bobs Worth may have won three Cheltenham Festival races, including the Gold Cup, but he’s the main one that falls into that category.
Most will remember dual Champion Chase winner Sprinter Sacre and his remarkable victory in 2016. These speedier horses over shorter trips are where Henderson excels, and that had been the case with Shishkin until he had a couple of setbacks and now looks set to tackle a longer trip.
For most of the National Hunt season in the UK, Henderson is battling with Paul Nicholls for the Champion Trainer crown, something the Seven Barrows handler has won six times – the first of which came back in 1985/86, showing his longevity within the sport. Even now, Henderson is going as strongly as ever and shows no sign of slowing down.
Last year of Nicky Henderson in Horse Racing
2023 was off to a great start for Nicky Henderson, whose season had already yielded plenty of results, with Marie’s Rock winning the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day. In quick succession, Epatante, City Chief, Jonbon, Luccia and Shishkin fired in some top results, before Constitution Hill put the icing on the cake by winning the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Shishkin, Constitution Hill and Jonbon delivered once again at the Aintree Festival, winning the Aintree Bowl Chase, the Aintree Hurdle and the Maghull Novices’ Chase respectively.
View the latest jockey and trainers’ betting odds here
Paul Nicholls
Trainer Paul Nicholls holds Cheltenham Festival entry Movewiththetimes at his Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat.
The Ditcheat trainer started life as a jockey and had plenty of great guidance, starting under the stewardship of Josh Gifford before becoming stable jockey for David Barons.
In 1985 and 1986 Nicholls rode the winners of the Hennessy Gold Cup (now known as the Coral Gold Cup) at Newbury, while he also landed the 1987 Welsh Grand National aboard Playschool.
Having ridden 133 winners over seven years, Nicolls retired after injury in 1989 and two years later took out his training licence. And some might say he’s never looked back.
It was in 1993 that he sent out his first Grade 1 winner, but he had to wait until 1999 for his Cheltenham Festival breakthrough, which saw him land two Championship races with Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and See More Business in the Gold Cup.
Through the years he’s trained plenty of legendary names, which have helped provide many rivalries, including the one between Kauto Star and Denman. Kauto Star won the Gold Cup twice in 2007 and 2009 with Denman getting the better of his stablemate in 2008.
Not only did Kauto Star produce at Cheltenham, but he was a five-time winner of the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day – a feat that remains unmatched. And it’s that Grade 1 that Nicholls like to target, winning it 13 times since 1997.
With all the success at the upper echelons of National Hunt racing, it’s no surprise that Nicholls has racked up plenty of prize money. He won his first Champion Trainer title in 2005/06 and has gone on to claim the accolade 11 more times, wresting it back from Nicky Henderson in the 2021/22 season.
Another thing Nicholls has is a Grand National victory. In 2012 Neptune Collognes wore down Sunnyhillboy in the final furlong and got up on the line to win by a nose under a power-packed Daryl Jacob ride. However, that remains his only Grand National winner from 63 runners and he didn’t have a single entry for the 2023 race.
Last year of Paul Nicholls in Horse Racing
In classic Nicholls fashion, 2023 has been awash with winners. Two winners at the Cheltenham Festival were followed up by Pic D’Orhy winning the Melling Chase at Aintree and Rubaud winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
The new season is already set to be no different with over £300,000 in prize money already on the board for Nicholls.
