Willie Mullins

DOB: September 15, 1956

Willie Mullins was six-time amateur champion rider in Ireland and his major successes in the saddle included the 1983 John Smith’s Fox Hunters' Chase at Aintree on Atha Cliath, before taking out a training licence in 1988.

He hails from one of Ireland's most famous racing families, being a son of Paddy Mullins, the now retired outstanding all-round trainer, whose most famous star was Dawn Run, winner of the 1984 Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup two years later.

Willie Mullins rode and trained Wither Or Which to win the 1996 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, the Cheltenham Festival race in which he has saddled six winners (also Florida Pearl 1997, Alexander Banquet 1998, Joe Cullen 2000, Missed That 2005 and Cousin Vinny 2008). While last year, he enjoyed a fantastic three victories at the Festival, led by his Gold Cup hope Cooldine.

Mullins saddled Rule Supreme to win the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the 2004 Cheltenham Festival and sent out the same horse to win the Irish Hennessy in 2005. His best horse to date has been Florida Pearl, who was placed in two Cheltenham Gold Cups, won the 1998 Royal & SunAlliance Chase, the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 Irish Hennessy Cognac Gold Cups in Ireland as well as the 2001 King George VI Chase and the 2002 totesport Bowl at Aintree. Mullins, who began training in 1988, has around 100 horses at his Closutton yard near Bagenalstown in Co Carlow.

Cheltenham Festival wins (15):

Spinal Research Supreme: 1995 Tourist Attraction, 2007 Ebaziyan

Weatherbys Bumper: 1996 Wither Or Which, 1997 Florida Pearl, 1998 Alexander Banquet, 2000 Joe Cullen, 2005 Missed That, 2008 Cousin Vinny

RSA Chase: 1998 Florida Pearl, 2004 Rule Supreme, 2009 Cooldine

JCB Triumph: 2002 Scolardy

David Nicholson Mares Hurdle: 2009 Quevega

Neptune: 2008 Fiveforthree, 2009 Mikael D’Haguenet