Willie Mullins is a picture of unbridled joyCredit: Edward Whitaker
I’ve been trying to bring you more reaction from Willie Mullins for the last half an hour and here we go at last.
I don’t know about you, but I’m still stunned by Ethical Diamond’s success. I shouldn’t be surprised about anything Mullins achieves these days, but even for his standards getting a horse who finished 15th, beaten 43 lenghts, in a Leopardstown handicap hurdle last Christmas to win one of the most prestigious races in all of Flat racing is astonishing.
The master trainer has been discussing how he took the five-year-old gelding from there to Royal Ascot, Ebor and now Breeders’ Cup Turf glory, while also reserving special praise for Dylan Browne McMonagle, who overcame the widest draw of all in stall 14.
Mullins said: “We were planning to go to Melbourne but the same syndicate has Absurde going there and with his medical history they wouldn’t let him in anyway. So we had to come up with an alternative plan and my assistant David Casey came up with this plan and I thought why not?
“We thought we’d come over and try to finish in the first four or six and when I saw the entries and our draw I thought maybe it’d be seventh or eighth.
“When Aidan’s horse [Gstaad] won from gate 14 yesterday that gave me a bit more confidence that it could be done. We discussed with Dylan how to ride the horse and we came up with a plan. Dylan is very cool and he executed it perfectly.
“He can be a very difficult ride, now that we have figured out the best tactics for him, it’s turned him inside out. The tactics are really key for him.”
Full report: Ethical Diamond causes 20-1 Turf upset to hand Willie Mullins incredible Breeders’ Cup success