Willie Mullins nails down the ‘real problem’ with Cheltenham Festival after being crowned top trainer for 12th time

WILLIE MULLINS has nailed down what he believes to have been the ‘real problem’ at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

The legendary Irish handler was crowned top trainer for the 12th time in all and seventh year in a row with ten victories on the week.

But it could have been more had it not been for one of his runners getting caught up in controversy.

All week there was anger over the starts – with several races frustratingly affected by false starts and jockeys banned as a result.

Mullins saw big Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle hope Maughreen ruin all chance when she whipped round at the start.

Cheltenham’s starter came under fire for his handling of the beginning of races, with Maughreen’s owners branding the whole thing ‘farcical’.

While Gigginstown Stud owner Michael O’Leary said the whole thing was ‘health and safety gone mad’ and ‘bloody nonsense’.

He added: “The starter here needs a root up his backside.”

Mullins has pinpointed what caused so much trouble, though, in the hope we won’t see a repeat next year.

The Closutton boss – who sang karaoke with Nicky Henderson at the track – said: “To me, the single issue with the starts was just coming out around a bend.

“Starting races with that amount of runners around a bend, you get away with it in normal races where there are six or seven runners.

“But with 24 runners, the guys on the outside have to be cantering to keep up with the guys on the inside.

“In France, if they want to start around a bend, the horse on the inside walks to the far side of the track, and then walks back again until they’re all in a straight line, and then they all turn in.

“Basically, I think the real problem last week was starting on a bend.

“The starters has his rules to stick by, the jockeys are trying to jockey for position, and I just think the amount of runners on the bend was the problem.”

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