Willie Mullins and JP McManus have had a lot of success together over the years across all types of races; the grand national with I Am Maximus, the Triumph Hurdle with Marjborough, and hopefully the Ryanair this year for Fact To File. However, there are a couple of under the radar horses who are starting to emerge as possible Cheltenham Festival contenders, and two new names may be starting to creep onto people’s radars this coming jumps season, and JP and Willie may be in for a couple more Festival giants.
2016 looked like the year Annie Power would end her time with the Willie Mullins team, and as a great horse retired, just under 10 years later, her bay gelding Davy Crockett joined the Mullins team, as JP and Willie joined forces once again. Foaled on New Years day of 2021, the bay gelding by Camelot, and out of Annie Power, he impressed over his first National Hunt start at Punchestown in a bumper over 2 miles, winning on his debut under Patrick Mullins, and convincingly as well. He showed instant class and professionalism in his debut, and handled the good ground well, highlighting promising staying attributes, something his pedigree suggests will rise to the very top.
With a debut over hurdles coming tomorrow at Galway in a novice hurdle race over 2 miles, he is only showing promises of improving, and has raw potential which has yet to be unleashed. As unexposed as he is, his breeding and trainer make him a champion horse in the making, and is sure to have festival races in his future. He looks like a top novice hurdler in the near future, and his pedigree and stamina suggests he could even make a solid chaser. But, with a hurdling debut on the way, whether he can show why he is the real deal is the question, and if his game is on top level under Mark Walsh, Davy Crockett may well be the next Willie Mullins and JP McManus juggernaut.
That said, it doesn't end there. Mullins and McManus combine again with 6 year old bay gelding Vicar Street. One win in two National hunt starts, with a hurdling debut win by 11 lengths at Roscommon earlier this month, Vicar Street looks much more unpredictable compared to Davy Crockett, but still has potential to break out for Mullins. And although his impressive victory over 2 miles and 4 at Roscommon, a jump up to listed company at Galway this week will show us all we need to know about the 6 year old, and how well his staying and overall performance can be. Galway will also be a great tell tale on whether handicaps are an option, or whether listed and grade races are his kind of style.
Overall, Crockett looks special, and a hurdling debut with class and composure will lock down everything we can expect from him, and will only improve over the year, destined to be a grade 1 horse in the making. Vicar Street on the other hand, yet to find his race, and his race at Galway may be what Willie Mullins is looking for in order to determine what he will be best at. Whether it is handicap races, chasing, or novice hurling, the two are looking special, and JP McManus, and Willie Mullins may have struck gold together again, so keep an eye out for these two monsters.
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