A Day in the Life - Kilkenny jockey Danny Mullins opens up about life on and off the track

Danny Mullins is a national hunt jockey, born and bred in Gowran. The 30-year-old is taking the Irish and UK racing world by storm with many Grade 1 winners under his belt.  

Blood is thicker than water in the Mullins family dynasty, with horse racing running through their veins. Danny is a son of successful trainers Tony Mullins and Mags Mullins, which also makes him nephew to Willie and Tom Mullins and first cousins with champion amateur jockey Patrick, Grand National winning retired jockey David, Grand National winning trainer Emmet, and Charlie – the new jockey on the block.

As a 16-year-old, Danny had his first winner in Leopardstown with My Girl Sophie, trained by Jim Bolger. Since then, he has ridden with 18 Grade 1 winners. We had a chat with Danny before Thursday's (tomorrow) Goff’s Thyestes and about his road to Cheltenham this coming March. 

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Here is a glimpse into Danny’s fast world….

We have one of Kilkenny’s most prestigious racing days in the calendar this week at Gorwan Park - Goff’s Thyestes. You must have some great memories of it growing up as it was literally on your doorstep.

The day off school, that was the most important thing for me when I was younger!

Growing up in a racing family and having that local day was very important. I’d say nearly every race meeting in Gowran and definitely the jumping meetings, they would be a full team of the Mullins cousins with myself and my brother Anthony. Every race we would sit on the fence just as the horses ran out onto the track.

The Thyestes was pretty special as well, as it was one of those races where the crowds get so close to the ditch at the second last and last fence, so you can really feel the action. People go on about motor racing and Formula 1 where you can feel the cars driving by, well when the horses are galloping up to those fences you can actually feel the ground shaking if you are standing with the crowds. That’s what sparked it for me!

It was always a special date in the calendar for the locals and now that RTÉ have come on board to broadcast it, it has really opened up to a wider audience.

The renowed Mrs. Mullins with her grandson Danny Mullins after his win of the Goff's Thyestes Steeplechase at Gowran Park in 2020. 

What about your Thyestes wins?

My first win in the Thyestes was the Thyestes Handicap Chase on Total Recall trained by Willie Mullins. He wasn’t well fancied on the day, but I had ridden him in the Grand Prix de Paris, for the French Gold Cup. I was fourth or fifth on him in Paris in a very good race and I thought if he could reproduce that form in any way, he’d have a decent chance of winning the race and he did.

Your grandmother Mrs. Maureen Mullins is a great supporter of you all and what a lady. I’ve seen her in action in Cheltenham and she is equivalent to the Queen on arrival, the crowds’ even part for her.

Definitely, and everybody loves seeing her out and about. She is heading for 94 years of age and has lived through an awful lot. So to have her there and to see how much of a kick she gets out of us winning the likes of those races is pretty special.

Is she nervous watching her grandchildren compete in such a dangerous sport?

Helen (David and Charlie’s mother) and Mags (my mother) are quite nervous watching the races, but I think Granny is hardened to it at this stage!

She has seen a generation before us go through it all, she is wise too what can happen in this game, but thank God we’ve all recovered and keep going.

You’ve had your own fair shares of injuries.

Yes, there’s plenty of them. I’ve broken wrists, arms, collar bones and my neck a few years ago. I’ve been through the mill, but it could be a lot worse. Bones heal, but when you don’t feel pain, that’s trouble. Once you feel the pain, you know you are fine.

Recovery can give you unbelievable determination to prove everybody wrong and I suppose it’s also a healthy mindset to have in those situations. You could go with ‘poor me’, but then you just end up on a slippery slope.  

What’s the routine for this week leading up to Thyestes?

I’m good enough weight-wise. I keep an eye on what I eat, but I have tried to cut down on my sugar this year. We are only the third week into January, so I can’t give up yet!

I’II be in the gym as I would every week, where I do one good weight session a week, usually on Monday. On Tuesday morning, I’II be in Willie’s yard. On Wednesday, I could be riding out for my mother or John Ryans and Thursday morning back to Willie.

Early Thursday morning, I'II get the newspaper and head up to my mothers to study my form at her kitchen table. After that, it’s crucial that I get up to Gorwan Park early as traffic is usually hectic on Thyestes Day. I always advise people to get in there early, often Willie doesn’t make it for the first race himself with the traffic!

I’II walk the track and do my stretches or whatever warm up needs to be done pre-race. After that I lean into racing for the day.

Weight training is not what you normally hear jockey’s doing!

I find it has helped me recover so much better from some of my more serious injuries. Weight training has also helped me lessen the damage in other falls, for example when I broke my neck two years ago. Sure, I was back in the gym five weeks after that and back racing within 12 weeks. The big part was being strong and fit from beforehand.

Paul Townend is Willie Mullin’s number one jockey, but you are one of Ireland’s and the UK’s best riders. What drives you?

I suppose it’s to be successful. I’m in a very lucky position to be part of the team at Willie’s and get to ride a lot of good horses. I also ride for smaller trainers throughout the summer, including my mother and father.

I get as much of a kick out of riding winners on their top horses. The big races are very important, but it’s all relative to each team that you are working with.

It’s about winning, the only currency in racing is winning.

So many jockeys would love to be able to ride in a Grade 1 race, and you have been fortunate to win a string of them.

Again, I’m very fortunate to be part of Willie’s team that regularly wins Grade 1 races. It’s become part of the season now. I don’t set a target number-wise, but throughout the season to ride Grade 1 is definitely part of it for me.   

You are starting out with the dream to be a G1 jockey. As a young lad while playing the PlayStation and one eye on the racing. I looked up to the likes of Rugby Walsh, Charlie Swan and Barry Geraghty. They were the lads you wanted to be like.

As you start to make the dream a reality, it becomes surreal.

Flooring Porter gave you your first win at the Cheltenham festival, but he had a setback last week. Is there a 50:50 chance that he will make it to the festival this March?

I haven’t been up with his trainer Gavin Cromwell since he ran in Leopardstown, but 50:50 gives him a good chance to me. I’d be a glass half full type of guy.

Gavin is a top-class trainer, and he has navigated this type of path before, and I don’t see any reason why he should be overly concerned about him not making it there yet. There’s plenty of time for him still.

Are you excited for Cheltenham?

For sure. Cheltenham is the week for national hunt racing and it’s when jump racing hits the mainstream media. The past few years going there with the likes of Flooring Porter, has definitely brought my profile to a new level and hopefully the likes of that can build me towards more better rides there this year and hopefully more success.

Danny Mullins is the Tote’s Brand Ambassador. Follow 'The Journey To Cheltenham: Danny Mullins' on Tote’s YouTube https://www.JourneytoCheltenham:DannyMullins

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