Willie Mullins already ‘thinking about the County Hurdle’ with Galway Festival winner and 16-1 York Ebor chance

SportHorse Racing WILLIE MULLINS is already ‘thinking about the County Hurdle’ with a runaway Galway Festival winner. Top owner Vincent Caldwell says his Columbus – who is a 16-1 chance for this month’s York Ebor handicap – will likely head to the big National Hunt festivals in the spring. Paul Townend has been getting to grips with brilliant Galway winner Columbus – possibly ahead of a tilt at Cheltenham’s County Hurdle in March Credit: PA Closutton boss Mullins loved what he saw from Columbus on his second spin over hurdles Credit: PA And, based on what he showed at Galway, he’d look right at home in the helter-skelter County, which Mullins has dominated. Columbus, who had form behind Look De Vega and Illinois when running in France, showed promise on hurdles debut for Mullins at Killarney in May. That set him up for a tilt at Royal Ascot’s Queen Alexandra, where he finished 11th of 13 having been sent off 11-1. The return to hurdles and a drop in trip to 2m1f worked wonders at Galway. Henry de Bromhead’s Midnight Jet had franked the form of their Killarney race the previous day when seeing off Mullins’ former Martin Pipe runner Roc Dino. The Closutton boss was blown away with Columbus’ jumping on just his second start over the smaller obstacles, saying: “Columbus gave an exhibition of jumping in front for a horse having just his second start over hurdles. TOP HORSE RACING TRAVEL DEALS GET closer to the action with these top travel deals. Our travel partners have a range of trips for all budgets to see the world’s best horse racing. Check out these amazing deals – 🍺 Cheltenham Festival — Race tickets and night at one of the local hotels for 2027 — From £159 pp 🐴 Grand National — Ticket to next year’s action plus stay in a leading local hotel — From £189 pp 🏆Epsom Derby — Race ticket plus stay in 4-star hotel — From £179pp 👑 Royal Ascot — 1 night in a local hotel plus ticket to the races and celeb preview — From £159 pp 🏇 Glorious Goodwood — Ticket to the races and luxury hotel for 2027 festival — From £159 pp ⭐ PLUS Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from £579pp and Dubai World Cup from £1,795pp *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. “The Ebor at York will be his next run and we’ll look at mixing a Flat and jumping campaign. “It’s his novice year so he’d probably get a break somewhere but I’d like to have him for the spring festivals.” Most read in Horse Racing Speaking to irishracing.com, Caldwell suggested the County – which Mullins has won recently with the likes of Kargese, Absurde and, memorably, State Man – could be his race of destiny. No odds are available yet for the two-mile test of speed and slick jumping. He said: “I think that he might be more of an Aintree horse. “Maybe Willie’s thinking about the County Hurdle or something like that at Cheltenham. “It’s nice to be an owner at Cheltenham but it’s just not the be-all and end-all to me. “I have no objections to him taking him there if that’s the path he thinks he should go on. We’ll leave it up to Willie.” FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here. Comment now