Willie Mullins sent four winners home from Gowran Park on Saturday — and if you’ve been paying attention to his record at the Kilkenny track, that shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest.
Impaire Et Passe, Storm Heart, Madness D’Elle, and King Alexander all obliged on Red Mills Day. It was a clean sweep that underlined both the depth of the Closutton operation and Mullins’ particular fondness for a course that sits just over the hill from his Carlow base.
The Gowran Numbers
Mullins’ record at Gowran Park since 2023 reads: 32 winners from 101 runners — a 31.7% strike rate. That’s nearly nine percentage points higher than his already formidable 22.9% across all courses in the same period.
It’s not just volume. Look at the graded winners he’s produced there in recent seasons: Impaire Et Passe, Storm Heart, Kitzbuhel, Classic Getaway, Saint Sam, Monkfish, Melon, Janidil. The list reads like a who’s who of Cheltenham contenders. Gowran Park is where Mullins stress-tests his spring squad, and Saturday was the latest exam.
The Headline Acts
Impaire Et Passe grabbed the spotlight in the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase, winning on his first start in 291 days. We covered his spring options yesterday — the Ryanair, Gold Cup, and Grand National all remain on the table — but the manner of the victory was telling. Held up in rear by Paul Townend, he was only third at the last before staying on strongly to get up close home. That’s a horse with a serious engine who’s being campaigned with patience.
Storm Heart took the Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle in similar fashion — delivered late by Townend to collar Workahead, who made a costly mistake two out. It was a solid trial performance, though the race lacked real depth.
The One To Watch
The most interesting winner for Cheltenham purposes might actually be Madness D’Elle. The Susannah Ricci-owned mare had been a 4/11 favourite on her hurdling debut at Punchestown in January but could only finish second, unable to reel in the winner despite leading for most of the race. At Gowran, sent off 2/5, she got the job done — leading throughout and fighting back gamely when headed briefly before the last.
She holds a JCB Triumph Hurdle entry, and that Punchestown defeat suddenly looks less concerning. She was keen and slightly clumsy that day. At Gowran, she was more polished. Two runs over hurdles, one win and one close second — the upward curve is there.
King Alexander completed the four-timer in the closing beginners’ chase, beating stablemate Yoradreamer. A less glamorous contest, but another Mullins runner ticking the right boxes.
What It Means For March
Mullins has won the Red Mills Chase at Gowran in three of the last four years: Classic Getaway (2025), Saint Sam (2024), Janidil (2023), and now Impaire Et Passe. The race has become a reliable mid-February staging post for his Cheltenham chasers.
With the Festival now just 22 days away, Saturday’s four-timer was a reminder that Closutton’s conveyor belt doesn’t slow down in February — it accelerates. Mullins already has more graded winners this season than any other National Hunt trainer. Gowran Park, his local track and personal playground, just added four more to the tally.
The machine is firing. Cheltenham has been warned.