Racing News: Six years after a breakup that changed the Irish jumps racing scene, Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud partnership appears poised for an unexpected reunion with Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins.
Numerous notable victories were achieved by O’Leary and Mullins together, including the 2013 Punchestown Gold Cup with Sir Des Champs and the 2016 Aintree 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle with Apple’s Jade.
However, O’Leary withdrew his horses from the Closutton maestro’s yard during the height of Gigginstown’s business in 2016 because of disagreements about training fees, which caused the two to part ways.
Those who benefited from that decision included Gordon Elliott, who trained dual Grand National champion Tiger Roll and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Don Cossack for O’Leary. Joseph O’Brien, Noel Meade, and Henry de Bromhead also acquired horses.
Eddie O’Leary, the racing manager at Gigginstown, said at the time that the company would no longer be buying young horses or storing them for a prolonged period of four or five years when they made their intentions to wind down their racing business.
With Gigginstown sending a “limited and chosen” number of horses to the Mullins stable, including thrilling Clonmel bumper winner Shanbally Kid, purchased for £190,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale, it appears the decision has at least been postponed.
O’Leary told Thoroughbred Daily News: “All I will say is that it is a long road that doesn’t turn.
“We’ve had some great days with Willie [Mullins] and we are looking forward to having a couple with him this season again.
“Shanbally Kid will be the first of them. We bought him after he won his bumper at Clonmel.”
The Gigginstown team also paid €235,000 for the Land Rover Bumper second Miss Agusta, which is now headed to the Gordon Elliott yard.
“We bought a few bumper horses and got a couple at the store sales so it will be a small and select approach going forward. Miss Agusta is ours and she’s for Gordon,” he added.
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