Emmet Mullins

Cheltenham is where his biggest moments have arrived. He won there twice in the space of six weeks in early 2024 — on 27 January and again on 12 March — and those results announced him as a trainer capable of performing when the spotlight is brightest. Cheltenham is famously unforgiving; it sorts out the horses and the teams who are genuinely good from those who only look it.

This season, Mullins has found another gear entirely. He has sent out 31 winners from 262 runners — roughly 1 in every 8 — and that 12% win rate is a significant jump from 8% last year. To put it simply: he is winning a third more of his races than he was twelve months ago. That kind of improvement in a short timeframe usually means something has clicked, whether in the quality of horses arriving at the yard or in how they are being prepared.

His most reliable ally in the saddle is jockey Donagh Meyler, who has ridden 17 winners from 91 races for the team — winning almost 1 in every 5 rides. That is a strong partnership by any measure, and when you see Meyler's name in the race card for a Mullins horse, it is worth paying attention. The pair's best recent result together came at Kempton Park on 24 November 2025, where Soldier In Milan — a horse Mullins has now won two of five races with — added another success to what is becoming a productive combination.

A trainer who wins big races on the biggest stages, improves year on year, and has a trusted jockey alongside him — Emmet Mullins, still only four years in, looks very much like a name that will be attached to many more notable mornings at the races.