Legendary Irish trainer Noel Meade says he has no problem with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott dominating the Irish racing scene because they have earned it.
For several years now, the Irish have dominated in the sport of horse racing, and for many English fans of the sport, there seems to be little optimism that the run of Irish supremacy will end anytime soon.
For context, the Irish-trained horses won 18 of the 28 races at last season's Cheltenham Festival, including victories in the Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle, and Gold Cup. There have also been other years when Ireland's top jockeys and trainers have swept all before them.
Since Great Britain's Prestbury Cup win in 2015 at the Cheltenham Festival, the Irish have won every one of those titles, bar the tie in 2014. Ireland is expected to do the same in 2024.
A number of weeks ago, former champion jockey Richard Johnson expressed his annoyance at the suggestion that Irish trainers are better than their British colleagues.
“It annoys me when people suggest English trainers can’t train or the Irish trainers are much better," Johnson said weeks ago.
"That is simply not true. It is all about the quality of the animals. We have loads of trainers in Britain who, if they get the ammunition, are more than capable.
"That side of things really upsets me when you hear things being bandied around, making out we are not as good as the Irish. We are.
Trainer Willie Mullins celebrates after he sent out Al Boum Photo to win the Cheltenham 2020 Gold CupA lot has been said about the likes of Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins in the sport, but for the likes of Meade, the legendary Irish horse trainer, he believes they are there on merit. He also admitted that he would hate to see anyone getting in the way of the talanted duo.
Meade, speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest horse racing odds, said, "I have no problem with them at all. They have earned it. If they are able to dominate, that is okay as far as I am concerned. I would hate to see someone blocking them back. Both men are very good at what they do, and they have done a very good job in gathering the horses and the owners they have. They have just gotten bigger and bigger."
Meade also believes the Irish dominance mainly comes down to money and not much else.
"It is very difficult to buy against them in the sales ring; it really is; both in the store sales and the point-to-pointers. You really only get the leftovers when you go to the sales because they’re making so much money."
"Michael [O’Leary, Gigginstown Stud boss] has consolidated with Gordon, plus a few with Willie. Other than that, he hasn’t got horses with anyone else. He left us with what he had, but now we have only two Gigginstown left."
"The very simple answer is that he who buys the best horses wins the races. And at the moment, the Irish have the money to pay for the horses. If you look at prices at the sales, especially the point-to-point sales, 80–85% of the horses are coming to Ireland. It doesn’t necessarily mean that an expensive horse will be any good, but the majority are going to be. So, he who wins at the sales is going to win on the tracks."
