Danny Mullins Stood Down After Heavy Fall at Thurles, Ahead of Cheltenham
Danny Mullins was stood down after a heavy fall from Fancy Girl at Thurles, ruling him out of the rest of the card and leaving his Cheltenham build-up in doubt five days out.
Three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Danny Mullins was stood down after a heavy fall from Fancy Girl in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase at Thurles, depriving him of action just five days before the Cheltenham Festival. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board confirmed Mullins was stood down and did not ride again that day.
The incident came at the seventh fence, described in reports as the first in the back straight of the 2m2f contest, when the eight-year-old Fancy Girl fell heavily and brought down Stormalong and its rider Darragh O’Keeffe. The fall removed Mullins from the remainder of the card; some accounts used the phrase “stood down for the remainder of the card,” while others reported he was “stood down for the day.”
Mullins, 33, was reportedly “sore” afterwards and missed his scheduled ride in the third race at Thurles. IrishRacing also noted Mullins still has two booked rides at Gowran on Saturday, leaving his immediate weekend programme in place but his Cheltenham preparation unsettled by the incident. Mullins is a multiple Grade 1-winning jockey and the nephew of champion trainer Willie Mullins.
The race itself was completed without Mullins aboard Fancy Girl’s stablemate: Karamoja, ridden by Paul Townend, went on as 5-4 favourite to score by 12 lengths, finishing clear of Neon Diamond, reported to be trained by Gordon Elliott. Those results stood despite the interruption when the fall occurred in the opener.
The timing raises stakes: IrishRacing placed the fall “just five days out from the start of the big meeting in the Cotswolds,” a narrow window for recovery before Cheltenham entries and declarations are finalised. Mullins’ Cheltenham résumé — three Festival wins and multiple Grade 1 successes — makes his availability and fitness a material issue for stables and bettors alike as the Festival approaches.
A separate medical incident at Thurles involved another Mullins family rider, but it is not connected to Danny Mullins’ fall. In that unrelated case, jockey David Mullins was airlifted to Cork University Hospital after a different fall; the IHRB medical officer, Dr Linsey Mason, said, “David was alert, speaking, moving all limbs and comfortable leaving Thurles.” That report concerned the 23-year-old David Mullins and a separate race.
The IHRB confirmation that Danny Mullins was stood down and IrishRacing’s note that he was “sore” provide the only immediate medical detail available. Further updates on Mullins’ condition, any medical assessment beyond being stood down, and whether he will ride at Cheltenham will be decisive for his connections in the coming days.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
