Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , top jockey Sean O'Keeffe gives his inside take on the Punchestown Festival .
The key Mullins rider on the Trainers' Championship battle, life at Closutton , and what makes Punchestown special.
Plus his favourite Festival memories and what a big week would mean to him.
Trainers Championship
'Not a Foregone Conclusion'
It's definitely not over. Gordon is still ahead by a decent margin in the Trainers' Championship, but Willie does have the firepower at Punchestown to win it, but it's not a foregone conclusion.
Gordon is not out of it, though. He has a nice team of horses as well, with plenty going for the big races too.
Great Competition
Gordon has been very close before, and he's very close again. I'm sure in the future there won't be much between them again.
It is great competition, and hopefully we'll keep coming out on top, at least from my point of view!
Punchestown Festival
'80 Runners. Big Team of Lorries'
Yes, they love it! I think they'll have around 80 runners. It'll be a big team of lorries heading up to Punchestown every morning. All the festivals kind of roll on pretty quick. Once Cheltenham comes in the spring, it's on pretty quick to Fairyhouse , Aintree and then Punchestown now. So, it's an enjoyable time of year. There's not much break, it's just top-class racing in very quick succession. Punchestown is always great to look forward to. It is always a great week to finish off the year with. Plenty of competitive racing, big fields, and it's always an enjoyable week with a great crowd and weather hopefully.
The ground is always perfect. It's a great track. Everybody enjoys it there, and I suppose everybody wants to finish off on a good note, too. It definitely is very important to Mullins . All the best horses end up at Punchestown at the end of the year. It fits in well in the calendar, with horses that have gone to Cheltenham , Aintree and Fairyhouse .
Sometimes it can come a little bit quick after Aintree and Fairyhouse , but Cheltenham horses have had a nice break coming in from there. It's the last big races of the season before the good horses go out on their summer holidays. Punchestown always does a great job there, and the ground and everything is always good and safe.
No Complacency
I wouldn't think so. The horses all have to turn up in top form. But there's definitely a good team of horses there for us, and with a bit of luck, I think Willie should definitely win the trainer's championship.
Behind the Scenes
Life at Closutton
I ride out there three days a week, working the horses. I've been working with plenty of the horses and schooling plenty of them. You'd know a lot of horses in there, helping to get them all ready.
I'm not part of the full-time staff as such; there's a lot more people on the ground in there on very early mornings, late evenings, mucking out, looking after the horses as well, plus riders are there every day riding out. I'm lucky that I get to ride plenty of them, especially at the big festivals when there's plenty of them turning up and plenty of races. I'm lucky to get a nice few rides there and to pick up a few nice ones over the time as well. You're there hoping that you get lucky and get on a nice one and things fall your way.
The level and quality of horses there is unbelievable. Every morning you go in, you wouldn't know what you could be riding out, or you wouldn't know what you could end up riding at the races. The number of top-level horses there is second to none, compared with any other yard in the country. That just drives the levels of everyone in the yard.
'The Drive is Definitely There'
I'd say so! He definitely has as much drive to do it as he ever had. Every year the yard has grown with the numbers of horses. He's improving something every year. I think the drive is definitely there.
I think it's probably something you have to keep going. You have to keep buying new horses every year and keep the conveyor belt going.
'Once You're on One of Willie's, You'll Always Have a Chance'
They'll all have chances. There's plenty in some of the Grade One novices and plenty in the handicaps that any of them can pop up and win. You never really know with Willie . Once you're on one of his, you'll always have a chance.
Sometimes, some of the bigger ones can be overlooked in the betting because they might not be the pick of Paul Townend or anyone. But they'll all have a squeak. You're just hoping you're on the right one and everything clicks right on the day.
Career Reflections
Best Memories
Probably, coming home from school when the racing was more in the evenings during the week. You'd get in to watch the big races. I used to love watching the TV, and so I used to skip the odd day off school and head up to the races. All the great horses have rocked up there. I remember watching all of them back through the years. Sprinter Sacre got a huge ovation when he came and won there. The crowd in Punchestown really appreciate the good horses as well.
The level of competition is huge. Everybody wants to get a piece of the action and a winner. There is not an inch given out on the track. There are big fields with handicaps of 25 or more runners. It sounds like there could be plenty more British entries too, which all adds to it. Everyone in the weighing room is fairly good friends, really. But when you get out on the track, then you have to look after yourself at the end of the day.
What a Good Week Means
Obviously, a winner would be lovely. Maybe a couple! I've had a couple of winners there over the years. It's always a good week, a big week to have winners, so we can make something out of the week.
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