Lorry trouble not derailing Willie Mullins’ title charge

Willie Mullins has already overcome one potential hiccup in his quest to defend the British trainers’ title, after a replacement lorry was required to transport some of his Sandown battalion on Thursday morning.

The master of Closutton has amassed a 21-runner squad for Sandown’s end-of-season meeting and his showdown with Dan Skelton which will decide who takes home the champion trainer trophy.

However, one of the Mullins lorries failed to start as some of the string were preparing to make the first part of their journey, meaning an early-morning scramble for an alternative.

Mullins said: “When the lorries pulled out this morning for Sandown, one of them wouldn’t start so we had to get a new lorry at half past five in the morning.”

The trainer was not aware of the issue himself until mid-morning once the stranded runners were safely on their way.

On a media call hosted by Great British Racing, Mullins added: “I didn’t know anything about it until I was wondering what my own lorry was doing in the yard taking horses to the Curragh when I thought that should be in England.

“I would think if I’m normally passing a bed at 5.30 in the morning, I’m normally getting into it not getting out of it, so I didn’t know anything.

“The lorry started last night and it’s started again just now so whatever happened first thing this morning I don’t know, but we found a spare quick enough.”