Willie Mullins prioritizes strategy over King George entries

In the lead-up to the Boxing Day King George race, notable trainer Willie Mullins made the decision to withdraw all eight entries, impacting the ante-post market significantly. The trainer indicated that he might consider a supplementary entry for his promising horse, Fact To File, who had recently won the John Durkan Memorial. Mullins detailed that discussions were ongoing regarding potential entries, with particular focus on keeping runners within their comfort zones. Furthermore, Mullins emphasized the importance of not stretching horses too far too soon, explaining his choice to withdraw Gaelic Warrior, whom he prefers to run over two miles rather than pushing him to three miles for his first season race. Mullins aims to enter Gaelic Warrior into the two-mile event at Leopardstown for the Christmas holidays instead. Meanwhile, Il Etait Temps, another horse intended for the King George, is out for the season after dealing with an infection. Mullins remains optimistic about the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival and is looking forward to future opportunities for his horses, believing in a careful approach to racing choices that best suit each runner's development and performance history.