Ballyburn: Profile, Record, Age & Best Races

Willie Mullins has once got more Ballyburn in tip-top shape as he prepares to head to the Cheltenham Festival looking to protect his unbeaten record in the Cotswolds.

A year ago, Ballyburn carried the pressure of odds-on favouritism with aplomb in the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle as he won convincingly.

Name: Ballyburn

Age: 7

Weight: 11st 10lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Winnings: £292,507

Cheltenham Festival wins: 1

Ballyburn race stats

Runs	1st	2nd	3rd
10	8	2	0

Ballyburn Age

Ballyburn is a seven-year-old gelding.

Ballyburn Weight

On his most recent start in a Grade 1 novice chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, Ballyburn carried 11st 10lb.

Ballyburn Record

Ballyburn has won eight of his 10 career starts to date under Rules, plus a point-to-point before that. He won two bumpers at Punchestown in the spring of 2023 either side of skipping the Cheltenham Festival.

He was denied behind Firefox on his hurdling bow at Fairyhouse over 2m in December of that year, outdone for pace in a tactical race, but went unbeaten through his next four starts over timber.

They included defeating the subsequent Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Slate Steel at the DRF over 2m, before stepping up in trip for the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham as he won easily under Paul Townend. He signed off at Punchestown with his third Grade 1 of the spring.

He made a winning start over fences at Punchestown (2m3f, soft) in November of 2024 before going to Kempton where he was second to Sir Gino in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase.

He stepped up in trip back on home soil at the DRF, seeing off hitherto unbeaten chaser Croke Park over 2m5½f with an improved and controlled round of jumping before he cleared away to win on the level.

Ballyburn Next Race

Following that win at the Dublin Racing Festival, connections of Ballyburn have turned their eyes towards Cheltenham again, with the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase over 3m the target.

Ballyburn Owner and Cost

Ballyburn races in the colours of Ronnie Bartlett and is owned jointly alongside David Manasseh.

Bartlett has horses in training in Ireland and Britain and his company, Albert Bartlett, is a major sponsor of National Hunt racing. The businessman also owns the likes of King George winner Banbridge with Joseph O'Brien and the Gordon Elliott-trainer Galvin.

Manasseh has made a career representing some of the biggest names in football as an agent and Ballyburn is his first foray into racehorse ownership.

Originally sourced by Ian Ferguson for €80,000 at the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland November Sale, he won his point-to-point at Loughanmore in October 2022 and was bought soon afterwards by Bartlett in a private sale for an unspecified fee.

Ballyburn Trainer

Ballyburn is trained by Willie Mullins at his base in Closutton, Co Carlow. Mullins is currently the champion trainer in both Britain and Ireland after landing the British crown for the first time last spring. He has trained a record 103 Cheltenham Festival winners, more than any other trainer before him.

Ballyburn Official Rating

Ballyburn was rated 162 over hurdles and is currently rated 160 over fences after three runs.

Ballyburn Prize Money

In his career to date, Ballyburn has pocketed £292,507 in prize money with his biggest payday being the £75,964 he won at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2024.

Ballyburn News

Though he was beaten by Sir Gino at Kempton back in December, connections of Ballyburn were not put off, feeling that the two-mile trip around the Sunbury venue was probably not in his favour.

He had duly got back on track via his DFR win and, before that race, his co-owner was keen to stress the long-term goal remains to have a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

"It's always been the big goal for David and I, all along, to get him to a Gold Cup. He needs to learn how to relax a little bit better and he still has a lot of other things to learn, but I'm sure he gained an awful lot from his experience at Kempton," he told the Racing Post.

"The dream is still alive and we're going to keep dreaming."