Classic Getaway

The frustrating thing is that the raw ability has never really been in doubt. Trainer Willie Mullins — whose yard at Muine Bheag in Co Carlow has sent out an extraordinary 220 winners this season alone — has long believed Classic Getaway has the makings of a serious staying chaser, and the horse's jumping has consistently drawn praise. When he won at Gowran Park in February 2025, his regular jockey Danny Mullins pointed specifically to his jumping as the reason: three fences in the straight allowed Classic Getaway to use his agility to wind himself into contention and then produce a telling late kick. It was the kind of win that made you wonder what he might be capable of on the right day.

The trouble is that setbacks have disrupted the story. After an early-season win at Gowran Park in 2023 — where he beat a horse called Minella Cocooner in a beginners' chase — he was forced to miss most of that campaign. Getting him to Punchestown for the Festival that spring was described at the time as a big ask. That pattern, promising form interrupted by gaps, goes some way to explaining why a horse of his calibre has only four wins on his record.

What does bring him to life is wet ground. In 5 races on soft or muddy ground, he has won twice — a 40% win rate, or 2 from 5. That is a remarkable number. For context, across his whole career that figure is 4 from 21, just under 1 in 5. The going clearly matters enormously to him, and Mullins has acknowledged as much, noting that Classic Getaway ran respectably at Thurles on fast, dry ground but that the different conditions at Gowran Park the same season made a real difference.

The one gap in his CV is at the very top level. In 4 races at Class 1 — the biggest races in the calendar — he has yet to win. He raced just yesterday, so the campaign is very much alive, and with soft ground and the right course, there is still a sense that Classic Getaway has a big day in him somewhere.