Mullins reacts positively to news of Thurles plans Champion National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins has praised the decision to fulfil the remaining fixtures at Thurles up until March 2026. Following a meeting between HRI and the Molony family on Thursday, the track received a reprieve in the short term at the very least. That gives all interested parties the time to consider a longer term plan for the racecourse going forward. Willie Mullins said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that Thurles has been saved for this year and hopefully a more structured permanent plan can be put in place. I'm looking forward to seeing what ideas people have. "We cannot afford to lose grass racetracks for the jumping game. Any new tracks coming nowadays are all-weather. Grass jump tracks have to be cherished and minded. "If they go, our game is gone and I think it's essential to mind every one of them that we have in Ireland and England. That's where I'm coming from anyway." Additional reporting by Donal Murphy.
