David Casey has been a vital figure in Willie Mullins’ training operation since retiring from race riding 11 years ago. He began his jockey career under Mullins’ guidance at 17 and secured notable victories including two Irish Hennessy Gold Cups, the Galway Plate, the Thyestes Chase, and memorable wins at Cheltenham such as the 2002 Grand Annual Chase aboard Fadoudal Du Cochet and the 2004 Royal & SunAlliance Chase on Rule Supreme.
Casey ended his riding career on a high note, winning a novice hurdle with Long Dog at Listowel in 2015 before traveling with Max Dynamite to compete in the Melbourne Cup in Australia shortly after.
Now 50, Casey remains an indispensable member of the Mullins team and has high expectations for two of the stable’s leading contenders at the upcoming Cheltenham Festival: Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase, and Majborough in the Champion Chase.
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Discussing Majborough with BOYLE Sports, who provide the current Cheltenham odds, Casey said: “Majborough’s performance at Leopardstown was exceptional. If he can replicate that, he’d be very difficult to beat.”
He explained how the team managed Majborough’s temperamental nature: “He used to be a bit keen, so we put cheekpieces on him. When he led alone, he would idle and make mistakes, so at Christmas we tried running him behind Solness to get some cover. That helped his jumping but didn’t fully utilize his strengths. He stays well and can maintain a high cruising speed, so we reverted to wearing the cheekpieces.”
Casey added, “Mark Walsh was confident Majborough needed a strong, consistent gallop to perform his best, which he got last time with the cheekpieces on. We believed the cheekpieces would keep him focused if he led, and it worked perfectly—he delivered a huge performance.”
Regarding Fact To File, the Irish Gold Cup winner and reigning Ryanair Chase champion, Casey revealed that connections are considering their options but strongly believe he is the favorite in the Ryanair Chase if he competes.
He said, “JP, his team, and Willie will decide his target, but as the reigning Ryanair champion, if he runs there, I think he’ll be very hard to beat.”
With Casey’s insider insight and expert evaluation, both Fact To File and Majborough stand out as solid ‘bankers’ to watch at the Cheltenham Festival 2026.