- El Fabiolo's Early Life and Breeding
- Training Under Willie Mullins
- Race Career Overview - key victories and highlights
- El Fabiolo's Unexpected Defeat at 2024 Cheltenham Festival starts downturn in form
- Rivals and Competitors of El Fabiolo
- What makes El Fabiolo so great
- Impact on Horse Racing and Legacy
- What next for El Fabiolo?
- Stats
El Fabiolo's Early Life and Breeding
A star was born back in May 2017, when El Fabiolo was born.
A horse that has been able to win multiple Grade 1 races, his journey started in France, where so many champion jump horses have been produced. Born out of the highly talented, Spanish moon. Spanish Moon was a classy flat horse that had much success, with his career highlight being winning the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris back in 2009.
On the other side of his lineage is Sainte Mante. A significant dam, she has produced multiple winners, with El Fabiolo becoming her third black winner.
With a classy breeding background it isn't surprising that he was highly sought after and was snapped up by the experienced duo of Simon Munir and Issac Soude. He would go on to race under the operation's famous green silks.
Training Under Willie Mullins
For decades French racing has birthed superstars, two of the most famous jumps horses in history, Kauto Star and Galopin Des Champs started life in France, but French born horses don’t often stay there.
The big money in jumps racing is usually found in Ireland and with his breeding being so impeccable, Munir and Soude decided that after two runs in his homeland, El Fabiolo would be trained by Willie Mullins.
When it comes to jumps racing, Mullins is the master. Nobody in history has trained as many Cheltenham Festival winners as him and when he arrives at the sport’s showpiece events, it’s almost a guarantee that he will finish them as the top trainer.
Bred to be a star, El Fabiolo was an instant hit with the Mullins camp and from a very early age, they knew they had something special on their hands.
Mullins knows what it takes to be a champion and despite him not winning when in France, it didn’t take long for Mullins to turn El Fabiolo’s fortunes around with the horse winning his Irish debut in Tramore in comfortable fashion.
Showcasing some slick jumping and a classy turn of foot, El Fabiolo looked like something truly special.
Race Career Overview - key victories and highlights
Showing that he had adapted to Irish racing with aplomb, after his debut success, much bigger tests and races would follow.
Believing that El Fabiolo could land some of the biggest races in the sport quickly, Mullins decided to send his new superstar to Aintree for the 2022 Aintree Top Novices Hurdle. By far his biggest assignment to date, El Fabiolo would show signs of greenness but flashed all of his ability as he would go on to finish second behind the equally well bred Jonbon. Had it not been for a mistake at the last he likely would have won.
He would finish his debut season with a win at the Punchestown Festival in easier company. Looking destined for big things, he would be one of the horses to follow in 2023.
As is often the case with jumps horses, they are given the summer off and start their preparations for the big racing festivals in the winter. Mullins see’s December as a key month for festival prep, and after winning a low level affair at Fairyhouse on his seasonal debut, El Fabiolo experienced his first early triumph.
Showing exactly why he was so highly thought of, he roared to victory at the Irish Arkle, landing his first Grade 1 race in the process.
From there he would head to the home of jumps racing, the Cheltenham Festival. Entered into the 2023 Arkle which is seen as the premier test for novice jumpers who have the ability to land the Champion Chase, El Fabiolo didn’t feel the pressure and this time was able to get the better of old rival Jonbon and land the Arkle in determined fashion.
With his Cheltenham success now in the bag, El Fabiolo had confirmed all of his promise and was rightly regarded as one of the most exciting horses in training. Many believed he was on the road to becoming one of the greats.
Following his Cheltenham success the wins kept on coming. He would once again win at Punchestown, this time winning the 2023 Barberstown Castle Novice Stakes when returning as a short priced favourite.
Put away until 2024, he would once again win on his seasonal reappearance at Cork and would then show why so many believed he could win the Champions Chase when landing the highly prestigious Dublin Chase. The biggest win of his career, all signs once again pointed towards Cheltenham, but as can so often be the case with horse racing, things are never as easy as they seem.
El Fabiolo's Unexpected Defeat at 2024 Cheltenham Festival starts downturn in form
Heading into the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, El Fabiolo was one of the buzz horses with many believing that he simply couldn’t be beat.
Entered into the Champions Chase, only the best succeed in this 2 mile chase. Reserved for the best of the best, many believed that El Fabiolo would join the likes of Altior, Masterminded and Sprinter Sacre as champions of the race, but it wasn’t to be.
Starting as the 2/9 favourite, disaster would strike early. Making a huge mistake at the third fence, the signs weren’t right and despite trying to plug on, he would make another error at the fifth fence and his jockey Paul Townend made the decision to pull him up and take him out of the race.
Saving bookmakers millions, the winner would go onto be Captain Guinness, a talented horse but nowhere near El Fabiolo’s league, there were hopes that his Champions Chase effort was just a blip, but the disappointment would continue.
Entered into Sandown’s Celebration Chase just a month later, once again El Fabiolo’s connections would be left disappointed when he would once again lose out to Jonbon.
With his confidence over fences clearly gone and with Mullins scratching his head over what had gone wrong, there were high hopes that he would return back to winning ways in 2025, but so far that hasn’t proved to be the case.
Losing his seasonal reappearance at the Dublin Chase when falling, any hopes of running in the 2025 Champions Chase were dashed when he lost to a 50/1 shot in the Grade 2 Webster Cup Chase. Something had clearly gone amiss and Mullins decided it would be pointless to enter him into the Cheltenham Festival.
With form to prove and confidence to regain, the plan for El Fabiolo is to return at the 2025 Grand National meeting, whether that will happen remains very much up for debate.
Rivals and Competitors of El Fabiolo
Horse racing is a fantastic sport for generating rivalries and over the years we have seen some great one’s. Without doubt El Fabiolo’s biggest rival was Jonbon.
A highly talented horse, Jonbon and El Fabiolo are seen as the two horses of their age who have achieved the most. Trained by Nicky Henderson and owned by the legendary J.P McManus, when the two collide it's often billed by the racing media as the best of England taking on the best of Ireland.
Over the years the two have managed to get the best of each other with each horse beating the other to big races. In 2025 it would be Jonbon’s turn to experience Champion Chase heartbreak. Billed as the favourite and the one to watch, like El Fabiolo, Jonbon would make a huge blunder early. Despite recovering to finish second, Champion Chase glory looks like it might elude him just as it has for El Fabiolo and it would be a huge shame if neither were able to win it during the course of their careers.
With El Fabiolo absent from the 2025 Champion Chase and Jonbon fluffing his lines, Marine Nationale was able to pick up the pieces and land one of the Cheltenham Festivals biggest events. Younger than both horses, there will be serious hopes that she will be able to back her victory up in 2026 and should give both horses plenty to think about.
What makes El Fabiolo so great
- Muscular Strength: To be a two mile chaser you need it all, speed and stamina and the one thing that El Fabiolo has in abundance is muscle strength. A marvel to look at, the hind legs of a horse like El Fabiolo are so strong as he needs to be able to spring and power away from his fences. As he works his way back to form and fitness his strength will need to be at its very highest level.
- Adaption To Race Tracks: It’s not a myth to say that horses like certain tracks and atmospheres which made El Fabiolo’s early departure from the 2024 Champion Chase such a shock as he usually goes so well around Cheltenham. Perhaps scarred by his mishap, Willie Mullins decided to swerve Cheltenham and he will hope that a return to Aintree could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
- Grittiness: Due to his breeding El Fabiolo has always been a speedy horse, but the one thing you can never judge is heart and he certainly has plenty. There have been countless occasions where he has given it all in order to win races and he always goes out on his shield. As he tries to work his way back to his best, this grittiness and determination to win should stand him in good stead.
Impact on Horse Racing and Legacy
- Influence on the Sport: Regardless of what happens in the future with El Fabiolo he has left an influence that will last. Showing that a horse who went winless in their first two races can still develop into a top chaser, paves the way for other trainers and horses to follow.
- Legacy in Racing History: Very few horses go onto win Grade 1 races and by doing so on numerous occasions, El Fabiolo is a part of a rare and special club. By winning a Champions Chase he would have been able to claim that he was a legend of the sport and without that accolade it’s likely that he will fall just short when it comes to determining his overall greatness. There is still time however to change that.
- Contribution to Breeding: When it comes to his breeding El Fabiolo has shown exactly what the merits of good breeding are. He has shown what sort of breeding is needed to achieve high levels in the sport, but breeding only plays a certain part. His ability to take to his training and his determination have all made him the great horse that he is.
What next for El Fabiolo?
As we have already outlined, the future for El Fabiolo looks a little uncertain.
Once destined for the very top, at the moment those days look long gone and he has plenty of work to do if he is to return to the very highest levels of the sport.
However, all’s not lost. The beauty of national hunt racing is that unlike in sprinting, horses can go and have long careers until they are older and at 8 he still has time on his hands.
Having come unstuck in some lesser races, it’s been sad to see this once great champion be reduced to the level that he is and if his poor form continues, you could possibly see his racing days being numbered.
However despite the prospect of El Fabiolo meekly bowing out of the sport, that shouldn’t take away from his overall legacy.
A winner of both the English and Irish Arkles, horses of that class are rare and El Fabiolo has achieved more than 99% of horses in training. He will be remembered as a great horse, whether he will be remembered as an all time great is now up to him.
Stats
Jack Heaton
Meet Jack Heaton, our Horse Racing Expert, who comes from a lineage of racehorse breeders. Once a jockey whose career was cut short due to an injury Jack now plays an essential role in his familys business and generously shares his expertise on Paddock Punter.
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