Emmet Mullins says he's "under no illusion" as to the task he faces after it was revealed he would be taking over Jim Bolger's Coolcullen stable.
The famous and historical training base, from which Bolger enjoyed glittering success over several decades including Derby glory in 2008 with New Approach, was put on the market this year with a reported guide price of €4 million.
Mullins, nephew of Willie Mullins and already a Grand National-winning trainer thanks to the novice Noble Yeats (2022), is widely regarded as one of the shrewdest handlers in Ireland and, backed by owner and good friend Paul Byrne, is expected to significantly broaden his interest on the Flat racing scene once the move is completed.
He has also stated it will take some time and that he plans to keep his current boxes in Bagenalstown, County Carlow, during a transitional period.
"It's hugely exciting, just to be given an opportunity to have access to those gallops," the trainer told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast. "What Jim has done for the past decades up there is unbelievable.
"To get to that level and to be training Classic horses and Classic winners, that would be the dream. But it's not going to happen overnight, it's going to be a few months I'd say before everything's sorted and we do make the move. I'm sure I'll take a season or two and make a few mistakes but hopefully we're still afloat at the back of it and we can learn from it and push on from there."
One horse very much staying put for the time being is the Byrne-owned seven-year-old Soldier In Milan who bolted up by 16 lengths in the Irish Grand National on his final run of the 2025/26 campaign and seems likely to have some lofty targets this winter and beyond.
"I'll probably move the majority of horses, I'm not sure I'll move Soldier In Milan just yet," said Mullins. "He's been here for two or three years and we know what works for him. He's lightly raced and we had him over a year before we go him out and we know what works for him. We won't be changing anything with him that's for sure.
"I've had my own gallop here beside Willie's, I'm not sure what shape it'll take in time but I would say we'll just be weaning ourselves away from it and at the same time figuring out Coolcullen. You don't want to just drop everything and hope for the best that it's all going to work out.
"I'm under no illusion it's going to take work to figure it all out and we have to try and keep things running along at the same time. But it'll be an interesting spring. We still haven't sorted out the finer details, it's still in the process of getting things tidied up.
"We're a pair of dreamers (he and Byrne) to be fair, it's something we've always discussed and mulled over. We've thought out standing stallions and getting broodmares and I suppose this is the first step on the road to success hopefully. Hopefully it can springboard us onto those other dreams."
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