Bryan Cooper believes Irish jumps racing is becoming the Willie Mullins show

Bryan Cooper fears that Irish jumps racing is in danger of becoming the Willie Mullins show.

The champion trainer has dominated the National Hunt landscape in recent years, winning eight of the 15 races at this year's Dublin Racing Festival, as well as nine of the 12 Grade Ones at the Punchestown Festival. He also enjoyed Irish Grand National success as I Am Maximus triumphed under Paul Townend at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.

Mullins has been the leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the last five years consecutively and 10 of the last 13, while he has been champion trainer in Ireland every campaign since the 2008/09 season.

Cooper, speaking to Boylesports who offer the latest Cheltenham betting markets, said: "Both on the jumps and the flat, to be fair, there is a semblance of one yard of dominance. If you look at the flat results over the last few months, Aidan O’Brien was probably one and two and then Joseph O’Brien third and Donnacha O’Brien fourth.

"The jumps for sure too, it is becoming a Willie Mullins show. Then there’s Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead and now Gavin Cromwell is doing very well too. I think Willie has simply set the bar for everyone and is getting bigger and bigger.

"He’s also spending bigger at the sales too, I have seen it myself. They are lucky they have loyal owners and can pump the money in."

Cooper also noted that his former employer Michael O'Leary has been busy buying at the sale for his Gigginstown House Stud too.

He added: "Gigginstown have been spending an awful lot as well.

"From what I can see, they have spent a lot of money, yes. They have bought a fair few point to point winners, they have a lot of horses back with Gordon now so they seem to be spending a lot more.

"I know Michael [O’Leary, Ryanair boss and Gigginstown owner] said he was getting out and scaling back but it wouldn’t be like Michael to play a few mind games…it is great for them to stay in the game and support the sport.

"It would be great to see one or two smaller trainers, like Emmet - I know he is a Mullins but he paddles his own canoe with a lesser string - but he is doing exceptionally well, as is Gavin Cromwell.

"I bought a horse called Butcher Hollow. I think he will be a very smart horse this winter. He won a point to point by 18 lengths in February and, at the time, his sire Kingston Hill wasn’t too popular then within the space of two months, everyone wanted to buy a horse that was by Kingston Hill, so I think we have a bargain.

"If there was one dark horse to follow, I think he could be very competitive this coming winter."