Patrick Mullins wins Aintree Grand National on horse trained by his father

Patrick Mullins became the 43rd amateur to win the Grand National and the first since Sam Waley-Cohen on Noble Yeats (2022) when he recorded a famous win on Nick Rockett, a horse, who won the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park earlier this year, trained by father Willie.

It turned out to be an amazing day for the champion trainer as he saddled a 1-2-3 but said even with all that he has achieved, this was something special.

Willie Mullins, the winning trainer: “This is the summit for me - I don’t think anything can be better than this. I never thought it would happen, and here we are.

“To put your son up on a Grand National winner… What a special day for him, as a jockey and as a person. To win a Grand National as a trainer - wow, how wonderful. To have the two combined - I can’t explain it. I can’t comprehend it and I find it hard to take.” 

Mullins won the British Championship last year and his thoughts quickly turned to possibly retaining that title.

“It looks like the British championship might be on again. I think we’ll have to have a real go now.

For the winning jockey, Patrick admitted the day was the stuff of dreams.

“I’m too out of breath to say anything! Incredible. It was just perfect. I actually got too good a start and I was having to take him back all the way. I was wondering at the Canal Turn whether I’d lost too much ground, but he just jumped fantastic. I was there too soon, it’s a fair long way from the back of the last and I had Paul Townend on my outside! It’s everything I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid – it’s a cliché, but when I was five or six years old, I remember reading books about the National and watching black and white videos of Red Rum and the like. So to put my name there is incredibly special.” 

Patrick’s cousins David and Emmet have previously won the race and he laid down the gauntlet for Danny to complete the set.

“Most important thing is that David and Emmet had already won it, so I’m level with them – Danny has to get his finger out now!” On the horse, who had gone to be cooled down while Mullins walked in on foot, he said: “He’s fine, I wouldn’t mind going for a cold bath now myself. He’s just a brilliant horse, he’s not very big, he would be one of the smallest in the field. He’s 50 or 60 kilos lighter than the rest of our National horses today, but he’s as brave as a lion.” 

Winning owner Steward Andrew was married to a Kilkenny woman, Sadie, before she sadly passed away and he was emotional after the win.

“That was different class. Everybody had written the horse off . He drifted in the betting and they were telling me every reason why he couldn’t win, but he’d won the best two trials in Ireland easily and if you look at the Thyestes, where he probably gave over a stone to the second horse, he won by a distance.

“This is a class horse and he’s got the heart of a lion. I can’t tell you what it’s like from a personal point of view. Sadie (his late wife) would have loved today. She’s up there and she’ll have had a tenner each-way can guarantee. Patrick - what a ride, what a ride. I knew if we got to the front jumping the last he’s tough. If you look at his form, when he jumps the last he keeps going and keeps finding and finding.

“He goes back to Rose Ravine who was the toughest mare you’ve ever seen. She won the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and then the year after she was disallowed. She was as tough as old boots. This fellow is as well.

“I’m going to soak up every minute. I can’t believe it.” 

Paul Townend, rider of second and 2024 winner I Am Maximus: “No excuses really, he’s run a huge race again. He took me through the race better last year, probably. I’m just sickened to be beat!” 

Brian Hayes, rider of the third Grangeclare West: “Great run. He did everything right - settled, jumped, travelled into the race quite easy. Cross the Melling Road I just let him fill, and he stayed going all the way to the line really well. He just got into the bottom of the last, which maybe cost him second.”

Hewick, trained by Bagenalstown trainer John 'Shark' Hanlon, was in a prominent position up to the final couple of fences and eventually finished safe and well in eighth.