Day 1 Grand National Meeting Review: Mullins dominates

Willie Mullins dominated the opening day of Aintree's Grand National Festival, winning all four Grade 1 prizes, breathing new life into the UK trainers' championship in the process.

Mullins was more than £1m behind Dan Skelton in the trainers' championship ahead of racing at Aintree, but he pocketed north of £400,000 on day one of the Merseyside showpiece.

Mullins is 6/1 (from 12/1) to be crowned champion trainer in Britain again, with the Grand National on Saturday offering a hefty £500,000 top prize and defending champion I Am Maximus solid at the top of the betting as one of six contenders from Closutton.

Setting the tone from the start

There were four Grade 1 races on offer at Aintree on Thursday and Mullins once more underscored his genius by winning them all.

Impaire Et Passe has skipped the Cheltenham Festival and was dominant under Paul Townend in the opening EBC Group Manifesto Novices' Chase, repelling Gidleigh Park and Arkle winner Jango Baie to score.

Townend soon doubled up as Murcia proved much too strong for her rivals in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, though Dan and Harry Skelton at least picked up a silver medal with Live Conti for some prize money of their own, as Joseph O'Brien's Fred Winter winner Puturhandstogether struggled to go with the front two.

Then came the Brooklands Golden Miller Chronograph Bowl Chase, where Mullins was represented by both Embassy Gardens and Gaelic Warrior, while Skelton saddled the favorite, Grey Dawning.

Townend plumped for Embassy Gardens but he was pulled up after three fences, reported to be lame on his right hind leg.

Patrick Mullins had gained the ride on Gaelic Warrior and a patient approach paid off on his first chasing start at three miles.

They came late and hard to overwhelm Grey Dawning and the Skelton duo by three lengths, another outstanding piece of placement from Mullins with a horse that skipped Cheltenham after seemingly losing his way on Irish soil this winter.

Lossiemouth crowns Mullins' opening salvo

The final Grade 1 was the William Hill Aintree Hurdle, round of two for Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth after their Christmas Hurdle set-to at Kempton, when the Nicky Henderson star had dominated.

This, though, was over the mares' preferred 2m4f trip and after she had won against her own sex at Cheltenham, while Constitution Hill crashed out of the Champion Hurdle.

The big two were seemingly gearing up for battle late on. Townend on Lossiemouth navigated the traffic best, while Nico de Boinville briefly found himself in a pocket on the running rail.

Once extricated, Constitution Hill had some ground to make up before the unthinkable happened as he again hit the deck at the second last, though thankfully he got up and trotted away unscathed.

Lossiemouth wore down the spirited challenge of Gordon Elliott's Wodhooh - winner of the Martin Pipe in the Cotswolds last month - to seal a first day only Mullins could dream of conjuring up.

Seo Linn stars for Paddy Twomey

Seo Linn gave Group 1-winning Flat jockey Billy Lee a rare winner in the National Hunt sphere when winning at Cheltenham in November and she followed up in game style in the Grade 2 Goffs Nickel Coin Mares' Bumper that rounded off day one.

She was also giving trainer Paddy Twomey a rare winner in this code on his maiden visit to Aintree.

The Co Tipperary handler believes the daughter of Order Of St George will make her mark on the Flat this summer.

"She's a nice filly and in the autumn we thought this race would be a suitable target," he said.

"I think she'll be a good filly on the Flat and I think there's every chance she'll start in a maiden and go through the grades. There's a nice staying programme for her."