Grand National review as Mullins dominates

Willie Mullins underscored his genius as he saddled the first three home in the Grand National at Aintree, with his son Patrick riding the winner Nick Rockett on an emotional afternoon for the family.

It was the latest confirmation that Mullins Snr is the greatest jumps trainer the world has witnessed and, following his Grand National sweep, he's now firm favourite to retain the British trainers' championship this season, with long-time leader Dan Skelton in grave danger of getting brushed aside by the Mullins juggernaut.

Mullins savours 'surreal' moment

Nick Rockett led home a spectacular and historic 1-2-3 for an emotional Willie Mullins in the Grand National as he denied stablemate I Am Maximus back-to-back victories.

Mullins' son, Patrick, was the winning rider and the Closutton chief immediately ranked the moment as being the summit of anything he has done or potentially can do in the racing game.

Nick Rockett was sent off at 33/1 and held off a late challenge from 7/1 I Am Maximus, who finished ahead of stablemate Grangeclare West, also 33/1.

Mullins also had the fifth home, Meetingofthewaters, while Britain's best was Iroko for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero in fourth, as top owner JP McManus had the second, fourth and fifth.

Mullins became the first trainer to saddle the 1-2-3 in racing's grandest event. Only two trainers had previously trained the first two - Fred Withington (1908) and Henry de Bromhead (2021).

"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 in," said Mullins.

"You dream about winning big races here and there, but the first race we saw growing up was the Grand National in black and white. We all lived every year for the horse you were going to back in the National and the owners and trainers of the National runners were heroes in our game.

"Patrick just kept the whole thing together and was as cool as ice and it was just like something out of a Disney film - you just see and know what is going to happen. It was just surreal."

Skelton's title hopes hit hard

Dan Skelton's hopes of being crowned champion trainer for the first time are in great peril after Aintree.

The championship leader was £1.4million clear of Mullins heading to Aintree, but following the three-day meeting that cushion has been trimmed to just £150,161.

With the Scottish National at Ayr looming, as well as Sandown's season finale in late April, Mullins now trades odds-on to retain the crown and his horse could start popping up at regular intervals in Britain across the final weeks of the season.

Skelton had one hand on the trainers' title heading for Aintree, but now must be getting a feeling of deja vú as Mullins seeks to finish with a spectacular flourish.

Irish domination of Aintree spectacular continues

Nick Rockett's success means Irish-trained horses have won six of the last seven Aintree Nationals.

This time around, eight of the first nine home were Irish-based, with De Bromhead's Senior Chief (sixth) and Minella Indo (ninth) joining Shark Hanlon's Hewick (eighth) in running massive races in the Liverpool sunshine.

It wasn't just the National where Irish runners sparkled on Saturday.

Honesty Policy won the Grade 1 Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle for Gordon Elliott and Mark Walsh, Hiddenvalley Lake took out the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle for De Bromhead and Darragh O'Keefe.

Then, fittingly, the closing Grade 2 Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk bumper went to the Mullins double-act of Patrick and Willie with the aptly-named Green Splendour on a day to be remembered for the Closutton powerhouses.

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