How did Mullins perform at Aintree in comparison to 2024?

There is raising the bar and there is Willie Mullins' idea of raising the bar, which is a different level entirely.

Mullins continues to redefine the possibilities of what can be in National Hunt racing and Aintree 2025 was the latest reminder that he is, quite simply, cut from a different cloth to the rest.

The bare numbers show that in 2024, Mullins saddled five winners at the Grand National Festival, including I Am Maximus handing him his second ever win in the greatest race of them all over jumps.

This time around, he sent out eight winners over three days and truly made some history with a one-two-three in the Grand National itself.

It's spellbinding stuff and the Closutton maestro doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Picking off the prizes

In 2024 Mullins' Grade 1 haul on Merseyside included Il Etait Temps in the Manifesto Novices' Chase, Impaire Et Passe in the Aintree Hurdle, Dancing City in the Sefton and Mystical Power in the Top Novices' Hurdle.

It was some tally, supplemented of course by the win of I Am Maximus in the National itself for Paul Townend, 19 years after Mullins had originally cracked the National code with Hedgehunter.

By 2024 the Closutton powerhouse had endured 48 unsuccessful attempts at the National since Hedgehunter won under Ruby Walsh in 2005.

Those Aintree successes in 2024 were of course to lay the foundation for one of Mullins' greatest feats, as he signed off last April by winning the British Trainers' Championship for the first time.

He was the first Irish-based winner in eight decades since the great Vincent O'Brien to achieve that feat and it went alongside his record-extending 19th crown on home soil.

Rinse and repeat?

For much of this season the chances of Mullins retaining the trainers' title in Britain had flown under the radar.

Dan Skelton amassed a handsome lead - almost £1.4m going to Aintree - and the defeat of Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month was, for many, a fatal blow.

Not for Mullins, as he geared up a stellar team to travel to Liverpool and resurrect his title challenge.

On day one, he won four Grade 1s with Impaire Et Passe, Murcia, Gaelic Warrior and Lossiemouth. It was a huge statement of intent.

Gentleman De Mee won the Topham on Friday after Salvator Mundi had bagged his Grade 1 hurdles prize.

However, the best was still to come as Nick Rockett landed the National and, just for good measure, Green Splendour won the final bumper to ensure Mullins' best ever Aintree tally of eight winners.

Emotional National tops everything

There isn't a lot that Willie Mullins has left to check off in the sport of jumps racing. Every conceivable major prize has been captured but, even by his standards, Grand National Day in 2025 will take some topping.

He trained the first three home in the big race, as well as the fifth for good measure, and his only son, Patrick, was the winning rider.

Mullins Snr is normally cool and calculated in his post-race debriefs, seemingly unnerved by the enormity of his own achievements, but this win chopped him down like a giant oak being felled.

The sheer enormity of the occasion after providing his son with his breakthrough success in the biggest race of them all on Nick Rockett was too much, even for WP Mullins.

"I don't think anything can be better than this," said the trainer after wiping away tears in an interview with ITV Racing. "It's huge. Now I know how Ted Walsh felt when Ruby won it for him. To win it as a trainer is wonderful but what a special day for Patrick. I just can't comprehend it or take it in."

Mullins agreed that Aintree 2025 and this special Grand National win was surely the 'summit' for him.

It's unlikely that anything he can achieve going forward will top this moment, on a personal level, but his greatness means we are likely to see even more extraordinary feats in the years to come.