All-conquering Mullins hoping to find more National treasure

Despite dominating another Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins accepts winning steeplechasing’s most famous race at Aintree for the third time will be an altogether different challenge, admitting: “You need so much luck to win a National.”

The Closutton maestro has developed a vice-like grip on most divisions when it comes to National Hunt racing, but the Grand National has always been the sport’s great leveller.

Indeed, Micko’s Dream falling at the first in 2000 as Mullins’ first ever National runner set the tone for a fairly inauspicious start, with Alexander Banquet also failing to complete in 2002 and both he and Hedgehunter coming to grief in 2004.

The latter had looked booked for a place at least and would fare even better 12 months later, justifying 7-1 favouritism with a brilliant display under Ruby Walsh, who had shot to prominence when winning the 2000 National aboard Papillon.

At the time of Hedgehunter’s triumph, Mullins was pretty much a newcomer to the big-race stage, having less than a month earlier saddled a solitary Cheltenham Festival winner in Missed That (Champion Bumper).

Wind the clock forward 20 years and he is way out on his own as that meeting’s all-time leading trainer and returns to Merseyside bidding for back-to-back National triumphs following the popular victory of I Am Maximus 12 months ago.

“I was lucky to have Hedgehunter and we felt at the time that it was fantastic but we would probably never win another one,” said Mullins.

“Most trainers don’t – if they win one Grand National, they are very lucky. So, it was a bit surreal to see him (I Am Maximus) do what he did last year in the manner he did.

“You need so much luck to win a National. Everything has to go right all year and then everything has to go right in the race.

“I appreciate it. A plan came together, it doesn’t always work. To win the Grand National is every kid’s dream. For most of us, it is a first instance of watching a race on TV, seeing the romance of it and the stories behind the race.

“When I started off racing, if someone said to me, ‘which race do you want to win?’ it would be the Grand National. It has been a dream come true twice.”

Hedgehunter became a National stalwart, going on to finish second in his bid for back-to-back wins in 2006 before coming ninth in 2007 and 13th on his last of five attempts in 2008.

Like most trainers, Mullins’ overall record in the race is mixed, but from a total of 61 runners plenty have run well in defeat, including the 2008 third and 2010 sixth Snowy Morning, plus Pleasant Company, who was agonisingly beaten a head into second place by dual winner Tiger Roll in 2018.

Rathvinden picked up the bronze medal behind Tiger Roll in 2019, Burrows Saint was fourth behind the Rachael Blackmore-ridden Minella Times in 2021, when ridden by the trainer’s son Patrick, and Gaillard Du Mesnil was third to Corach Rambler in 2023.

But after a 19-year wait, Mullins’ search for a second National hero came to an end, with I Am Maximus – who just like Hedgehunter had warmed up for Aintree by winning the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse – almost sprinting home to strike gold in the hands of Paul Townend.

The JP McManus-owned gelding may have been well beaten by his esteemed stablemate Galopin Des Champs in two Grade One starts over the winter, and subsequently missed a Bobbyjo Chase won by another National-bound Mullins ace in Nick Rockett, but Mullins would not be surprised to see I Am Maximus put up a staunch defence.

“He is a typical Authorized, who have a lot of things going on in their mind other than racing,” explained Mullins.

“We thought if he went to Aintree, the fences would grab his attention. That is exactly what happened – he loved it and the fences really made a man of him. The Aintree fences really caught his attention and he settled into being a proper racehorse.

“Some horses love Aintree and I think he could be one of those. He has to carry top-weight and it’s tough, but we had an idea it would be tough.

“Red Rum won three and Tiger Roll won two and I think JP would be keen to have a horse that can do that – win two and maybe go on for a third one.

“If you don’t try, you don’t succeed.”

I Am Maximus is not Mullins’ only hope for another National, with the aforementioned Nick Rockett, Irish Gold Cup runner-up Grangeclare West and last year’s seventh Meetingofthewaters also part of his team.

“I thought Nick Rockett was very good winning the Thyestes and that’s always a very good pointer towards the National,” Mullins said.

“I thought it was a nice performance in the Bobbyjo, beating an Irish National winner (Intense Raffles) in the process, and it was a nice trial for Aintree.

“I think Meetingofthewaters has a lovely weight. He ran very well last year and I think my eye was drawn to him when I saw his weight. He’s one I like.”