Irish amateur rider Patrick Mullins has won the Grand National on 33/1 shot Nick Rockett – a horse trained by his father Willie Mullins.
It was a 1-2-3 finish for Mullins Snr as he also trains I Am Maximus (7/1), which came second this time after winning the world-famous steeplechase last year, while another of his horses, Grangeclare West (33/1), was third.
After the final fence, Nick Rockett galloped away from I Am Maximus to win by two and a half lengths, in front of about 70,000 racegoers at Aintree on Merseyside.
Patrick Mullins rode Nick Rockett to victory in the Grand National. Pic: PA
Grangeclare West was a further half-length back, with Iroko, trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, taking fourth as the 13-2 favourite.
Mullins also had the fifth-placed horse in Meetingofthewaters (20/1).
As well as being back-to-back victories for Willie Mullins, it was also his third Grand National success after his first in 2005 with Hedgehunter.
“It is lovely to be able to give your son a ride in the National, but to be able to win it is just unbelievable,” Willie Mullins said.
‘He jumped fantastic’
Patrick Mullins told ITV Racing: “I had too good a start and was having to take him back all the way. I was wondering at Canal Turn had I lost too much ground, but he just jumped fantastic.
“Then I was there too soon and it is a long way from the back of the last with Paul Townend (on I Am Maximus) on my outside.
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, I know it’s a cliche but when I was five or six years old, reading books about the National and watching black and white videos of Red Rum. To put my name there is very special.”
Nick Rockett ridden by Patrick Mullins (R) on their way to winning the Grand National. Pic: PA
Emotional winner
Five of the top seven horses were trained by Willie Mullins.
Also full of emotion was Nick Rockett owner Stewart Andrew, whose wife Sadie died in December 2022, just five days after watching the horse in his first race.
Andrew said: “This a class horse, he’s got the heart of a lion. From a personal point of view, I can’t tell you. Sadie would have loved today – she was up there, she’ll have had a tenner each-way, I guarantee you.”
Patrick Mullins with Nick Rockett. Pic: PA
With two fences remaining, a group of 15 were in the running. Broadway Boy led the first half of the 30-fence race but fell heavily on the second circuit. Kandoo Kid also fell, bringing down Appreciate It at the 22nd fence.
The Grand National – a race for 34 horses – has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous horse races in the world because of the size of the fences.
However, a number of new measures were introduced last year in an attempt to make it safer.
Changes included reducing the number of competitors, a standing start, making one of the fences shorter, and adding foam and rubber toe boards to every fence.
