Legendary horse racing trainer Willie Mullins was overcome with emotion as he witnessed his son, Patrick, guide Nick Rockett to a stirring victory at the Grand National in Aintree.
Amateur jockey Patrick Mullins and his 33-1 shot proved too strong for defending champion I Am Maximus and won by two-and-a-half-lengths.
The race’s conclusion saw Mullins achieve a remarkable feat of securing the top three positions on the podium in this prestigious steeplechase, with one of his other horses finishing in fifth place.
Following the intense race, a visibly emotional Mullins struggled to contain his feelings during a live interview with ITV, his words catching in his throat as tears welled up.
‘That was some result,’ said Mullins, 68.
Presenter Matt Chapman told Mullins he must have been pinching himself and he responded shakily by saying: ‘Yeah, to be able to let your son…’
Mullins then tipped his hat down, hiding his face, leading Chapman to place his arm around him and tell him to ‘take a moment’.
The tears continued to flow as Mullins added: ‘It’s lovely to be able to give your son a ride in the National, but to be able to win it is just unbelievable.’
Chapman decided to end the interview early, allowing an emotional Mullins more time to compose himself after his stunning achievement.
Mullins later returned and saluted his son’s victory, which came against the odds.
‘This is the summit for me,’ he said. ‘I don’t think anything can be better than this. I never thought it would happen, and here we are.
‘It looks like the British championship might be on again. I think we’ll have to have a real go now. 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.
‘To have the two combined – I can’t explain it. I can’t comprehend it.’
Nick Rockett is officially owned by Stewart and Sadie Andrew, but only the former was present at Aintree after his wife passed away in December 2022.
Sadie had been the one who wanted a horse in training with Mullins as they were from the same part of Ireland, and the former jockey was able to get Nick Rockett fighting fit for his debut that same month, just five days before Sadie died.
Speaking to ITV, Stewart said: ‘Out of such sadness, joy has been born.
‘Nick Rockett has done it all for me.’
He added: ‘Sadie would have loved today – she was up there, she’ll have had a tenner each-way, I guarantee you. What a ride from Patrick, what a ride.
‘I knew if we got to the front jumping the last, this horse is tough. If you look at this form, when he’s jumped the last, he keeps finding.
‘I can’t believe it.’
Patrick Mullins, 35, admitted he had achieved his childhood dream by winning the Grand National, saying: ‘It’s just incredible.
‘He jumped fantastic and I was there way too soon. It was a long way from the back of the last but this is everything I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid.
‘It sounds a cliche but when I was five I was reading books about the National and watching videos of the likes of Red Rum. To put my name amongst them is incredible.
‘He just a brilliant horse. He’s not very big but he’s a great ride.’
Mullins became the latest in the family to have won the race, after his cousins David and Emmet. The first-named was victorious as a jockey with Rule The World while the second tasted success as a trainer with Noble Yeats.
He added: ‘David and Emmet have already won it so I’m level with them, so [cousin] Danny will have to pull his finger out now.’
