Trainers

Willie Mullins

admin January 12, 2025

Willie Mullins is one of those horse trainers which garners respect. It has been earned by consistent performances. In 2023-24 Mullins became the first Irish-based trainer to win the British jump racing trainers’ championship. This was the first time in 70 years. Previously, this had been won by Vincent O’Brien in 1952-1953.

Mullins has been Irish champion trainer on 17 occasions with over 4,300 victories.

He’s the most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival with over 100 winners.

A powerhouse of a stable.

The key word for Mullins is respect.

Since starting his training career in 1988, after being assistant trainer to his father Paddy, and Jim Bolger, he has excelled at the highest level.

However, if there has been one race which has been something of a nemesis for the Carlow trainer it has been the Aintree Grand National. This isn’t to say Mullins hasn’t shown his class in the most famous steeplechase of them all. In fact, he has trained the winner of two races and had plenty of others run well.

His performance shows how difficult a race it is to win.

Let’s take a look at his performance in the Grand National.

Willie Mullins Grand National List Of Runners:

2000 – Micko’s Dream 14/1, Jason Titley Fell (1^st fence)

2002 – Alexander Banquet 22/1, Barry Geraghty UR (6^th fence)

2004 – Alexander Banquet 18/1, James Barry Fell (18^th fence)

2004 – Hedgehunter 11/1, David Casey Fell (30^th fence)

2005 – Hedgehunter 7/1, Ruby Walsh 1^st

2006 – Hedgehunter 5/1jf, 2^nd

2007 – Hedgehunter 9/1, Ruby Walsh 9^th

2007 – Livingston Bramble, Davy Russell UR (6^th fence)

2007 – Homer Wells, David Condon PU (27^th fence)

2007 – Botha Na, David Casey PU (29^th fence)

2008 – Snowy Morning 16/1 Tom Taaffe 3^rd

2008 – Hedgehunter 10/1 Ruby Walsh 13^th

2009 – Snowy Morning 33/1 Andrew McNamara 9^th

2009 – Irish Invader 16/1 Paul Townsend 11^th

2010 – Snowy Morning 14/1 David Casey 6^th

2010 – Abor Supreme 16/1 Paul Townend UR (15^th fence)

2011 – The Midnight Club 15/2F Ruby Walsh 6^th

2011 – Dooney’s Gate 50/1 Mr Ryan Mahon Fell (6^th fence)

2011 – Arbor Supreme 20/1 David Casey Fell (28^th fence)

2012 – The Midnight Club 40/1 Andrew Tinkler 11^th

2012 – Quiscover Fontaine 50/1 David Casey Fell (17^th fence)

2012 – On His Own 14/1 Paul Townend Fell (22^nd fence)

2013 – Quiscover Fontaine 40/1 David Casey 16^th

2013 – Quel Esprit 40/1 Paul Townend PU (23^rd fence)

2013 – On His Own 8/1 Ruby Wash Fell (25^th fence)

2014 – Vesper Bell 40/1 Katie Walsh 13^th

2014 – Prince De Beauchene 20/1 Paul Townend 16^th

2015 – Ballycasey 25/1 Ruby Walsh BD (8^th fence)

2016 – On His Own 33/1 Mr Patrick Mullins Fell (15^th fence)

2016 – Sir Des Champs 20/1 Miss Nina Carberry Fell (15^th fence)

2016 – Boston Bob 25/1 Paul Townend PU (22^nd fence)

2016 – Ballycasey 5/1 Katie Walsh UR (29^th fence)

2017 – Pleasant Company 11/1 Ruby Walsh 9^th

2018 – Pleasant Company 25/1 David Mullins 2^nd

2018 – Total Recall 7/1 Paul Townend PU (29^th fence)

2018 – Children’s List 66/1 Jonathan Burke PU (run-in)

2019 – Rathvinden 8/1 Ruby Walsh 3^rd

2019 – Livelovelaugh 25/1 David Mullins 11^th

2019 – Up For Review 25/1 Danny Mullins BD (1^st fence)

2019 – Pleasant Company 12/1 Paul Townend UR (26^th fence)

2021 – Burrows Saint 9/1 Patrick Mullins 4^th

2021 – Cabaret Queen 80/1 Sean O’Keefe 9^th

2021 – Acapella Bourgeois 20/1 Danny Mullins 13^th

2021 – Class Conti 66/1 Brian Haynes 15^th

2022 – Class Conti 100/1 Sam Twiston-Davies 13^th

2022 – Augusta Gold 66/1 Danny Mullins Fell (9^th fence)

2022 – Burrows Saint 33/1 Paul Townend UR (15^th fence)

2022 – Brahma Bull 80/1 Brian Hayes PU (27^th fence)

2023 – Gaillard Du Mesnil 10/1 Paul Towend 3^rd

2023 – Carefully Selected 50/1 Michael O’Sullivan 14^th

2023 – Capodanno 22/1 Danny Mullins PU (29^th fence)

2023 – Recite A Prayer 80/1 Jack Foley UR (1^st fence)

2023 – Mr Incredible 14/1 Brian Hayes UR (24^th fence)

2024 – I Am Maximus 7/1jf Paul Townend 1^st

2024 – Meetingofthewaters 11/1 Danny Mullins 7^th

2024 – Capodanno 28/1 Keith Donoghue 16^th

2024 – Adamantly Chosen 33/1 Sean O’Keefe 21^st

2024 – Stattler 40/1 Paddy Mullins PU (9^th fence)

2024 – Mr Incredible 10/1 Brian Hayes UR (15^th fence)

2024 – Janidil 125/1 Jody McGarvey PU (30^th fence)

Key: UR – Unseated Rider, PU – Pulled up, BD – Brought Down, F – Fell

2/63 Runners (2000 – 2024) 3% Win rate

8/63 Win/Placed (2000 – 2024) 13%

To be fair, I had no idea how many runners Willie Mullins had sent to the Aintree Grand National but as you can see from this list it is a race he has fired a lot of arrows with limited success. Certainly, in recent years he has sent larger strings.

2005 Grand National Winner – Hedgehunter 7/1f

Sponsored by John Smith’s. This was the 158^th running. This was a very popular winner for owner Trevor Hemmings. A gentleman. It was an easy win for Ruby Walsh as the nine-year-old gelding ran out a tidy winner carrying 11-1. He beat Royal Auclair (40/1) trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Christian Williams, third place going to Simply Gifted (66/1) trained by Jonjo O’Neill, ridden by Brian Harding.

2024 Grand National Winner – I Am Maximus 7/1jf

Sponsored by Randox Health. The 176^th Grand National. The number of entrants was reduced from 40 to 34 with regard to safety concerns and animal welfare. Two horses were found to be lame on the morning of the race reducing the number to 32. This was the smallest field since 1999. There were 21 horse who finished the race. All horses returned home safely. The Mullins team had to wait a long time between drifts for their second national winner in the ownership of J.P. McManus, ridden by Paul Townend. The joint-favourite won well by seven and a half lengths from Delta Work (28/1) trained by Gordon Elliott, ridden by Jack Kennady. Third place went to *Minella Indo (28/1) trained by henry De Bromhead and ridden by Rachael Blackmore.

*Won the Grand National 2021, in the ownership of J.P.McManus.

J. P. McManus has won the race three times: 2010 Don’t Push It 10/1, 2021 Minella Times 11/1 & 2024 I Am Maximus 7/1.

Lucinda Russell: Corach Rambler Wins Grand National

admin December 11, 2024

Did you know, since 2005 to 2024 there have been 6 favourites or joint favourites win the Aintree Grand National? That’s 19 races won and lost, not forgetting the cancellation of the 2020 race which didn’t take place because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

The winning favourites included:

2005 – Hedgehunter, trained by Willie Mullins (71/f)

2008 – Comply Or Die, trained by David Pipe (7/1jf)

2010 – Don’t Push It, trained by Jonjo O’Neill (10/1jf)

2019 – Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott (4/1f)

2023 – Corach Rambler, trained by Lucinda Russell (8/1f)

2024 – I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins (7/1jf)

For all those punters who see this as a shift to the jolly, the last 20-years have seen a few giant-priced winners.

2009 – Mon Mome 100/1

2013 – Auroras Encore 66/1

2022 – Noble Yeats 50/1

Lucinda Russell is no stranger to winning. The Grand National didn’t escaped her Midas Touch for a second time (she won with One For Arthur in 2017) when tasting victory on the 15^th April 2023. For those Aintree Grand National boffins, it was the 175^th running of the most famous horse race in the world.

Corach Ramber, a son of Jeremy out of a dam named Heart And Hope, was purchased for the bargain price of just £17,000 by Michael Scudamore when a 6-year-old bay gelding going through the sales ring at Gofs UK Sale PTP (Point-To-Point) at Yorton Farm. His racing career had an inauspicious start when trained by John Martin Walsh as he was pulled up at Lisronagh, Ireland. In fact, this bay gelding was something of a late starter only making his debut at the age of five.

However, after four Irish point-to-point races, in the ownership of the Forge Syndicate, he tasted victory at Monksgrange in a 6yo+ Maiden over 3m on good going, keeping on strongly to win by two and a half lengths.

Less than two months later (27^th Sept – 12^th Nov, 2020) he was purchased for £17,000 and in the ownership of The Ramblers, in training with Lucinda Russell at Arlary House Stables, Milnathort, Kinross.

The Scottish trainer wasted little time with Corach Rambler heading to Ayr on the 18^th January 2021. He won a 5-runner Novices’ Hurdle over 3m 1/2f on Heavy going by 3-lenghts at the odds of 14/1.

This was the start to a great partnership with jockey Derek Fox.

Corach Rambler proved to be a progressive horse winning:

27^th September 2020 – Moksgrange (IRE) PTP

18^th January 2021 – Ayr 14/1

11^th March 2021 – Carlsile 12/1

24^th October 2021 – Aintree 5/2

10^th December 2021 – Cheltenham 2/1

15^th March 2022 – Cheltneham 10/1

14^th March 2023 – Chelthenham 6/1

15^th April 2023 – Grand National 8/1

His partnership with Lucinda Russell, Derek Fox & The Ramblers was coming together nicely with a battling head success at Cheltenham and the focus on the Aintree Grand National, Liverpool just one month later (15^th April 2023).

There had been much uncertainty leading up to the big day. Derek Fox had a whip ban delayed so he could ride in the Grand National.

The gelding was priced 8/1f (backed from 10/1). He led at the final fence going clear but idled in front but did enough to win by 2 ¼ lengths, from Vanillier 20/1, trained by Gavin Cromwell, with Gaillard Du Mesnil 10/1, trained by Willie Mullins in third. Nobel Yeats (2022 Grand National Winner) showed his class with a sterling fourth place.

Winning jockey, Derek Fox, said: ‘’Corach Rambler is just a phenomenal horse, he’s been so lucky for me. He normally gets held up a wee bit, today he just jumped out and travelled everywhere, so I just let him bowl away. He’s electric to jump, he’s the cleverest horse, he is so intelligent. My only concern would be if he was in front for a long time. But he won so easy, all I do is do the steering.’’

There were high hopes Corach Rambler would make a bold show in the 2024 Grand National. He returned to take 3^rd place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase at odds of 14/1. His owners stating: ‘His Gold Cup third shows he’s not just a handicapper!’

That was an impressive display.

Next stop – Grand National 2024

Corach Rambler (15/2) had no luck when stumbling and unseating his rider at the 1^st fence. The well-backed I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins in the familiar silks of J P McManus won in some style.

Bookmakers detailing the unseating of jockey Derek Fox saved them an estimated £5M.

On the ^1st May Corach Rambler headed to the Punchestown Gold Cup where the 18/1 shot didn’t jump with fluency, never going well, and pulled up before two out.

The Ramblers had to make the decision to race or not to race? They found the right answer to the question and the gelding was retired at the age of ten.

Lucinda Russell said: ‘He is a horse of a lifetime.’

‘We owe him so much.’

A winner of seven of his eighteen start, he won £776,459 in total earnings. Beyond his point-to-point career he was partnered by Derek Fox on every start.