‘Very rare sight’ – Willie Mullins breaks down in tears as son rides Nick Rockett to emotional Grand National win
WILLIE MULLINS broke down in tears after watching Nick Rockett storm to an emotional Grand National win.
The 33-1 shot produced a huge shock, ridden by Mullins’ jockey son Patrick.
After watching his horses come in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the National, a visibly emotional Mullins stopped to speak to ITV.
Mullins, 68, said “That was some result” – before appearing to choke up.
As the Irishman struggled to get his words out, Matt Chapman put his arm around him, telling him to “take a moment”.
After seeing Mullins again struggle for words, Chapman told Mullins “We’ll come back in a minute”, ending the interview in order to give him more time to process his emotions.
Nick Rockett is still officially owned by Stewart and Sadie Andrew.
But it is just Stewart who travels round watching his beloved horse, after wife Sadie passed away from cancer in December 2022.
Mullins, the top trainer over jumps on both sides of the Irish Sea, got Nick Rockett fit for his debut that month, just five days before Sadie passed.
Following Nick Rockett’s win today, Stewart Andrew told ITV: “Out of such sadness, joy has been born. Nick Rockett has done it all for me.”
After composing himself, Mullins said: “This is the summit for me – 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, how wonderful. To have the two combined – I can’t explain it. I can’t comprehend it and I find it hard to take.”
After winning the Grand National, Patrick Mullins admitted that he had achieved a childhood dream.
The 35-year-old said: “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 or six I was reading books about the National and watching videos of the likes of Red Rum, and to put my name amongst them is incredible.
“He just a brilliant horse. He’s not very big and one of the smallest in the field but he’s a great ride.”
Stewart’s dream came true last month when Nick Rockett won the prestigious Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, a month after he landed the Thyestes at Gowran Park, Sadie’s home track.
Speaking after that Bobbyjo win, Stewart managed to get the usually unflappable Mullins choked up.
The Bradford businessman said: “Sadie was a proper local lass from Goresbridge and Nick was her horse.
“Sadly she died in December 2022, but fortunately Willie managed to get the horse to run five days before she passed away.
“This is such an inner feeling of consolation to me because it’s what she always wanted.
“Now it’s been delivered on her home turf by a fantastic trainer.”