Irish training great Willie Mullins’s extraordinary season climaxed with him becoming the first foreign-based British champion jumps trainer in 70 years on Saturday.
The 67-year-old emulated compatriot Vincent O’Brien — regarded by many as the greatest trainer of all time — who won the second of his two titles in 1954 before going on to become dominant on the flat.
Mullins rubberstamped his dominance in the big races in the United Kingdom as his Minella Cocooner just got up to win the feature handicap Chase at Sandown racecourse in England.
“Awesome,” Mullins told ITV at Sandown on being told he was assured of being champion prior even to Minella Cocooner winning.
“Something the legend of the game Vincent O’Brien did 70 years ago was never on my mind to be done.
“But here we are, owners have been supportive, as have the staff and jockeys and we have had a team of horses to race over here.
“A great team all round.”
Mullins, who sent a team over for Sandown’s climax to the season Finals Day, said it had never been something he had thought about.
“It is something different to win.
“Being Irish champion trainer yes, but never dreamt of winning the British one.
“To do it against Nicky Henderson, Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls, all very good trainers.
“It is probably tough on Dan, he beat Paul Nicholls and we come up the inside.
“We are very lucky to have a tremendous team of horses at the moment.”
Mullins is way behind his two rivals Skelton — son of 2016 Olympic showjumping champion Nick — and Nicholls in terms of winners but trumps them on the deciding factor, prizemoney.
This has been based on wins in the Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham Gold Cup — he also brought up a century of Festival winners — and the Grand National with I Am Maximus.
That for once in Mullins’s case is not a milestone treble as his fellow Irishman Henry de Bromhead won all three plus the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021.
He also won last Saturday’s Scottish National with Macdermott and the same jockey Danny Mullins was on board Minella Cocooner.
He was in awe of his uncle’s feat.
“It is something that should not be achievable,” said Danny.
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