Nick Rockett won the Grand National at Aintree at 33/1, ridden by amateur jockey Patrick Mullins and trained by the rider's father Willie Mullins.

The Mullins stable also provided the second and third placed runners in I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West. The 13/2 favourite Iroko finished fourth and the Mullins-trained

Meetingofthewaters was fifth.

Patrick Mullins, who is the first amateur rider to win the Grand National since Sam Waley-Cohen in 2022, said: "This is the dream. It doesn't get any better than this.

"We got too good a start, we were too handy. He was jumping brilliant and I was having to take him back everywhere.

"At the Canal Turn second time, I was wondering had I dropped back too far. But then when I asked him to make up ground he got there too soon.

"So I was sitting up and bopping around until we got to the Elbow, and away with him then."

Willie Mullins, winning the race for the third time, 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."

Mullins began the day trailing Dan Skelton in the British trainers' championship by over £1 million. However, the Grand National result has seen Mullins close the gap to just £100,000 and bookmakers now make Mullins odds-on to retain the title he won for the first time last year. The British jumps season ends on April 26th at Sandown.

“It looks like the British championship might be on again," Mullins said. "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.”

The Mullins father-and-son combination rounded off the day by winning the Grade 2 bumper with Green Splendour.

Nick Rockett is an eight-year-old gelding by Walk In The Park, bred by K.D. Cotter. He was originally owned by Roddy O'Byrne who named the horse after a man who frequented their local pub in Waterford. Pat Doyle trained the horse when he won his point-to-point at Curraghmore in Co Waterford in October 2021.

Nick Rockett was subsequently acquired privately by Mullins for British owner Stewart Andrew, who enjoyed big race success with Ever Blessed in the 1999 Hennessy Gold Cup.

Andrew said: “That was different class. Everybody had written the horse off . He drifted in the betting and they were telling me every reason why he couldn’t win, but he’d won the best two trials in Ireland easily and if you look at the Thyestes, where he probably gave over a stone to the second horse, he won by a distance.

“This is a class horse and he’s got the heart of a lion. I can’t tell you what it’s like from a personal point of view. Sadie (his late wife) would have loved today. She’s up there and she’ll have had a tenner each-way can guarantee. Patrick - what a ride, what a ride. I knew if we got to the front jumping the last he’s tough. If you look at his form, when he jumps the last he keeps going and keeps finding and finding.

“He goes back to Rose Ravine who was the toughest mare you’ve ever seen. She won the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and then the year after she was disallowed. She was as tough as old boots. This fellow is as well.

“I’m going to soak up every minute. I can’t believe it.”

A total of 16 horses completed the course. Two non-finishers, Broadway Boy and Celebre D'Allen, were assessed by veterinary officers in the immediate aftermath of the race. Both horses reportedly walked onto a horse ambulance before being taken off the track,

RESULT

1. Nick Rockett 33/1

2. I Am Maximus 7/1

3. Grangeclare West 33/1

4. Iroko 13/2 fav

5. Meetingofthewaters 20/1

6. Senior Chief

7. Minella Cocooner

8. Hewick

9. Minella Indo

10. Twig

11. Three Card Brag

12. Beauport

13. Horantzau D'Airy

14. Vanillier

15. Bravemansgame

16. Chantry House

Paul Townend, rider of runner-up I Am Maximus: “No excuses really, he’s run a huge race again. He took me through the race better last year, probably. I’m just sickened to be beat!”

Brian Hayes, rider of the third-placed Grangeclare West: “Great run. He did everything right - settled, jumped, travelled into the race quite easy. Cross the Melling Road I just let him fill, and he stayed going all the way to the line really well. He just got into the bottom of the last, which maybe cost him second.”

Oliver Greenall, joint-trainer of fourth-placed Iroko: “Delighted. We know how hard it is to get a horse into this shape. It was a great run. He jumped really well, he just got a bit outpaced; I think in softer ground would have helped him a bit, but I can’t complain.”