Grand National: Willie Mullins eyes British title after I Am Maximus win
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Mullins claimed a second National win, while it was a first for Townend
Willie Mullins is targeting the British trainers' title after the Irishman won the Grand National with I Am Maximus.
He would be only the second Irish trainer to claim the jumps championship after Vincent O'Brien, who secured the prize for a second time 70 years ago.
The £500,000 National pot means Mullins leads British rivals Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls with two weeks to go.
"I would love to win the British championship, it would be something different," said Mullins.
He said the 2023 Irish National winner I Am Maximus would be aimed at the Cheltenham Gold Cup next year after an imperious seven-and-a-half-length victory from runner-up Delta Work.
Rachael Blackmore was third on Minella Indo with Galvin fourth in an Irish 1-2-3-4.
Kitty's Light finished fifth for Welsh trainer Christian Williams, whose young daughter Betsy is being treated for leukaemia.
"I thought we had a chance. A long way out he was travelling sweet and jumping well. I was trying to be calm, but I was getting quite excited. He's a wonderful horse - he's great. We're very lucky to have him," said Williams.
Amateur rider David Maxwell finished sixth on Ain't That A Shame, a horse the real estate entrepreneur bought so he could ride in the race.
Townend and Mullins have won the Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand Natonal together this year
'Gobsmacked' Mullins eyes new landmark
Another month, another landmark looms for Mullins.
In March, he claimed the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup and became the first trainer to reach 100 Cheltenham Festival winners.
April brought a second National win, after Hedgehunter in 2005, and he is now favourite with bookmakers to emulate his legendary compatriot O'Brien by claiming the British championship.
"Sandown, Ayr, Perth, wherever we can see a prize - I think we have to go for it now," he said.
"We needed to have a really good National and we got it. It's game on I think, isn't it?"
While Irish champion Mullins has a fraction of the British winners secured by Skelton and Nicholls, the title is decided on prize money and he has bagged many of the biggest prizes.
Mullins is more than £50,000 ahead of Skelton, with Nicholls further back in third.
Asked if he could have envisaged such success this season, Mullins said: "I would have thought you were mad.
"We are gobsmacked looking at the talent in the yard."
A new National, but still drama
The horses line up before the start of the 2024 Grand National
The maximum number of runners in the National was cut to 34 from 40 following a safety review and 32 runners went to post after two withdrawals.
A standing start to slow runners down going to the first was among other changes.
These came after Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal injury in last year's race, which was delayed by 14 minutes after animal rights activists entered the track.
All these changes have cemented the changing nature of the Grand National - 21 of the 32 horses completed the race, and there were no fallers, with four horses unseating their riders and seven pulled up.
The course is easier to negotiate, less of a lottery - this was the first time since 1894 the favourite, or joint favourite, won successive editions.
While two horses died over the three-day meeting, there were no equine fatalities in the big race and two other contests over the National fences.
There was drama from the start, with last year's winner Corach Rambler unseating jockey Derek Fox at the first fence.
And the amount of contenders in the latter stages of the second circuit still provided plenty of excitement and intrigue.
"What was great to watch was the space all of the riders gave each other," two-time National-winning jockey Ruby Walsh told ITV.
"I do approve of the changes and Aintree have put a lot of work into it."
Jockey Ben Harvey (left) was unseated from Mahler Mission while Brian Hayes was unshipped from Mr Incredible after clearing The Chair
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