NATIONAL WINNER’S BACK IN TOWNEND..
Hero’s welcome for jockey Paul
GRAND National winning jockey Paul Townend is set to return to a hero’s welcome in Ireland after his historic win at Aintree.
It is understood that the 35-year-old jockey celebrated his victory on I Am Maximus with girlfriend Anna Paoletti in Liverpool after the big race.
It has also emerged that the horses legendary trainer Willie Mullins is in the running to lift the British Trainers Title and become the first Irishman to do so for 70 years.
After his big win jockey Townend celebrated quietly with his equine sports therapist Anna Paoletti and was then expected to return to Ireland.
A source said: “Anna was there to give Paul a kiss on the cheek after his win and was there with him in Liverpool to celebrate at the weekend. It was some win and everyone is buzzing and there should be more celebrations when everyone gets back to Ireland.”
Townend was the toast of thousands of Irish punters who put their money on the heavily backed 7/1 joint favourite who won by seven-and-a-half-lengths ahead of Delta Work and Minella Indo.
Many race fans believe that Townend is now one Ireland’s greatest ever jockeys and is up there with the likes of Ruby Walsh. Saturday’s event is being described as a classic National and is also unusual in the fact that not a single horse fell during the race. I Am
Maximus trainer
Willie Mullins has described the horse as a “galloping machine” after he secured him his second victory in the Randox Grand National. As well as that the win has taken him within a few furlongs from securing a first trainers’ title.
The JP Mcmanus owned horse secured £382,700 (€446,766) for winning the National and that sum enabled Mullins to overtake Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls in the prize money table. He now has won €3,324,738 which is €45,911 ahead of Skelton with two weeks of the campaign to go. Should he win he will become the first Irish trainer to take the title since Vincent O’brien in 1954.