Amateur Mullins earns a dream National ride

AMATEUR jockey Patrick Mullins has claimed he never expected to be handed such a good chance of winning tomorrow’s Randox Grand National, after being confirmed to ride leading fancy Burrows Saint. Mullins (below) was called up after jockey Paul Townend sustained a stress fracture in his foot in a fall at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Mullins’s father Willie trains the 2019 Irish Grand National winner, who is the 9-1 second favourite. Mullins will be bidding to be the first amateur rider to win the Grand National since Marcus Armytage won on Mr Frisk in 1990. Mullins said: ‘I would never expect to ride a horse with a live chance in the Grand National. I thought I would have one with lots of weight which was an outsider. It doesn’t get better than this. ‘Ever since I was seven or eight and I read a book about the history of the Grand National, this is the race I have always wanted to have a crack at. To win a race over the National fences would be a dream. Burrows

Saint’s weight (10st 13lb) is quite light for me. But he ticks a lot of the boxes. He is the right age at eight years old.’ It will be a fourth ride in the National for Mullins His best previous finish was 19th on Don Poli in 2019. He fell on Dooneys Gate (2011) and On His Own (2016). He finished fifth on favourite Billaway as James King-ridden Cousin Pascal claimed a shock, 66-1 victory in yesterday’s Rose Paterson Foxhunters’ Chase, the race over the National fences for amateur jockeys. At the final declaration stage, the only unexpected withdrawal from the National was Denise Fostertrained The Storyteller. That means that Secret Reprieve, the Evan Williamstrained Welsh National winner, is currently just second reserve. His only chance of a run is if two horses are pulled out before 1pm today. Jonjo O’Neill-trained Cloth Cap remains the 7-2 favourite.