Outstanding trainer of his generation makes history with fourth victory in Aintree spectacular via I Am Maximus
Remember what Gary Lineker said about football being a simple game – you play for 120 minutes and the Germans win on penalties? The Grand National now has its equivalent. Tipping the winner of the most fiendish handicap in racing really is a simple game. Forget spending weeks assessing the form, weights, trends and attributes of the 34 runners. Just trust in Willie and let history do the rest.
For a moment or two, when Jordans established a seven-length lead on the turn for home, the prospect of a 28-1 upset loomed large. But then I Am Maximus began to purr, a packed crowd of 59,962 started to stir, and soon history was being made in a chaotic and stirring race.
Not only was this trainer Willie Mullins’s fourth win, equalling Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain. It was also owner JP McManus’s fourth victory – a record. Most impressively of all, this was Mullins’s third straight win, a feat last achieved by Vincent O’Brien between 1953 and 1955.
“He is just a superstar,” said Mullins. “He comes out and does what he has to do. He jumps and gallops and stays. Nothing fazes him.”
