Grand National winner makes admission after being banned from receiving £1m prize money

The at Aintree was a dream come true for the Mullins family, but it came with an unexpected twist for jockey Patrick Mullins. The Irishman was denied his share of the £1million prize money after .

This was a monumental win for his father, legendary trainer , in a race that saw the Irish trainer dominate with a historic 1-2-3 finish. Nick Rockett managed to hold off last year's champion, I Am Maximus, by two-and-a-half lengths, while another Mullins horse, Grangeclare West, secured third place.

Patrick, an amateur jockey, relished what he described as his greatest moment in the saddle. However, rules prevent amateurs from claiming prize money, meaning Patrick, 35, missed out on an estimated £40,000 - typically 8 per cent of the winnings for a Grand National victor.

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Amateurs can compete in both flat and jump races, but they do so for enjoyment rather than for financial gain. It's also not uncommon for amateurs to regularly race against professionals.

Despite the financial setback, the win was deeply personal for the Mullins family. Nick Rockett's triumph was in memory of the horse's late owner, Sadie Andrew, whose husband Stewart entrusted the horse to Willie Mullins' yard before her passing.

An emotional Willie Mullins, watching his son triumph at the races, told : "I was single-mindedly thinking about Patrick riding the winner and about Stewart and Sadie. I didn't even notice we'd finished third or fifth."

Mullins Sr, who has 17 Irish National Hunt Champion Trainer titles under his belt, is a titan of the . At 68, he's notched up over 105 wins at the , more than any other trainer in its storied history.

His magic touch extended to the 2024 Grand National, when his charge, I Am Maximus, took the crown. He also etched his name into the record books as the first Ireland-based trainer since the great Vincent O'Brien to clinch the British jump racing Champion Trainer title for the 2023/24 season.

His dominance was on full display at Aintree last week, with five of the top seven horses in the Grand National hailing from his stable. His son Patrick, reflecting on their quest to keep the British Trainers' Championship, admitted it's "amazing how many owners have rung up and [told Willie] we'd love to be part of the team," which he described as "fantastic."

Ahead of the Scottish Grand National Festival, where they plan to field 40 horses, Patrick said: "We'll be throwing as many darts as we can!"

Recounting his Aintree victory, Mullins Jr said: "I had too good a start and was having to take him back all the way. I was wondering at the Canal Turn had I lost too much ground, but he just jumped fantastic. Then I was there too soon and it is a long way from the back of the last with Paul on my outside."

"It's everything I've dreamed of since I was a kid," the 33-year-old added. "I know it's a cliché, but when I was five or six years old, I was reading books about the National and watching black and white videos of Red Rum. To put my name there is very special."

Discussing his son's success, an elated Willie said: "Patrick comes in every morning and runs the whole show. He matches all the horses and the riders every morning and I might come up and change one or two things but Patrick could take over.

"It just comes natural to him. He's very precise and concise about things. He knows what to do and when to do it. I am absolutely delighted for him.

"You dream about winning big races here and there but the first race we saw growing up was the Grand National in black and white. We all lived every year for the horse you were going to back in the National - and the owners and trainers of the National runners were heroes in our game."