Patrick Mullins experienced the pinnacle of his career as he rode Nick Rockett to victory in the 2025 Grand National. Aintree racegoers were treated to a nail-biting showdown as two of Willie Mullins‘ horses vied for the top spot in the final stages, with Nick Rockett successfully fending off last year’s champion, I Am Maximus, to seize the win.
The victory held special significance for Mullins as Nick Rockett is trained by his father, Willie. He also joins his cousins David and Emmet in the family’s Grand National winners’ circle, with David having triumphed as a jockey on Rule The World, and Emmet as a trainer with Noble Yeats.
Typically, winning jockeys in the Grand National take home about 8 percent of the prize money, while those placed earn around 4 percent. This usually results in the victorious jockey leaving the event with a cheque for roughly £40,000 – not bad for less than eight minutes work.
However, Mullins DOES NOT pocket a single penny for his triumphant ride this year. This is due to the fact that the Irishman is registered as an amateur jockey and therefore does not receive a fee for riding.
Amateur jockeys can participate in both flat and jump races, but, in theory, they do so for pleasure rather than as a profession. It’s also not unusual for amateurs to regularly compete against professionals.
On reflection of his victory at Aintree, Mullins stated: “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.”
He added: “It’s everything I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. I know it’s a cliche, 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.”
Trainer Willie said he’d focused on his son winning but his horses secured the top three positions. “I actually wasn’t thinking about the 1-2-3 – I was single-mindedly thinking about Patrick riding the winner and about Stewart and Sadie.”
He went on to say: “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.”
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