The result continued a successful period for Mullins, who also won his first Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. Al Boum, ridden by Paul Townend, was the winning horse there.
The result here will be of most importance to Mullins though. Last year, at the same event, Mullins trained Isleofhopendreams came in second after a photo finish.
Here, Saint Burrows looked comfortable throughout the race. With three fences remaining, the horse moved to the front and never looked back. Speaking about the race, Mullins said:
Ruby was very confident throughout, but I thought Johnny Burke (on Acapella Bourgeois) was too and all our riders rode the last mile fantastic… It was a tremendous result. It’s just been one of those years where we have done things that we haven’t done before.– Willie Mullins, Burrows Saint trainer
However, Burrows Saint was helped by some early fallers eliminating comeptition. Measureofmydreams fell at the first, while C’est Jersey and Pairofbrowneyes also didn’t last much longer. Whisperinthebreeze also looked strong and headed into the lead with a mile remaining.
He fell back however, and that led to Saint Burrows being in the lead, albeit earlier than Walsh had planned. But he held on, despite the late challenges by both Isleofhopendreams and Acapella Bourgeois.
Having broke his duck in the Irish Grand National, Walsh is setting his sites on Aintree. Immediately after the race, both Walsh and Mullins hinted that Burrows Saint could be a challenger to the great Tiger Roll in next year’s Grand National.
Paddy Power immediately offered odds of 33/1 on the horse to win that race next year, but that price was then slashed just minutes later to 20/1.
