'I was pinching myself' - Emmet Mullins' perfect plan comes to National fruition at Fairyhouse
RACING HOME: Soldier In Milan and Donagh Meyler win the BOYLE Sports Irish Grand National Schase (Grade 3) for trainer Emmet Mullins and Owner Paul Byrne. Pic: Healy Racing Photo
A long-term plan was executed to perfection at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday as Soldier In Milan defied his inexperience to win the Boyle Sports Irish Grand National in scintillating fashion.
The Emmet Mullins-trained seven-year-old had not yet seen a racetrack this time last year, only making his debut in a bumper at the Punchestown last May.
On reflection, that was a quality bumper as Soldier In Milan got the better of subsequent Cheltenham hero King Rasko Grey to get his career off to a winning start.
Mullins and owner Paul Byrne then made the call to go straight over fences this season with the Irish National the target.
He got off the mark over fences at Punchestown in February and while he disappointed when sent off the 11-8 favourite for a Grade Three novice chase at Thurles last month, that lacklustre run served its primary purpose of ensuring he qualified for the Irish National.
The vibes ahead of this assignment were positive so it was no great surprise that Soldier In Milan was sent off the 6-1 favourite in front of a crowd of 18,753.
Always travelling smoothly in the hands of the in-form Donagh Meyler, Soldier In Milan took over the lead from British raider Monbeg Genius leaving the back straight for the final time and was in cruise control thereafter, though the fall of Kiss Will three fences from home aided his cause.
Showurappreciation and The Enabler did their best to mount some sort of challenge but neither could lay a glove on the favourite who sauntered home with 16 lengths to spare. Rarely has an Irish National been won with such ridiculous ease.
In the euphoria of victory, owner Byrne hailed his trainer as a “magician”, and revealed just how far back this plan was hatched.
“After he won his bumper in Punchestown,” he said. “We looked at the calendar and looked at where the biggest prize money is and this is where it was so this is where we came.”
Mullins, who famously won the Aintree Grand National with Noble Yeats in 2022, said: “It hasn’t really hit home yet. I was pinching myself jumping the last with a lap to go, he was jumping and travelling and everything was going very smoothly.
“The biggest worry was bypassing the fourth last and hitting the front.
“I had warned Donagh that if everything is going right to wait as long as he can. He executed everything brilliantly, it was a brilliant ride.
“Leaving out a hurdle campaign was a risk, I suppose. We always hoped he had the class to overcome the inexperience.
“He was smart out the gate and into gear. Fingers crossed we think he could be a classy individual.” Remarkably given the emphatic nature of the win, Mullins revealed he felt Soldier In Milan wasn’t quite at concert pitch for his biggest test yet.
“He was fit and well but I told Paul ‘everything is good, he’s happy, he’s healthy, he’s fit but I’ve seen him in better order, maybe coming up to the bumper last year. I was only 95% happy today, I was 100% happy last year going for the bumper and that proved to be very strong form, beating King Rasko Grey.” Mullins added: “A well-backed favourite in an Irish National is something special and he’s been greatly received here today, it’s an honour and a privilege.
“It’s been the plan, there’s no hiding that fact. We decided to keep low mileage and get the four runs he needed to qualify. It was well executed, I suppose. There are lots of plans that go awry but that was magic.”
For all their planning, Mullins admitted how the horse would cope in the white heat of battle was the one unknown.
“You are hoping though the horse has got the mentality for it, the courage for that cavalry charge down to the first and to come out of it with a good position.
“We thought we had a classy individual and thankfully he’s proved it.” Regarding a possible Gold Cup campaign next season Mullins added: “He’s a classy individual but this has been a route in the past to the Aintree Grand National as well. We won’t nail our colours to the mast just yet anyway.”
He may not want to yet reveal the plan for next season but it’ll be no surprise if there’s already one in place. That’s how he and Byrne roll.
