Amateur jockey Patrick Mullins to ride second favourite Burrows Saint for father Willie in Saturday’s Grand National after first choice Paul Townend broke his foot in a fall last week
- Amateur jockey Patrick Mullins will ride Burrows Saint at the Grand National
- He will replace the injured Paul Townend, who suffered a fall last week
- It will be Mullins’ fourth race at the famous event after coming 19th in 2019
Amateur jockey Patrick Mullins will ride leading fancy Burrows Saint in Saturday’s Randox Grand National after intended rider Paul Townend lost his race to be fit.
Mullins’ father Willie trains the 2019 Irish Grand National winner who is the 9-1 second favourite.
It will be a fourth ride in the Grand National for Patrick. His best previous finish was 19th on Don Poli in 2019.
Patrick Mullins will ride Grand National favourite Burrows Saint, replacing Paul Townend
Burrow Saint (L) is trained by Patrick’s father Willie (R) and is one of the favourites for Saturday
Townend sustained a stress fracture of his foot in a fall at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
The last amateur rider to win the Grand National was Marcus Armytage on Mr Frisk in 1990. At the final declaration stage the only unexpected withdrawal was Denise Foster-trained The Storyteller.
That means that Secret Reprieve, the Evan Williams-trained Welsh National winner, is only second reserve.
His only chance of a run is the unlikely event that two horses above him in the field are pulled out before 1pm on Friday.
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained Cloth Cap remains the 4-1 favourite.
Townend suffered a fall at the Fairyhouse Festival, picking up a stress fracture to his foot
