Irish racehorse trainer Emmet Mullins comes from one of the greatest racing families of all time, the Mullins family. That gives him a standard he needs to live up to, and while he hasn’t hit the same heights as uncle Willie Mullins, he has had success in the Grand National.
Emmet trained 2022 winner Noble Yeats to victory, a horse owned by Robert Waley-Cohen and ridden by his son Sam Waley-Cohen. With such a big family day for them, and the fact it was Sam’s last ever ride, Emmet was a little overshadowed in many respects, but don’t let that take anything away from his achievement of training his first Grand National winner.
A former jockey himself, riding close to 100 winners, Mullins has witnessed a lot during his time inside Irish racing and has continued to live up to the Mullins family name, and the success that usually comes with it.
Emmet Mullins Grand National Wins
- 2022 - Noble Yeats ridden by Mr Sam Waley-Cohen
Full Results
| Year | Horse | Result | Prize Money | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Noble Yeats | 19 | - | Harry Cobden |
| 2023 | Noble Yeats | 4 | £65,000 | Sean Bowen |
| 2022 | Noble Yeats | 1 | £561,300 | Mr Sam Waley-Cohen |
First Grand National Winner
Not too many people are able to make an impression in their first ever try at the Grand National, but Emmet Mullins certainly did. Noble Yeats was the winner of the 2022 Grand National, and also Emmet’s first runner in the race, which made the day even sweeter for him.
He had trained the horse for some time and was allowed to continue working with the horse after Robert Waley-Cohen had bought him in February. This must have been a big vote of confidence for the yard, and the loyalty shown was repaid in great style when they won the contest.
Some try for years to win this race, Emmet Mullins did it with his first runner in the contest.
Emmet Mullins Training Career
Emmet Mullins took out his training license in 2016, setting up a yard close to his uncle Willie Mullins in Muine Bheag.
He trained his first Cheltenham Festival winner in 2021 when The Shunter landed the Festival Plate handicap chase and then followed it up a year later with his first Grand National win.
The Mullins Family Tree
When you think of Irish racing, the name Mullins instantly springs to mind. It is a symbol of success, but also one that brings pressure and the need for success for those in the family. Emmet Mullins has no doubt felt this, both as a jockey and now as a trainer, but the Grand National win will certainly lift some of that.
Willie Mullins, uncle to Emmet, is one of the greatest trainers of all time and leads the way with the Mullins family. Tony and Tom Mullins have trained horses, after a riding career, so taken the same path that Emmet has.
On top of this, Patrick, David and Danny have all had riding careers to continue the family name and bring further success at a high level.
Success as a Jockey
Mullins started life as a jockey in the racing world, before turning to training after he had retired. He started riding during the 2006/07 season and retired from riding in the 2014/15 season. During that time, he rode a total of 83 winners. He never rode a Grade One winner but did ride seven Grade Two and Grade Three winners.
He had one Cheltenham Festival winning ride, which was aboard Sir Des Champs in the Martin Pipe conditional jockeys handicap hurdle in 2011. Another notable success for Mullins came in 2013 when he rode Faugheen to victory in the Dorans Pride novice hurdle at Limerick.
Famous Horses Trained by Emmet Mullins
Here are some of the bigger names trained by Emmet Mullins during his career.
Noble Yeats
The Shunter