'This is the best day ever' - Nick Rockett and Patrick Mullins paraded through Leighlinbridge in front of adoring locals

Last Saturday’s Grand National winner Nick Rockett became the latest Closutton luminary to be honoured in Leighlinbridge when, flanked by stablemates I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West, he was marched up and down the Carlow village with Patrick Mullins aboard before basking outside the Lord Bagenal in the golden glow of a spring evening.

The route from Lord Bagenal Inn, past the Credit Union, over the River Barrow and posing at the foot of the bridge in front of Meaney's and Rainbow's bar is a path that is hard-earned, but Nick Rockett has pocketed a special place in the Mullins archives as he joined an elite band, including Galopin Des Champs, Al Boum Photo and Hedgehunter, to be bestowed with the distinction of being paraded through the streets as a champion.

I Am Maximus joined the club 12 months ago after his Aintree success but he couldn’t get past his determined stablemate for back-to-back triumphs when the pair settled down to duel it out after the Elbow at Aintree.

Crowds gather around the Grand National 1-2-3Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Willie Mullins pulled off a scarcely believable feat by saddling the first three home, as well as five of the first seven, when landing the Aintree showpiece for the third time, but that remarkable achievement was just one of several strands to this fairytale success.

One would imagine when a trainer is watching them jump the last in a National and he is responsible for the first five, it might be difficult to know where to look but Mullins had his eyes unflinchingly locked on one horse.

• 'Don't take it away from me, not now' - how I won the Grand National, by Patrick Mullins 

With his son Patrick doing the steering, the two men became the latest father-and-son combination to win the world’s most famous jumps race following on from Ted and Ruby Walsh and Tommy and Paul Carberry. 

This triumph will always hold a special place in the Closutton roll of honour and if the sight of the winning jockey kitted out in Stewart and Sadie Andrews' silks with his hand aloft on board the National winner in his home village is not one for the mantelpiece, it is hard to know what is.

Nick Rockett, I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West on their Grand National homecomingCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It was pandemonium once they returned from their stroll as the gorgeous weather attracted a huge, adoring crowd and everyone wanted a piece of the star of the show. Children skipped around with Nick Rockett-inspired black and orange chequered flags in one hand and an ice cream in the other.

I prised the winning rider briefly away from his picture-taking and autograph duties to find out his reaction to what was unfolding.

"This is when it really sinks in," said Mullins. "It's an incredible turnout. This is the village I grew up in, went to school in, lived in. To see the kindness of everyone, it's mind-blowing. I've always been on the edge of the parade so it's definitely an incredible experience to be in the middle of it."

The strands to this triumph never end once you begin to unravel it and one of the proudest people among the huge crowd was owner Stewart Andrew. His late wife Sadie convinced him to put a horse in training with her childhood friend, a certain Willie Mullins. She died of cancer shortly after Nick Rockett's first racecourse start in a bumper but she was surely smiling down on the sun-kissed Carlow village this evening.

Patrick Mullins and groom Katie Walton with Nick Rockett at the Grand National homecomingCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Having plundered the lion's share of the £1 million prize-fund, a successive British trainers' championship for Willie Mullins is in the offing, provided the raid on Ayr this weekend goes to plan.

But regardless of what records he has in his sights, this surely can't be topped?

"No, this won't ever be topped," confirmed Patrick. "This is the best day ever. It's all downhill from here!"

Read these next:

'Don't take it away from me, not now' - how I won the Grand National, by Patrick Mullins 

Nick Rockett owner hotfoots it back to Aintree to collect trophy after forgetting it during Grand National celebrations 

What a treble! Meet the pre-trainer of this season's Grand National, Gold Cup and King George winners 

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