Mullins aiming for historic Gold Cup and Grand National double with Noble Yeats

Emmet Mullins is committed to attempting an audacious spring double in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and Randox Grand National with last year's Aintree hero Noble Yeats.

The trainer drew comparisons between the eight-year-old and Hedgehunter, the 2005 Grand National winner for the trainer's uncle Willie Mullins who went on to finish second in the 2006 Gold Cup, and hopes Noble Yeats can go one place better in the Cheltenham Festival's headline contest.

Lingfield's Fleur De Lys Chase on January 22 will be the next step towards the spring festivals for Noble Yeats and Mullins revealed the Gold Cup has always been in his sights from the start of the season.

He said: "The Gold Cup was on the agenda this season from the get-go. We had spoken with the Waley-Cohens and he was going to go for the Gold Cup and try to go back for the Grand National afterwards.

"The Gold Cup is a stayers' race. We definitely wouldn't rule him out being a Gold Cup contender. I would compare him to something like Hedgehunter who won the Grand National in 2005 and was second a year later in the Gold Cup. He'll be there or thereabouts and hopefully he will take his chance.”

A shock 50-1 winner of the Grand National under Sam Waley-Cohen as a novice last season, Noble Yeats has developed into a genuine Cheltenham contender this season.

A blip at Auteuil on his reappearance was followed by a win at Wexford and an impressive success in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree where he showed notable acceleration under Sean Bowen to run down Ahoy Senor and Dashel Drasher.

Noble Yeats has a walk through the water at homeCredit: The Jockey Club

That victory led to a significant cut in his odds for the Gold Cup and he is no bigger than 8-1 in the ante-post market headed by 7-4 favourite Galopin Des Champs. He is a best-priced 14-1 favourite for this year's National.

If successful, Noble Yeats would become just the third horse to win the Gold Cup and the Grand National after L'Escargot and Golden Miller. It was a statistic Mullins was unaware of until recently.

“I hadn't realised only two horses have won a Gold Cup and Grand National until I heard it on a programme the other day,” he said. “It definitely adds to the excitement. I will be blocking that out anyway. Luckily for me and the horse, it won't register with us.”

Grand National success has catapulted Mullins into the spotlight and he told those gathered at his first press morning of the experience.

“It is many months later and it hasn't really hit that we won the National,” said Mullins. “This morning is a big eye-opener having a big crowd like this at the yard for the first time. It definitely hasn't quite sunk in and it will be a bit of a while yet. I'm trying my best for the win not to change me but you'd have to ask my friends and family if it has."

Emmet Mullins has always had the Gold Cup in mind for Noble Yeats.Credit: The Jockey Club

From the time Noble Yeats was owned by Paul Byrne before being purchased by Robert Waley-Cohen after finishing second in last February’s Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby, Mullins has always had the vision of Grand National success for the son of Yeats.

"We had it planned, targeting the Grand National, a long way out,” he said. “Everything went to plan. We never lost hope or confidence and it was all fairly straightforward. He is very shrewd and economical with his jumping. He's not exuberant and is great at getting from A to B. He always looked like a horse who a fence and a trip were always going to bring out the best of.”

Mullins trains from his own purpose-built stables and gallops in Closutton but says he has no ambitions to amass a yard the size of his uncle's.

“It’s just one step at a time,” he said. “Willie has an amazing team around him and it would be impossible to try and build something like that from scratch. I put my foot down after the National and kept calculated. I want to try to see a five-year project and work off that every time.”

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.30, March 17)

Sky Bet: 13-8 Galopin Des Champs, 6 L'Homme Presse, 7 A Plus Tard, 8 Bravemansgame, Protektorat, Noble Yeats, 10 Stattler, 12 Conflated, 20 Minella Indo, 25 bar

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