Noble Yeats on track in bid to become third horse to win Gold Cup and Grand National

Randox Grand National winner Noble Yeats is firmly on course to defend his title at Aintree on Saturday April 15 and trainer Emmet Mullins believes he "hasn't found a ceiling yet" for a horse who has also developed into a lively contender for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Noble Yeats, the first seven-year-old since Bogskar in 1940 to win the Grand National, has continued to progress this season and put up a clear career-best effort on the figures when producing a stunning surge to readily brush aside his rivals in the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase on the Mildmay course back at Aintree in December.

Such a big performance catapulted Noble Yeats firmly into the picture for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but it also effectively ensured he'd be carrying a hefty weight when defending his Grand National crown.

However, a lofty mark has not deterred Mullins who, when asked whether the plan was still to go for the Grand National after the Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, said: "Yes, definitely. We’re heading for the National. After his performance in the Many Clouds at Aintree we won’t be looked after too well in the weights, but I think a horse like him grows in that scenario [of a big field at Aintree], and I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t fancy our chances of going back again."

First, though, Noble Yeats will be bidding to become just the third horse in history to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National, a feat achieved by only Golden Miller, who won the Gold Cup a record five times as well as the National once in 1934, and L'Escargot, who added to his Cheltenham Gold Cup wins of 1970 and 1971 when beating Red Rum in the 1975 Grand National.

When asked whether Noble Yeats should be considered a Gold Cup contender, Mullins said: "I definitely wouldn’t rule it out. The Gold Cup is a stayers' race and I could compare him to something like Hedgehunter who won a Grand National and was then second in a Gold Cup afterwards."

Reflecting on the horse's rapid rise through the ranks from a Thurles bumper victory in January 2021 to becoming the youngest Grand National winner in the post-war period the following April to then making a graded-level breakthrough, Mullins added: "We had a few prospective buyers after he won his bumper at Thurles. I explained to every one of them at the time that I think this is going to be your top handicapper chaser for next season if he progresses, but whether he progresses on to being your Grade 1 horse I’m not so sure, but he’ll definitely be a top handicapper... so far we haven’t found a ceiling for him yet."

Noble Yeats was sent off at 50/1 under amateur Sam-Waley Cohen in the Grand National after failing to fire in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on his first start after being purchased from Paul Byrne, though the result didn't come as a shock to Mullins who said: "The run at Cheltenham – Sam’s first ride on him - everything didn’t go to plan, but it might have been the making of the horse, a big handicap chase like that at Cheltenham.

"His price drifted on the back of that, which made him go under the radar, but we never lost hope or confidence.

"I remember saying to Sam the night before the race saying if I had the last two weeks back there’s nothing I would have changed - everything [at home] had gone to plan."

He added: "Up to the week of the race I was unaware of the trends and statistics. I never had any worry about his jumping or experience - he came from the point to point fields - and he’s very shrewd, economical and smart with his jumping. He’s not exuberant or anything like that but he’s great at getting from A to B.

"We bought him at the December Sale 12 months before we ran him and he’d been working here for the 12 months and hadn’t shown much - just a dour stayer. Then we brought him away on grass and he seemed to grow and improve. He always looked like a horse that a fence and a trip was going to bring out the best in him."

That prediction has certainly come to fruition, and there could yet be more to come.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.