Patrick Mullins on Aintree highlights including Gaelic Warrior and Lossiemouth versus Constitution Hill

The leading amateur rider, son and assistant to champion trainer Willie Mullins, will be reunited with the mercurial chaser as he steps back up to three miles for the first time since his novice hurdling days.

Gaelic Warrior skipped the Cheltenham Festival having not been pleasing in his homework at the time but Mullins reports the seven-year-old to be ready for his latest assignment on day one of the Randox Grand National Festival.

He told Sporting Life: “This season hasn't gone to plan. I mean, he was obviously a little held up at the start of the season but he had a satisfactory comeback run at Christmas, and then disappointed at the DRF, which he did last year as well.

“We weren't happy to send him to Cheltenham, his work just wasn't quite good enough, and obviously Paul (Townend) has chosen Embassy Gardens. Embassy Gardens is working very well, but he always does work very well, so I'm delighted to pick up the ride and get back on Gaelic Warrior.

“He won a three-mile Grade One novice hurdle in Punchestown on good ground. I think, over two miles, he needs heavy ground to be at his best, but I think up in trip at three miles, good ground is fine.

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“It's obviously left-handed, and he doesn't seem to be quite as consistent left-handed. Obviously, he won the Arkle, but he does seem to be more at ease going right-handed.

“So, there are plenty of question marks, but I just think it's a very competitive race as well. I mean there’s Grey Dawning and Spillane’s Tower. But I think if we can get Gaelic Warrior into a rhythm, get him settled. It's going to be hard as he's been chasing Solness around over two miles and now he’s going to have to go two strides slower, so hopefully he'll settle and jump appropriately. As I say, there are question marks, but I'm delighted to be on him, and I have huge faith in this horse, so I think he can do it anyway.”

The Mullins team is well represented on the opening afternoon of the three-day meeting, including Lossiemouth taking on Constitution Hill for the second time this season in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle.

The pair locked horses when Constitution Hill made the recent Mares’ Hurdle winner play second-fiddle over two miles in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but Mullins feels the intermediate trip could be something of a leveller.

He said: “It’s round two, we've been here before and we couldn't beat him over two miles when he was rusty, having not run for a year, and we'd had a run. So perhaps, you know, we're hoping that two and a half miles can close the gap that was there at Kempton, as we have to think that Constitution Hill is probably better than he was then.

“It's a big step up from beating the mares to having to take on Constitution Hill, but the day Constitution Hill beat Sharjah (this race two years ago), he probably didn't look at his best at two and a half miles. Now, maybe he was just dosing and maybe he'd had a hard season that season, but that is where you get your hope.

“I think it's going to be hard for Lossiemouth but Constitution Hill has to prove that he can come back from his fall. He's definitely going to be very difficult to beat.”

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