Willie Mullins’ Top Entries for the 2020 Grand National

The Grand National is just a month away and as the excitement builds for the four-mile long spectacle, punters around the world are already trying to find the best horse race betting. One of the main things people look out for is the horse’s trainer, and you can’t often go wrong with top trainers Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins.

However, whilst Elliott is hoping for his third successive win with Tiger Roll, Mullins is searching for his first victory since Hedgehunter in 2005, but who are the Champion Trainer’s best chances of victory? Read on to find out.

Burrows Saint – 12/1

Burrows Saint is Mullins’ best chance of victory in this year’s National with his 12/1 odds making him the joint-second favourite alongside the J.P McManus-owned Any Second Now. Since joining the 63-year-old’s yard, which boasts several Cheltenham champions, in November 2017, the seven-year-old’s form has been a mixed bag. After winning his first race under the Champion Trainer in the Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown by just half a length, in the same month he switched to Mullins the gelding failed to win again for another four races, including a shocking performance at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival when he came 22nd out of 23 – finishing a huge 56 lengths behind winner Blow By Blow.

Burrows Saint then won three races on the trot, including the Irish Grand National, between March 9th and April 22nd last year, although his form faded again as he finished over 20 lengths behind the pace-setters in his next two races. However, the seven-year-old is heading straight for Aintree on the back of a win on New Year’s Eve at Punchestown, where he beat 13/8 favourite Saglaway by three-and-one-quarter lengths, and is heavily fancied to stop Tiger Roll from winning three successive Nationals.

Acapella Bourgeois – 33/1

Since joining Mullins’ yard from previous trainer Sandra Hughes, Acapella Bourgeois has won just twice. The gelding got off to a nightmare start falling in his first race, a Handicap Hurdle at Navan, before finishing second at the Irish course the following month, although he put little pressure on winner, Polidam, who won by nine lengths. The far from perfect start continued as Acapella Bourgeois pulled-up at Fairyhouse.

A 17th placed finish followed at last year’s Cheltenham Festival in the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, before the 10-year-old finally won at Clonmel in the Suir Valley Chase, beating favourite Yorkhill by over eight lengths. However, Acapella Bourgeois failed to build on the victory as he went another five races without a win.

The gelding showed his quality again last month in the Bobbjo Chase at Fairyhouse, with an impressive run that saw him beat stablemate Bellshill by 15 lengths.

The 10-year-old will run again once more before travelling to Aintree, in the Leinster National Handicap Chase, and with the Grand National being one of the most unpredictable races in the sport, who knows if Acapella Bourgeois can upset the favourites.

Total Recall – 33/1

Unlike his stablemates, Total Recall got off to flyer after joining Mullins from Ms Hughes. The Slaneyville Syndicate-owned horse won by seven lengths in the 2017 Grade A Munster National Handicap Chase, before following his success up with wins at Newbury and Leopardstown. However, a fall in the 2018 Gold Cup and pulling-up in the same year’s Grand National was just the beginning of bad spell for Total Recall. The 11-year-old went seven races between April ’18 and January 2020 without a win. However, a classy performance in tough conditions at Gowran Park in the Goff Thyestes Handicap Chase, where he was a 16/1 outsider, has shot him back into form just in time for the National.