Irish racing was in mourning on Wednesday after the death was announced of Maureen Mullins, the mother of perennial champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins.
Mullins, who was 94, was the wife of multiple champion trainer Paddy Mullins, who died in 2010, best known for producing Dawn Run to become the only horse to win the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The couple had five children, three of whom Willie, Tony and Tom, were to become successful trainers.
Her grandchildren include record-breaking amateur rider Patrick, multiple Grade 1-winning jockey Danny, and David, who rode Rule The World to win the 2016 Grand National. Another grandson Emmet trained Noble Yeats to win the Grand National in 2022.
Danny Mullins posted on X (formerly Twitter ): “What a woman, such an inspiration. RIP.”
She was involved as an owner and breeder down the years, with Kilcruit a recent feather in her cap having won the Grade 1 Punchestown bumper following his sale, having initially raced in her colours.
The British Horseracing Authority paid tribute to her “tremendous passion for the sport”, saying: “All of us at the BHA are saddened to learn of the passing of Maureen Mullins. We extend our condolences to the Mullins family today.
“Maureen Mullins had a tremendous passion for the sport to which she gave so much and her legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come.”
