Mullins lands one-two in Aintree bumper

Bacardys led home a one-two for Willie Mullins when out-gunning stablemate Battleford in Aintree's Weatherbys Private Bank Champion National Hunt Flat race.

In what had proven to be a frustrating day for the Closutton handler, the five-year-old ensured it ended on a positive note with his son Patrick seen at his most effective to lift him home in the Grade Two affair.

Entering the closing stages, a re-run of the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival threatened to take place, as the Mullins duo together with Ballyandy moved on to fight out the finish.

Despite travelling well, Ballyandy backed out of the equation around a furlong from home, leaving the stablemates to battle it out, a verdict that was to go the way of Bacardys (15-2) by half a length, with debutant The Minch running a cracking race in staying on a length and a half away in third.

Mullins said: "When I asked Patrick which one he wanted to ride, he thought Bacardys was unlucky in Cheltenham, so he went for him. There wasn't much in it and they're two lovely prospects.

"What I love about Battleford is, even after getting a hard race in Cheltenham, he's still carrying condition and he's very strong. That's a great sign for the future."