They say the best thing about memories is making them and Patrick Mullins and his good friend and owner Paul Byrne will undoubtedly enjoy a special moment together when Mr Incredible takes a second crack at the Randox Grand National.

There will be a strong Mullins presence at Aintree for this year’s running of the world’s greatest steeplechase.

As well as Willie Mullins’ plethora of Grand National challengers, Emmet Mullins will be in town with 2022 National hero Noble Yeats, while Danny Mullins will be expected to receive the leg-up aboard one of the leading Closutton hopefuls.

Patrick Mullins could also be at the start line aboard Stattler – but half an eye will be looking across to Mr Incredible, the enigmatic eight-year-old with very much his own ideas about life.

Having arrived at Closutton on the back of refusing both at the start and then mid-race in consecutive outings, the Mr Incredible project seemed somewhat mission impossible.

But the apple does not fall far from the tree in County Carlow and the heir to the Closutton kingdom has conjured up some of his father’s wizardry to consistently deliver Mr Incredible to the start line both in top form and, most importantly, good spirits.

“He’s Patrick’s project and he pretty much trains him,” explained Byrne.

“If he did win, I would like to see him get the credit, as he does a lot with him. He deserves a lot of credit for even getting him to where he’s got him to. This was a write-off case to begin with

“He’s very frustrating and every day I get an update to say he consented on the gallop is good news. Every day is a battle with him, but he’s been fun to own and we’ve been lucky to own him.

“He does deserve to win the race, as he’s been some reformed character. He’s run very well every time for us and we just need to get a win into him, but the National would be a nice one to win.”

Mullins added: “He’s trained very differently to all the other horses and you have to do something different with him every day.

“Some days, he gets out of the wrong side of the bed and decides he’s not going to go at all, but you just need to work around him and he’s a horse with huge ability.”

Mr Incredible is one of a select number of horses trained by the Mullins team for Byrne – widely regarded as one of the shrewdest owners in the game and someone who has already had an influence on the history of the Aintree showpiece.

Alongside the genial Emmet Mullins, he first came up with the plan to aim the novice Noble Yeats towards Liverpool.

And although the cheque had already been cashed and the colours of Robert Waley-Cohen donned by the time his new owner’s son Sam was rounding the elbow, the first seven-year-old Grand National winner in 82 years had all the hallmarks of the Byrne/Mullins thinktank.

Byrne has again recently passed on the ownership of another leading National fancy, with Meetingofthewaters now in the famous green and gold of JP McManus.

However, he harbours few regrets about seeing his pale blue silks dispersed, at least at this stage of his ownership career.

“We have our fingerprints over a few of them and it’s a fabulous race really – and one I would be looking to build a horse towards all the time,” explained Byrne.

“You have to be extremely wealthy to hold onto a horse of that value (a National contender) and where I’m at with my age, I would love to, but at the stage where I’m at in my career, it’s too early to hold onto a horse of that value.

“With all the best luck and best will in the world, I would love to see them go on and do well for whoever buys them. I would be over the moon if any of them could win.”

Mullins also has fond memories of the Merseyside marathon and was only a teenager when his father joined the National roll of honour with Hedgehunter in 2005.

He has since seen his cousins David and Emmet both enjoy special days in the Aintree spotlight and for one split-second thought his own Liverpool dreams would come true on a day solely remembered by most for Rachael Blackmore’s heroics aboard Minella Times.

He said: “There’s been some great days at Aintree, obviously Hedgehunter and then David on Rule The World and Emmet with Noble Yeats. I got a super spin on Burrows Saint the other year behind Rachael Blackmore, which was also a special year as well.

“Crossing the Melling Road, I was taking a pull and for a couple of moments I thought I might win it. But once we had to go up a gear down to the second last, that dream evaporated pretty quickly unfortunately.”

Now he has the chance to dream again and is relishing a return to Aintree with some of the Closutton squad he knows well.

He added: “I think Paul enjoys having Mr Incredible and it would be great if we could get a win with him, that would be magic. Myself and Paul have been friends since we were teenagers and he’s a great person to work with and get on with and we’ve been very lucky together.

“We’ve got Meetingofthewaters there as well, which is another one of my projects and I owned him at the start of the season, so I’m really looking forward to the race this year.”

But what of Mr Incredible’s chances? Sent off at 14-1 last year, he was in the ideal position before disaster struck and rider Brian Hayes’ saddle slipped rounding the Canal Turn for the second time.

The enigmatic eight-year-old seemed to relish the unique challenge of the Grand National course in 2023, but faces a further test of his mettle this time around, with a standing start to overcome, giving Mr Incredible the opportunity to repeat misdemeanours of old.

However, if overcoming that brand-new 31st obstacle, then an encouraging prep when second in the Midlands Grand National would suggest a bold second Aintree bid is on the cards.

“He’s been very well behaved on the track last season and at Uttoxeter,” explained Mullins.

“It’s a standing start this year in the National and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. We’ll find out on the day and hopefully it won’t negatively affect him.

“Brian said he really enjoyed the track, jumped really well, just the second time round at the Canal Turn, when he had him in a nice position, his saddle slipped. So we decided we would try to get him back and have another go, because he’s not an old horse.

“It was a huge run at Uttoxeter under that weight for a first run of the season. He should come forward for it and he’s going to be at the other end of the weights come the National, so if he puts his best foot forward, he has to have a super chance.”

Byrne concurs with his friend that Mr Incredible could be a major player, but also ponders if last year was his opportunity gone begging.

He said: “I think he has a chance and if we were able to train him properly, then he could be a Grade One horse, but we just can’t train him properly unfortunately.

“He’s creeping up the weights and he’s a bit more than last year. I just wonder how much he would have in hand off the mark, but he should improve fitness-wise for Uttoxeter.

“If he gets going, he will jump and will give a good account, but does he have the 10 or 12lb in hand you need to win that race? I don’t think he does.”

As for Byrne’s idea of the winner, he added: “For a modern-day National horse, a profile like Noble Yeats had is what you want – and I think Meetingofthewaters has that, he’s young and progressive.”

Patrick Mullins has hailed Gaelic Warrior’s versatility – but as a result admits it means his Cheltenham Festival target is likely to be a late decision.

Having won from two to three miles over hurdles, he has shown both speed and stamina and his win in Grade One company at Limerick over Christmas marked him out as one of the best novice chasers at Willie Mullins’ Closutton yard.

However, he has shown a marked tendency to jump to his right and his only two defeats since joining Mullins have come at the left-handed Cheltenham.

He has been entered in the two-mile Arkle, the two-and-a-half-mile Turners Novices’ Chase and the three-mile Brown Advisory at the Festival.

“I think he’s very versatile. He won a very valuable two-mile handicap hurdle and then a Grade One over three miles as well,” Patrick Mullins, who rode him at Limerick, told Sky Sports Racing.

“The way he jumps, he could definitely go back to two miles but he does jump to his right. I think if you see any of the head on shots at Limerick, he does jump to his right.

“So, does going a stride slower on the new course over two and a half (in the Turners) help negate that? It might but if you just asked me what his best distance is, I don’t know. He jumps fast enough for two miles but he stays three miles. He’s just versatile.

“With regards to Cheltenham I don’t know, Willie has him entered in the Irish Arkle so that could be interesting if he goes there, we could get a feel on that but plans are up in the air at the moment.

“Willie always likes to leave it as late as he can so there are no more moving parts and it works well for him. For some horses a race sticks out and you can say that’s the race for him, but with others that’s not the case.

“This fellow is so versatile, he has lots of options so we won’t nail our colours to the mast too soon.”

Danny Mullins has played down his altercation with cousin Patrick Mullins following the Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick on Thursday.

Patrick ultimately claimed a comfortable victory in the race on board his father Willie’s Gaelic Warrior, with Danny five and a half lengths back in second on stablemate Il Etait Temps.

However, the pair did come close when Danny attempted to sneak up the inner on the run to the second-last and Patrick appeared to react angrily to that incident as they pulled up after the finishing line.

The stewards looked into the episode but Danny later made light of the whole affair via his regular diary on the Tote Twitter site.

He joked: “The main question on everybody’s lips is what did Patrick say? I don’t fully recall what he did say, I think it was something along the lines of ‘Danny, get a haircut’, but I’m happy with my hair as it is at the moment.”

On a more serious note, Danny added: “It’s one of those things, I’m always going to ride to win the race and that’s what I have to do for my owners and we had a go and unfortunately I finished second – but we had a go and that was the main thing.”

Regarding the incident approaching the penultimate fence, Patrick Mullins earlier said: “I told Danny going out that there will be a gap on my inside going down to the second-last and ‘do not come for it’ but he hasn’t listened to me. Luckily it didn’t get the two of us beaten.”

Willie Mullins was at Leopardstown, where he told Racing TV with a wry smile: “I had my son and my nephew trying to kill each other going to the second-last. I don’t know what Patrick said to Danny, but I don’t imagine they’ll be going home in the same car anyhow!

“Danny was riding his horse and he had to try to go for Grade One glory on his horse. Anyhow, it will make fun for this evening when we are disseminating the whole thing.”

The stewards investigated the incident two out and took no action, but also inquired about Patrick Mullins’ post-race comments.

The report read: “The Raceday Stewards interviewed Mr. P.W. Mullins, rider of Gaelic Warrior, and D.E. Mullins, rider of Il Etait Temps, regarding comments made to the media about an incident on the run to the second-last.

“Mr. P.W. Mullins stated that he had advised D.E. Mullins during a conversation prior to the race that he would be leaving a gap down the inner to get a breather into his horse and he advised him not to go for it.

“D.E. Mullins confirmed the conversation happened as such. Having considered all the evidence, the Raceday Stewards referred the matter on to a Senior Racing Official.”

Meetingofthewaters provided his owner Paul Byrne with another big payday after scooting to victory in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown.

With a total prize fund of €200,000 up for grabs, the three-mile contest is one of the most valuable handicap chases of the season in Ireland and once again attracted a bumper field of 27 runners.

Meetingofthewaters (6-1) was rated just 112 when snapped up by Patrick Mullins out of Eugene O’Sullivan’s yard earlier in the year – and while he was well beaten in his first two starts over fences in his colours and under the tutelage of his father Willie, he was a well-backed favourite when making it third time lucky in lesser company at Cork last month.

Having since been sold to a close friend of the Mullins family in Byrne, who has previously enjoyed big-race success with the likes of The Shunter, Corbetts Cross and Feronily, the six-year-old travelled smoothly into the straight under Danny Mullins and dug deep from the final fence to see off the rallying Panda Boy by four and a half lengths.

Mullins said: “It’s a fantastic result for Paul Byrne. Patrick has a lot to do with (training) this fellow, but I think he was hoping he’d be a Kim Muir horse and that is gone out the window now!

“It’s great prize-money and a tremendous prize to win with a horse like that.

“Paul is great at seeing gaps in the market when buying horses. He’s able to spot horses rather than paying big money. He has an eye for a horse and is able to put a deal together. He probably looks for horses in places that other people don’t.

“He won nicely in Cork and was a young horse improving all the time. It’s a bit of a lottery when you go into a race like this but when you get in at those weights it’s always worth having a crack.”

Meetingofthewaters was one of three winners on the card for the champion trainer, with Mark Walsh steering Dinoblue (9-4) to Grade One success in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase and Joystick toughing out victory as the 11-8 favourite in the concluding bumper under Patrick Mullins.

Mullins, who enjoyed an across-the-card seven-timer on the day with four winners at Limerick, said of Joystick, he said: “He was third in a point-to-point and we went down to see him at the Doyles. He’s a nice staying type and a real chaser in the making.

“He’s a real long-striding, old-fashioned chaser and a nice acquisition. He’ll stick with bumpers this season.”

Intellotto made a successful start to his career over obstacles in the Paddy Power I Have No Idea What Day It Is 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle.

Placed twice from three starts on the Flat for trainer Joseph O’Brien, the 10-1 shot travelled smoothly on his jumping bow and passed the post with four and a half lengths in hand under Daryl Jacob.

Paddy Power make Intellotto a 25-1 shot for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

O’Brien said: “The ground was softer than we thought it was going to be but it was a lovely debut. Daryl taught him a lot and he jumped pretty well on the whole.

“I think the logical step would be to come back here for the Dublin Racing Festival.”

The Eoin Griffin-trained One Last Tango (4-1) carried the JP McManus colours to victory in the Paddy Power Who Put The Wrappers Back In The Box Handicap Hurdle, completing a double on the card for the leading owner and jockey Mark Walsh following the earlier Grade One success of Dinoblue.

Griffin said: “He had a promising run on his return when finishing fourth at Navan and he’s come on a little bit from it.

“I was a bit concerned about the ground today, but he handled it well and it’s brilliant to get a winner here at Christmas for JP. It’s been a while since we had a Christmas winner and we’re over the moon.”

Patrick Mullins is relishing the prospect of partnering the hugely exciting Gaelic Warrior in the Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick.

The record-breaking amateur memorably rode Faugheen to land the Patrickswell circuit’s festive feature four years ago when getting the better of a much-anticipated clash with Samcro, and he has high hopes of repeating the feat on another Rich Ricci-owned star on Thursday.

“Winning on Faugheen was one of the highlights of my career so far, a day I’ll never forget,” said Mullins.

“I’m very excited to get back on Gaelic Warrior, I rode him last year in the Ballymore and we were second behind Impaire Et Passe.

“It looks an ideal race for him on soft ground, going right-handed over an intermediate trip.”

Gaelic Warrior won four times over hurdles, including at Grade One level, but could scale even greater heights over the larger obstacles judged on the manner of his debut at Punchestown last month.

However, with a clutch of talented rivals lying in wait – including a top-class stablemate in Il Etait Temps – Mullins is taking nothing for granted.

He added: “It’s a competitive race. American Mike beat Fact To File and has form with Facile Vega, Il Etait Temps is a Grade One winner and the other two horses (Lucid Dreams and Inothewayurthinkin) are no slouches either, so there’s no no-hoper in the race.

“Gaelic Warrior was very good in Punchestown. I think the more races he has, the less fresh he gets, but he seems to enjoy chasing, so hopefully we can have another day to remember.”

With Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow renewing rivalry, and Gerri Colombe looking to cement his Cheltenham Gold Cup claims, this year’s Savills Chase promises to be one to savour.

In an era where blockbuster clashes are bemoaned as a disappointing rarity, the feature event on day three of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival serves up a tantalising treat, with the aforementioned trio currently occupying to the top three spots in the betting for the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.

Add to that the defending champion Conflated, another former winner of the race and Gold Cup hero in A Plus Tard and the latter’s stablemate Envoi Allen, and you have what could be a race for the ages.

Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father Willie, summed it up perfectly when saying: “It’s probably the race of Christmas and the race of the year so far.”

The big hope for Team Mullins clan is, of course, Galopin Des Champs, who looked set to become the dominant force in the staying chase division after winning the John Durkan at Punchestown, Leopardstown’s Irish Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season. But he will line up on Thursday having suffered back-to-back defeats.

Many considered his shock reverse at the hands of Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow in April’s Punchestown Gold Cup as a freak result at the end of a long season, but the latter went some way to dispelling that notion when handing the Mullins ace another short-priced beating in the John Durkan last month.

Galopin Des Champs was only third on that occasion and Patrick Mullins is hoping he can show his true colours on Thursday.

He said: “We’re looking for Galopin Des Champs to bounce back. He didn’t jump well in the John Durkan, but he’s schooled very well since.

“I think he ran very well at Punchestown considering how badly he jumped, so if he jumps better, he should be back to his best.

“Fastorslow has beaten us the last twice, so it’s for us to come and beat him, not the other way around. Fastorslow sits top of that division at the moment.

“Gerri Colombe is a hard horse to get a gauge on because he just does the bare minimum, but I’d think Leopardstown after all the rain will suit him very well.”

Galopin Des Champs is one of five declared runners for the champion trainer, with Appreciate It, I Am Maximus, Capodanno and Janidil also in the mix.

Appreciate It split Fastorslow and Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan when ridden by Mullins junior, who feels he again warrants respect.

He added: “Appreciate It ran a cracker in the John Durkan and he’ll be better going this direction.

“It’ll be a very differently run race I’d imagine, but we’d be hoping that he can confirm that his last run is the level he’s at.”

Fastorslow is out to prove there was no fluke about his successive Grade One wins at Punchestown.

“He’s in great form and I’m delighted with him, very happy,” said Brassil.

Gerri Colombe won the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal on his first start outside novice company and while his trainer Gordon Elliott flirted with the idea of travelling to Kempton for a tilt at the King George on Boxing Day, he instead remains on home soil.

Conflated was not beaten far when third behind his stable companion at Down Royal, and a return to a track where he won both the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup last year is clearly a positive.

A Plus Tard has looked a shadow of his former self since his scintillating victory in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup, while Envoi Allen cannot be discounted after pushing Gerri Colombe to a neck last month.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead said: “Both are in good form and it will be nice to get A Plus Tard out again. He seems well at home and we’re hoping for a good run.

“We’re trying to find our form with him, we didn’t really see it last year but we didn’t get much opportunity to either.

“Envoi seems in great form. He ran a great race in Down Royal and if he ran something similar to that we’d be delighted.

“We could have done without the rain for both of them I suppose, but it is what it is.”

Patrick Mullins is relishing the prospect of partnering the hugely exciting Gaelic Warrior in the Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick.

The record-breaking amateur memorably rode Faugheen to land the Patrickswell circuit’s festive feature four years ago when getting the better of a much-anticipated clash with Samcro, and he has high hopes of repeating the feat on another Rich Ricci-owned star on Thursday.

“Winning on Faugheen was one of the highlights of my career so far, a day I’ll never forget,” said Mullins.

“I’m very excited to get back on Gaelic Warrior, I rode him last year in the Ballymore and we were second behind Impaire Et Passe.

“It looks an ideal race for him on soft ground, going right-handed over an intermediate trip.”

Gaelic Warrior won four times over hurdles, including at Grade One level, but could scale even greater heights over the larger obstacles judged on the manner of his debut at Punchestown last month.

However, with a clutch of talented rivals lying in wait – including a top-class stablemate in Il Etait Temps – Mullins is taking nothing for granted.

He added: “It’s a competitive race. American Mike beat Fact To File and has form with Facile Vega, Il Etait Temps is a Grade One winner and the other two horses (Lucid Dreams and Inothewayurthinkin) are no slouches either, so there’s no no-hoper in the race.

“Gaelic Warrior was very good in Punchestown. I think the more races he has, the less fresh he gets, but he seems to enjoy chasing, so hopefully we can have another day to remember.”

Patrick Mullins is delighted with the prospect of being reunited with Facile Vega in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday.

Mullins won four bumpers on the six-year-old two seasons ago, including the championship events at Cheltenham and Punchestown, and with Paul Townend at Kempton to ride Allaho he steps into the breach.

As a son of the brilliant Quevega he had plenty to live up to, but he already has four Grade Ones in the bank and that is before he has even had the chance to add to it over fences, something he looks like he was born to do.

Mullins’ father and trainer Willie feels he may be at his best when stepping up in trip, but while he is winning over two miles there seems little reason to change and he faces just three rivals, including stablemate Sharjah, a horse Mullins has also enjoyed great success with.

“I’m delighted to get back on him – we had a great season together two years ago,” said Mullins.

“I schooled him and rode him work on the Curragh on Tuesday and he worked very well, I was very happy with him.

“I got a great spin in this race a few years ago on Douvan, so hopefully this could be just as good.

“He’s not an ex-point-to-pointer or an ex-French horse, he’s a homebred who started off in bumpers, so he’s entitled to improve jumping-wise, more so than some of our other horses.

“He definitely has the physique to be a better chaser and I think in time he’ll probably go up in trip – Quevega stayed three miles well. But he has plenty of speed of two miles at the moment.

“Myself and Danny (Mullins) pick up plenty of Paul’s crumbs and I can’t wait.”

Gavin Cromwell’s My Mate Mozzie and Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty complete the field.