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.”

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.”