RULE THE WORLD (GB) 9-10-07 - 
The 2016 Crabbie's Grand National Winner

Breeding:   b g Sulamani - Elaine Tully (Persian Bold)
Breeder:   Mrs P G Wilkins & R J McAlpine
Born:   Mar 30, 2007
Owner:   Gigginstown House Stud
Trainer:   Mouse Morris
Jockey:   David Mullins
Form:   12112P/14216/225222/6S322541
*Won 2016 Crabbie's Grand National at 33/1.
*Was acquired by his current connections for €90,000 as an unraced three-year-old. By then his half-brother Velnamar, in the same stable, showed himself a high-class novice hurdler, beaten narrowly in the two and a half-mile Grade 1 at the Cheltenham Festival.
*Started his career with a point-to-point victory, and went on to win a bumper and two novices' hurdles before following in Velnamar's hoofprints at Cheltenham, chasing home The New One. His latest win came over hurdles at Naas more than two years ago.
*Remarkably, he has yet to win over fences but in 13 tries has finished second seven times, including to Thunder And Roses in last season's Irish Grand National and most recently to No More Heroes in a Grade 1 novices' contest at Leopardstown in December.
*Has never fallen or unseated - his only non-completion came when he stumbled and slipped up on the flat before the last when poised to win the Galway Plate in July last year.
*His latest run brought a staying-on fifth over three miles at Naas last month on heavy going, and better ground will be in his favour. Race record: Starts 25; Wins 6; 2nd 10; 3rd 1. Win & Place Prize Money: £763,105
 
Gigginstown House Stud
Gigginstown House Stud, covering 1,000 acres at Delvin near Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland is the residence of Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline. O'Leary was born in Mullingar, County Westmeath on March 20, 1961 and educated at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare before reading business studies at Trinity College Dublin.He was a tax consultant at accountants KPMG in 1984, became financial adviser to Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair two years later and deputy chief executive of Ryanair in 1988. He progressed to chief operating officer of Ryanair in 1991. He has overseen the rapid development of Ryanair since 1994 when he became chief executive, and his worth was valued at £598 million in the 2015 Sunday Times Rich List. O'Leary started off with horses on the Flat with David Wachman and Mick Halford, but he has rapidly become a major Jump owner with a string only rivalled by J P McManus. His team of over 170 horses in training is split between a wide range of trainers in Ireland and his racing enthusiasm was kick-started when one of his first horses, War Of Attrition, won the 2006 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup. His 15 Cheltenham Festival winners include this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Don Cossack. Other Festival winners include Weapon's Amnesty in the 2009 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and 2010 RSA Chase, First Lieutenant in the 2011 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle and Sir Des Champs in the 2012 JLT Novices' Chase. O'Leary's brother Eddie, based at Lynn Lodge Stud in Mullingar, oversees the Gigginstown racing operation; the young horses are brought along at Pat Doyle's County Tipperary stables and in point-to-points by Gordon Elliott. Bryan Cooper is retained jockey for Gigginstown. He is married to former banker Anita (Farrell) and they have four children. Crabbie's Grand National Record: 2009 Hear The Echo (FELL 30th); 2012 Tharawaat (8th); 2014 Quito De La Roque (PU 21st); 2015 First Lieutenant (16th); 2016 RULE THE WORLD (WON), First Lieutenant (Fell 2nd), Sir Des Champs (Fell 15th)
 
Michael (Mouse) Morris IRE (Fethard, Co Tipperary)
Born:  April 4, 1951 Background: Michael Morris has been known as Mouse since his early days as an amateur rider. His late father, Lord Killanin, once headed the International Olympic Committee, while his brother Redmond's credits as a film producer include The Reader. As a youngster in Ireland, Mouse showed little enthusiasm for school, preferring to spend his mornings riding out for a local trainer and did not enjoy his time when sent to Ampleforth College in Yorkshire. He served his apprenticeship at the celebrated Frenchie Nicholson jockey academy in Cheltenham alongside Pat Eddery and Tony Murray. Back in Ireland, he rode principally for Edward O'Grady, winning the Irish Grand National on Billycan in 1977 and Cheltenham's Queen Mother Champion Chase twice on Skymas in 1976 and 1977. Training Career: He took out his trainer's licence in 1980 and immediately established himself as one of Ireland's leading Jump trainers. Morris has seven Cheltenham Festival wins to his credit, the best being Buck House's victory in the 1986 Queen Mother Champion Chase and War Of Attrition's 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup success. He won his second Irish Grand National on Easter Monday, 2016 with Rogue Angel - his first came with Hear The Echo in 2008. He saddled First Lieutenant, the 2011 Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival, to take the 2013 Betfred Bowl at Aintree. Morris trains at Everardsgrange, Fethard, in Co. Tipperary. In 1984, Door Step became his first Crabbie's Grand National runner, but fell at the 18th fence.
Crabbie's Grand National Record: 1984 Door Step (FELL 18th); 1987 Attitude Adjuster (8th), Hi Harry (Ref 19th); 1988 Attitude Adjuster (5th), Lastofthebrownies (FELL 28th); 1989 Lastofthebrownies (4th), Attitude Adjuster (12th), Cranlome (FELL 2nd); 1990 Lastofthebrownies (5th); 1991 Mick's Star (13th); 1992 Rawhide (UR 1st); 1995 For William (15th); 1996 Three Brownies (6th); 1997 New Co (15th); 2004 Alcapone (PU 25th); 2008 Baily Breeze (8th); 2009 Hear The Echo (FELL 30th); 2015 First Lieutenant (16th); 2016 RULE THE WORLD (WON)
 
David Mullins
Born:  June 6, 1996: Background: David Mullins is the son of the trainer Tom Mullins and the nephew of the 10-time champion trainer Willie. The Mullins' are a racing dynasty and his grandfather, Paddy, is best known for training the great racemare Dawn Run, who still remains the only horse to win both the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup. Being born into the great racing family there is no surprise the path he chose. For one so young, he has already tasted success at the top-level, his most famous victory to date was aboard Nichols Canyon, trained by his uncle Willie, in the Grade One StanJames.com Morgiana Hurdle at Leopardstown when he downed the unbeaten 2015 Stan James Champion Hurdle hero, Faugheen. He had won a Grade Three chase on Devils Bride, again for his uncle. He turned professional 2014 and his riding has caught the eye of some of the biggest names in the sport, most significantly Gigginstown House Stud, owners he will be riding Rule The World for in this year's Crabbie's Grand National. It was Mullins' first ride in the race.  
Crabbie's Grand National record: 2016 RULE THE WORLD (WON)

O'LEARY MAKES HISTORY
 
Several owners have enjoyed winners of Jump racing's two biggest prizes, the Crabbie's Grand National and Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, but none have ever captured the two races in the same season with different horses.
 
Golden Miller, owned by Dorothy Paget, won both races in 1934 but Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud has achieved a unique feat.
 
Don Cossack, trained by Gordon Elliott, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month before today's victory for Rule The World, saddled by Mouse Morris to win the Crabbie's Grand National.
 
BRITISH-BRED SUCCESS
 
Rule The World was a rare British-bred winner of the Crabbie's Grand National. He is the first born in Britain since Red Marauder in 2001.
 
He was raised locally at Richard and Sally Aston's Goldford Stud near Malpas in Cheshire and bred by former Aintree director Bobby McAlpine with Patricia Wilkins.
 
The son of Sulamani was sold for 90,000 euros to trainer Mouse Morris at the 2010 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.
 
IRISH-TRAINED
 
Irish-trained runners enjoyed a purple patch in the Crabbie's Grand National between 1999 and 2007, winning seven of the nine renewals.
 
But Rule The World is the first Irish-trained winner since Silver Birch in 2007 and 25th in all.