'There's great pride within the family - and the tide of Willie's success has raised the boats of our careers'

"As a family, we owe a lot to Willie Mullins," says Tony Mullins. "My grandfather Willie Mullins, that is," he adds, after a slight pause for dramatic effect.

A natural storyteller, the trainer and former champion jump jockey is invested with pride in his high-achieving family. It's a trait manifest across the clan, a subtle ability to shift the discussion away from the individual and towards the family collective.

"By all accounts, my grandfather Willie was a good farmer and a great hunting enthusiast," he says. "There were always hunters and half-breds around the place when my father [the great Paddy Mullins] was growing up. My grandfather was involved with a local pack, the Mount Loftus Harriers. My father whipped in for them and also hunted with the Kilkenny and Carlow packs.