'Game on' says Mullins after National glory as he targets title

LONDON - Irish trainer Willie Mullins's win in the Grand National sets him up nicely to be crowned British champion jumps trainer and emulate legendary compatriot Vincent O'Brien 70 years ago.

I Am Maximus's impressive victory on Saturday at Aintree resulted in Mullins rising to the top of the standings, over £50,000 ($62,000) ahead of Dan Skelton with three-time defending champion Paul Nicholls close behind.

The British season reaches its climax with Finals Day at Sandown on Saturday week.  

Whilst Mullins views I Am Maximus as good enough to win him a third successive Cheltenham Gold Cup next year -- though his two-time champion Galopin des Champs might have other ideas -- his immediate goal is more modest fare as he seeks to tick another box in his lengthening list of achievements.

"It's game on I think, isn't it?" said a hoarse-voiced Mullins, who added he needed "some celebratory lubrication" to put it right.  

"Sandown, Ayr, Perth, wherever we can see a prize -- I think we have to go for it now.

"I'm getting as much fun out of having a go at it now as anyone."

The 67-year-old is in the box seat for an 18th Irish trainers title -- he leads perennial runner-up Gordon Elliott by over 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) -- but he said the British crown had not been a target.

However, nine winners at the Cheltenham Festival -- including the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle -- and the National puts him on course to become only the second foreign-based trainer to land the coveted prize.

O'Brien, who was to go on to become one of the greatest trainers of all time on the flat, won back to back titles in 1953 and 1954.

Mullins also broke a career century of winners landmark at the Cheltenham Festival

"Fantastic. We never set out to have 100 winners at the festival," he said.

"No one thought it was possible. We're gobsmacked it happened.

"I would love to win the trainers' championship.

"I didn't set out at the start of the season to win the championship.

"Vincent O'Brien did it in the 50s, and it's something different to do, and I would like to win it."