Patrick Mullins still savouring 'extraordinary feeling' of first Festival winner

In every jockey's memory bank there are certain landmark occasions that will be treasured above and beyond others, long after hanging up their saddle, and Patrick Mullins is no exception to the rule.For every National Hunt jockey, riding a first Cheltenham Festival winner is one of those very moments that will be forever remembered and told in stories for years to come.In 2008, at the age of just 18, leading amateur Mullins achieved the dream that can take a lifetime for others when steering Cousin Vinny, trained by his father Willie, to glory in the Champion Bumper.Although that win may now be the best part of a decade ago, Mullins, who has since landed the same race aboard Champagne Fever and added a National Hunt Chase success to his name, still has vivid memories of the occasion and build-up to it.He said: "It was an extraordinary feeling winning on Cousin Vinny. I went over on the Monday and in typical Willie fashion, I didn't know what horses I would be riding."I thought I would be riding a horse called Drive On Regardles. It was on the Tuesday morning that I found out I was riding Cousin Vinny."It was a performance where everything went to plan. At the start of the bumper it can get quite rough, but I was exactly where I wanted to be all the way round."At the top of the hill a thought crossed my mind that I could win this, even though we still had a long way to go."We hit the front turning into the straight and he was still a bit green in front. I decided not to use my stick and just kept him straight. It felt like it took an age to get up that hill and across the finish line."To do that at 18 was fantastic. Obviously dad won the race (as a jockey) in 1996 on Wither Or Which, so to emulate him was great. The only sad thing was my grandfather couldn't be there."While ticking off riding a Festival winner from his 'to do' list early on in his career, Mullins nearly joined an elite club by making his first ride at the meeting a winning one 12 months prior to success aboard Cousin Vinny.He added: "My first ride was on Adamant Approach in the Pertemps Hurdle. I won the Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown on him and I got to keep the ride at Cheltenham."I was only 17 at the time and he was 13. He was a bit of a character and he was a horse you had to hold up as long as you could."I got a great spin off him and coming over the last I thought we were going to win. He ran his heart out and finished third, but his old legs didn't quite hold out."It was a fantastic experience for my first ride at the Festival. I was at seven-day boarding school at the time so I was not riding out every day."Everything went very well, the only thing that went wrong is that we had to bypass the second-last hurdle and I always remember getting knocked down a bit by horses on the inside."I remember going past Ruby (Walsh) to the last and him shouting encouragement at me at the time."Although enjoying his own fair share of success, the 27-year-old is in admiration of his father who in recent seasons has taken the blue riband meeting by storm, such has been his domination of the feature races.He said: "When I was growing up I remember us finishing behind Noel Meade and dad said we can beat him in total prize-money, but we can't beat him on winners."Just having a runner at Cheltenham was a big deal, but now it has morphed into something amazing over the last few years.We've had the perfect storm of owners, jockeys, staff and team of horses as well. "For my father to get compared to the likes of Tom Dreaper and Vincent O'Brien is a huge honour."Perfect storms don't last forever. This year we have taken a few blows with Gigginstown leaving and losing Vautour and being left without Annie Power and Faugheen."It just shows you can't take it for granted and you have to enjoy every year. People have this expectation that every year will be the same, but it won't last forever."Although the Closutton handler has been dealt several setbacks in the build-up to this year's Festival, there is one horse in particular Mullins junior hopes can deliver the team another breakthrough success on the biggest stage of them all and send those in the jam-packed stands into delirium.He said: "Dad has never won a Champion Chase and it would be great if Douvan could do it.He is an incredibly gentle and kind horse. Whereas Hurricane Fly would bite your hand off, Douvan is like a children's pony. "He comes up the gallop and we have nothing that can go with him. Willie has not hidden his enthusiasm for him from day one. "Hopefully he will get there in one piece and get a bit of luck on the day. He is an extraordinary animal. Hopefully he can continue to live up to his reputation."