Maureen Mullins, the stalwart of the racing community, died at home on 14 February, aged 94.
Mrs Mullins was a much-loved figure at racecourses for more than 70 years. She was from a farming family, and had an early interest in horses.
She married Paddy Mullins in 1954, and assisted his successful training operation at Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny, which spanned more than 50 years. He was named Irish champion jumps trainer 10 times before he retired in 2005, aged 86. He predeceased Mrs Mullins in 2010, aged 91.
The Mullins family name is steeped in racing glory. The couple’s five children Sandra, Willie, George, Tony and Tom all rode winners on the track. Willie is now a 17-time champion trainer, Tony and Tom have sent out Grade One and Cheltenham Festival winners, and George operates an international horse transport business.
Of Mrs Mullins’ 10 grandchildren, Patrick, Danny, David, Charlie, and Emmett have continued the family’s legacy in racing. Patrick is an amateur champion jockey, David was the 2016 Grand National winner with Rule The World, and Emmett sent out 2022 Grand National winner Noble Yeats.
Mrs Mullins was also a winning rider, and an owner and breeder. In 1982 she won the ladies’ event at Gowran Park on Razzo Forte, a race Sandra went on to ride in. Later Mrs Mullins was a director of Gowran Park, of which she was a shareholder.
In 2016 Mrs Mullins received an award from Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) for her contribution to the industry.
A spokesman for HRI said Mrs Mullins was a “hugely popular figure” in racing, and the organisation offers its sincere condolences to the Mullins family.
“She was the matriarch of a true racing dynasty. A strong and independent woman, she will be missed from racecourses the length and breadth of the country.”
A British Horseracing Authority spokesman said Mrs Mullins had a “tremendous passion for the sport to which she gave so much and her legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come”.
A Punchestown spokesman described Mrs Mullins as an “inspirational lady with an abundance of energy, style and most of all pride on what her family had achieved in racing”.
“The Punchestown winner’s room will not be the same,” he said.
Mrs Mullins is survived by her children and grandchildren.
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