Tragedy of Grand National winner Nick Rockett’s proprietor Sadie Andrew – ‘what she needed’

The 2025 Grand National was one of the most poignant races in its 177-year history as Nick Rockett triumphed at Aintree after owner Sadie Andrew died

Nick Rockett secured a fairy tale victory in the 2025 Grand National.

The 33/1 shot and rank outsider, trained by Patrick Mullins and ridden by Willie Mullins, sealed a first father and son victory in the Grand National, but also landed an emotional moment for owner Stewart Andrew. Stewart’s wife and Nick Rockett’s owner Sadie died in December 2022 following a battle with cancer, just days after seeing the horse’s debut run.

Nick Rockett is still officially owned by Stewart and Sadie. And before she died, Sadie told her husband to take Nick Rockett to Mullins’ yard. The emotional owner said after the Aintree win: “Out of such sadness, joy has been born. Nick Rockett has done it all for me.”

Stewart said he struggled in the years following his wife’s death, which came just three weeks after she was diagnosed. He praised Mullins as a friend and for the support after he helped get him out of the ‘shell’ he had got into mourning his wife.

Stewart carried Patrick into the winner’s enclosure as the emotional scenes unfurled, seeing Willie break down in tears talking to ITV Racing.

“Nick Rockett wasn’t my horse, it was my wife’s horse, and she wanted a horse in training with Willie,” Andrew told ITV.

“She had her holy communion with him, we bumped into him by chance at Cheltenham sales, and Sadie said ‘why don’t we get Willie to buy a horse for us?’. I said ‘well if you want to get Willie to buy a horse, Sadie, buy a horse’, and she did.

“If truth be known, she’d probably been on the phone chewing Willie’s ear off to run him at Fairyhouse… and I think Willie really didn’t want to do it because the horse wasn’t ready.

“When we found out that she had terminal cancer on the 17th of November – sadly she passed away on the 8th – Willie ran in just to let Sadie see him.

“He finished fourth and Sadie said ‘he’s run a massive race, he’s not fit, but when I get him fit he’ll win’. And he’s just done [that].”

Stewart told the Racing Post: “After Sadie died, I went over to Willie to watch Nick Rockett work with Fergal O’Brien as he had a horse running in the Kerry National and Fergal’s daughter was working for Willie.

“I was in a tough place, missing Sadie, and Willie said he had two horses, Vauban and Absurde, running in the Melbourne Cup and asked if I wanted to come out.

“I went out and had the time of my life with the guys. It took me out of a cycle of not socialising as I had gone into a bit of a shell.

“We had a fantastic time and I got asked again last year and there was no way I was going to miss it.”