Comfortable for Wicklow Brave as Mullins doubles up

A Classic winner and victorious at the top level over hurdles, Wicklow Brave scored at odds of 1/6 in the Rockshore Race at Galway.

Giving Willie Mullins a double on the night - after his feature race win with Nessun Dorma (Billy Lee) - Wicklow Brave was ridden by champion jockey Colin Keane.

Supplying the Closutton team with a tenth winner of Galway 2018, Wicklow Brave tracked the leaders, and he was third at the halfway stage.

He made headway travelling well to lead over three furlongs out, and pushed along to assert over a furlong out, he kept on well to comfortably account for Morga by three and a half lengths.

"He's an extraordinary horse and we bought him as a bumper horse and he only cost 35 or 40,000 Euros. To win a Punchestown Champion Hurdle and an Irish St Leger and be down to Melbourne he is extraordinary and hardy," said Mullins.

"He has his own ideas about how he does things at home and we try not to have too many arguments with him and let him get on with it and it keeps him young I'd say.

"I'd like to find something similar with him next but I know his owner is keen to go jumping with him and be the first horse to win a Group One on the Flat, and a Grade One over hurdles and fences, so the Drinmore Chase could be an option. He jumps fences very well.

"We'll keep him to the Flat and over hurdles in the meantime, and wait until the weather gets really soft until going chasing, if he does.

"I don't know if he'd be good enough to win an Irish St Leger at this stage but he has an entry in it but we're taking it day by day with him."

Under the provisions of Rule 90 (iii), the Stewards allowed Ask Katie trained by G. Webb, to run on receipt of the trainer's written assurance that the horse was correctly vaccinated in accordance with Rule 91.

(TW & EM)