Cristal Icon storms home for family success

Cristal Icon opened her account in some style when drawing clear for an impressive success in the CITSU Fillies Maiden Hurdle at Cork.

Trained by Tom Mullins for his wife Helen (who also bred the filly) and ridden by their son David, the 4/1 chance raced keenly throughout but still arrived full of running approaching the penultimate flight.

The daughter of Sixties Icon was quite modest on the Flat but the switch to hurdles in recent weeks has proved fruitful and she came alive here on her third hurdle outing.

She stretched clear before flying the final hurdle and kept on strongly on the run-in to score by 17 lengths.

The 13/8 favourite Azua Emery just denied the Goresbridge trainer a 1-2 when taking the runner-up spot a neck ahead of the front-running Tildas Icon

Tom Mullins said, "She is a grand filly and strengthened up an awful lot since last year on the flat. She was just too weak last year and has really taken to jumping. She loves jumping, which I was surprised at but she loves it and that's a good bit of her ability to win as she did.

"She might run in a four year old winners' of one in Punchestown next and will definitely go back on the flat also.

"She's not a novice for next year now so that's the only sting in the tail!"

(TW & AM)