Patrick finally adds big amateur handicap to his CV

After many years of trying, Patrick Mullins finally landed the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap as 11/4 favourite Echoes In Rain did the business by a length and a half.

The classy six-year-old, who is top weight for Thursday’s Galway Hurdle, was held up in mid-division before making steady headway on the final circuit.

Still travelling strongly turning for home, the daughter of Authorized was shaken up to lead a furlong out and stayed on well to defeat stablemate Maze Runner Dutch Schultz and Lots Of Joy, who share common ownership, were third and fourth.

This was a seventh career success for Echoes In Rain who won twice on the Flat in France in her younger days and notched four hurdle victories in the season before last.

Winning trainer Willie Mullins said: "I wasn't sure which horse to shout for as my wife owns the second! Anyhow, I'm delighted he won it and delighted for the owners in Barnane Stud in Templemore, who have a very good flat enterprise.

"She is high quality, is a little temperamental in her races but Patrick said they went fast enough to get her settled. He stayed wide and out of trouble.

"The first and second came from 21 and 22 which hasn't been done in years, if it has ever been done, but the race is changing and becoming a higher quality race every year.

"Maze Runner ran a cracker and I'm delighted for Eliott Ohgren, a top class Swedish amateur, who has been with us for a year."

He added "this race has been a fixture of Galway for many years and Connacht Hotel are great sponsors to keep the tradition going."

Patrick Mullins added: "Sixteenth time lucky! It’s the amateur Derby and my father won it on Pargan, for my grandfather.

"There’s plenty more (races for him to win) - there’s the Foxhunters' in Aintree, there’s the Kim Muir in Cheltenham, so there’s more to do. And a Galway Plate wouldn’t go astray, but it won’t be this year, unfortunately.”

He added: "We took the hood off her today, and she got very relaxed. I thought, going down to the start, that she was going to be too keen. She was quite buzzed up but we went a good gallop. She got a little bit keen and I actually let her slide on a bit rather than taking her back, and she settled again, and I got a lovely clear run.

“The more racing we’ve done with her, the more relaxed she’s got, and when I rode her in Cheltenham, over two and a half miles, I came back in and said I don’t think she needs the hood anymore, she was so relaxed.

“We took it off against Honeysuckle and she was second, and we left it off again today. If they had gone a slow pace, it would have backfired, but they went a bit of a gallop and got her settled. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t."

Quotes from Tom Weekes