Willie & Patrick simply unstoppable in bumpers

Willie and Patrick Mullins landed the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares (Pro/Am) Flat Race with 4/5 favourite River Tara  

Owned by the Curb Your Enthusiasm Syndicate and formerly with Sam Curling, the five-year-old had been second on stable debut at Kilbeggan in April.

Here, she was prominent throughout and went on inside the final quarter mile to beat Air Drop by eight lengths.

It'a been a pretty thankless task for those taking on the Mullins battalions in bumpers so far this season and this was Patrick Mullin's seventh winner from his last eight bumper rides, with six of those winners being sent off odds-on. The one that didn't win was Extrapolation, first past the post at Punchestown only to lose the race in the stewards' room.

Of his latest winner, Patrick Mullins said: "I probably should have won on her that day (in Kilbeggan), that form was franked."

The ground is drier here today and Downpatrick do a fabulous job with the ground, they gave us all fresh ground today. They deserve huge credit for that, the grass here is fantastic.

"The drier the ground the better for her.

"She could go hurdling or we could look for a winners' bumper, I'm not sure what we will do.

"We have plenty of options and we will keep her on the go.

"A great buy by James Fenton and she wasn't expensive, so hats off to him." 

A very well-attended two-day fixture at Downpatrick over the weekend saw, in total, over 7,000 people come through the turnstiles.

Quotes from Michael Graham