Blazing Emily heads for home© Photo Healy Racing
The final leg of the Willie Mullins quad in Ballinrobe was brought up by his son Patrick on Blazing Emily (3/1) in the bumper.
The jockey dictated the pace throughout and was ridden to account for the challenging Risk Factor and Tom Hamilton approaching the final furlong.
Blazing Emily stayed on well along the rail to see off 5/6 favourite Risk Factor by three parts of a length. Avanzi (8/1) was a further six lengths adrift in third.
Patrick Mullins said: “It’s been a great day and that’s a good end to it. I’m feeling quite old as I rode her mother (Blazing Tempo) to win a bumper for Willie Austin ten years ago and she won the Galway Plate for us afterwards.
“This mare hasn’t been easy to train at home so I was a bit worried about her fitness coming here. We’ve had her a while but she’s had little issues here and there and we’ve finally got her right.
“I didn’t want it to turn into an end-to-end gallop, so I just set steady fractions in front and natural ability has done the rest.
“It’s great to get a winner for Kenny Alexander and I’d imagine we will try to find her some black type somewhere. I’m not sure if I will get her for a winners’ bumper but I’d like to!”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
