Patrick Mullins ticks off Carlisle and provides Lossiemouth update

Patrick Mullins’ tour of UK racetracks took him to Carlisle on Monday where More Coko cruised to victory in the Racing TV Novices’ Hurdle.

Mullins would love to tick off a winner at all 41 National Hunt venues but he still has some way to go, with the Cumbrian venue the 14th at which he has been successful.

There has been a recent spurt, however, with Catterick and Wetherby only just ticked off – and with Newcastle possibly on the horizon, he might not take as long as most, given the ammunition at his disposal from his father Willie’s Closutton base.

“Everyone always says it’s one of the best chase tracks in the country, it’s my first time here but it’s a brilliant track and I’d love to come back and ride over fences one day,” said Mullins after guiding 1-5 chance More Coko to an easy victory.

“I’ve got 14 jumps tracks ticked off, I’ve a winner at Epsom as well but we won’t shout about that one. I think there’s 41, so if I can tick off five or six a year, we might get there. It’s a nice adventure to try, anyway.

“My dad might now know I’m here! This fellow is a homebred, my mother owned him and there’s a few there where I know the owners (that could come over), but I don’t think there’s the next Kopek Des Bordes or anything.

“The boys who bought him, Paul and John, are Irish but they are based in England, so it suited them to come over. I might have a mare in Newcastle next week and something for Kelso in March.”

While the leading amateur rider was without a winner himself at the Dublin Racing Festival, it was a successful two days for his father, with the likes of Galopin Des Champs, State Man, Majborough, Kopek Des Bordes, Final Demand and Bambino Fever highlighting their Cheltenham claims.

The assistant trainer told Racing TV: “Considering how keen Kopek was in the race, I think you can upgrade his form.

“We hadn’t opened Final Demand up at home, we don’t need to know, you wouldn’t swap either of them.

“Galopin is the masterpiece of Willie’s career for me, we’re so lucky to have him. That fall he had at Cheltenham a few years ago made him into the pro he is, his jumping is like playing on a PlayStation, you just press X and he pops over.

“He got a great reception, it was like the Hurricane Fly days.”

There were a couple of mishaps too, in Lossiemouth and El Fabiolo, but they appear to have escaped injury.

“Lossiemouth was home last night, she was a bit stiff and sorry for herself but fine. She was lucky, from where I was 100 yards back, I thought she might not get up,” said Mullins of the Irish Champion Hurdle faller.

“It’s not ideal but the only silver lining I can see is that they were going to give each other a grueller of a race. Paul (Townend) said State Man just switched off after and hacked home.

“I suppose it was a big ask for El Fabiolo after a year off but he got up and he was fine. I’m hoping, a bit like Galopin, it might teach him, because he didn’t fall at Cheltenham, he just made a bad mistake and was pulled up. He might pick up his feet next time.”