Mullins bringing strong team to Tramore
Saylavee is part of the Willie Mullins team heading to Tramore this week Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
POWERHOUSE Closutton handler Willie Mullins could be taking a big aim at the Tramore August Festival over the two days of racing later this week with plenty of runners potentially heading south.
The Festival in County Waterford takes place on Thursday and Friday of this week and, Mullins is as strong handed as he tries to another Summer winner for the superstar trainer.
Read below to find out more about some of Mullins’s potential runners at Tramore courtesy of BoyleSports, who offer the latest horse racing odds throughout the season.
Mullins’s first runner of the meeting could be Moon Rise Beauty, a seven-year-old, in the two mile and two furlong beginners chase. Moon Rise Beauty returned from almost a year away from the track to finish in midfield in a Galway handicap hurdle a couple of weeks ago and should strip better here for that run.
It has been seven races and two long years since Dad’s Lad entered the Winners’ Enclosure and the nine-year-old could be in action for Mullins at Tramore to put that barren run to an end. Dad’s Lad has six wins from 23 races under rules but they were some time back and it’ll be some story if he were to return to that kind of form at Tramore.
Mullins’s third and final potential runner on day one at Tramore could be Winter Fog in the two-mile maiden contest to bring the first day of action to a close. Winter Fog was a winner of a Tipperary grade three hurdle two starts back and was a good fourth at the Galway Festival in the Galway Hurdle, another grade three, so is in with a good shout at Tramore if he turns up.
Saylavee was only beaten by half a length on his last run at the Galway Festival and that was in a belter of a finish with Ashdale Bob in a grade three novice chase so could arrive at Tramore in one of the best form of those lining up. Saylavee was a winner in a mares beginners chase at Kilkenny two starts prior to last week so rates a strong chance for Mullins in the opening race on day two.
This six-year-old was a good winner of a division one handicap chase when making his debut for the Mullins yard at Tipperary on July 24 and will rank among the favourites in the two-mile five furlong handicap chase at Tramore.
has yet to win in three starts for Mullins and holds two entries on day two of the Tramore Festival. Last seen when finishing down the field at Sligo earlier this month, Get In Line will have to improve markedly to be among the leaders here.
This Walk In The Park gelding has finished third in big field bumpers in his last two outings and could be worth chancing to go a couple of spots better at Tramore as he heads over the obstacles for the very first time.
The last of three potential runners in the race, Cuckoo Valley was a beaten odds-on favourite on debut at Clonmel back in May and followed up with a fifth in another bumper last time out so is a second runner in this race for the trainer that could be seeing obstacles for the first time.
A point-to-point winner in 2023, Straight Home could make his yard debut for Mullins at Tramore having previously been with Timothy Townend, father of Mullins’s number one jockey Paul Townend. The seven-year-old was a winner on Rules debut in a Cork bumper in April 2023 but hasn’t won since then six starts.
The final race on the second day of action at Tramore could see as many as five Mullins runners heading to the start. All bar one of Mullins’s possible runners could be making their racecourse debuts on Friday apart from El Fabienne, second in a Loughanmore point-to-point before a fifth and a fourth on two subsequent starts, the latter beaten as a 6/4 favourite in a Killarney bumper.
