Brilliant snap of Tarla springing over a fence© Photo Healy Racing
Tarla justified her short price as she made all to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Chase under Emmet Mullins (replaced Declan Lavery who was injured at Kilbeggan on Friday) for his uncle Willie.
The French bred daughter of Lavirco fell on her last two efforts over fences but she reverted back to hurdles for her last two starts, winning at Cork in March before finishing fourth to stablemate Glens Melody in the Grade 1 Mares Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Back over fences this afternoon, she was sent off the 4/6 favourite and despite a few sketchy jumps she went clear before the last to come home an easy nine and a half-length victor. Caheronaun finished second at 3/1 under Mark Enright for Dessie Hughes while Castlerock Rose was twenty-eight lengths back in third.
Patrick Mullins said afterwards: "Emmet deserves a lot of credit for that. She has fallen twice for Ruby but Emmet obviously gets on well with her.
"She is a dinger of a mare and has won ten races now (won three in France before joining Mullins).
"She’ll be kept on the go in mares races over the summer now and she might even go back to the flat."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
