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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Mullins rides 800th winner in Listowel finale

Mon 18th Sep 2023, 18:14

Patrick MullinsPatrick Mullins
© Photo Healy Racing

Patrick Mullins rode his 800th winner when 6/5 favourite Luckinthecity landed the Eric Browne Memorial Flat Race. 

It certainly wasn't a straightforward success for Mullins whose his mount shied at the tape and lost a fair bit of ground at the start. However, they went slow and the market leader quickened up best down the outer in the resultant sprint finish to beat Big Dee by a length and a quarter. 

Willie Mullins trains the winner for owner/breeder Roger Brookhouse.

This marks another remarkable milestone for the Carlow native, who has been crowned champion amateur jockey a record-breaking 15 times.

In 2012, he beat the record of 72 winners for an amateur rider in a calendar year which had been set by Billy Parkinson in 1915, setting the new mark at 74.

His best season tally is 68 winners in the 2012/2013 season.

He beat Ted Walsh's long-standing amateur record of 545 winners in July 2018 at Sligo when taking the bumper on Queens Boulevard, trained by his father Willie.

"I probably should have a few more, but the aim is to get to 1,000 so I have a more years to go," said Mullins.

"We have had a huge amount of summer bumper fillies in this year and obviously with Jamie (Codd) taking the summer off it is a big help."

Regarding Luckinthecity he added "he just shied at the tape although doing a circle at the start was probably not a good idea! For luck nobody wanted to make the running so we were able to make up the ground quite easily.

"We went steady so didn't lose much ground and he showed a great turn of foot, which he doesn't show at home. Obviously on grass he is better and the owner stands the stallion and he looks a nice type."

Quotes from Tom Weekes

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.