Mullins & Townend take the lead on Day 7 of new season Champion trainer Willie Mullins and stable jockey Paul Townend moved to the top of their respective championships on Day 7 of the new season today, after completing Killarney doubles with Sainte Lucie (1/1f) in the Listed MD O'Shea's Tourist Attraction Mares Hurdle. Sainte Lucie, an Easter handicap hurdle-winner at Cork, initially raced prominently but having dropped off the pace at the fourth-last, went in pursuit of clear leader Break By Soul at the second-last. Having then led at the final flight, Sainte Lucie scored easily by 11 lengths. Mullins claimed his 20th trainers’ championship last Saturday and today, seven-time champion Townend reported “Sainte Lucie was coming back in trip but I’d say she will be going back out again, as I wasn’t able to go the gallop. I thought the others were gone but the cheekpieces definitely worked, and she stayed galloping. “It wasn’t until halfway up the home straight that I thought I’d catch Break My Soul and my mare came with a good run. We thought a lot of her as a juvenile and she is only now starting to put it together.” Mullins, earlier successful with Magico, is one of 19 to have trained a winner already this new term while 21 jockeys, including Townend, have ridden at least one winner since Saturday’s opening day.
