Delamotte completes Mullins hat-trick in finale Delamotte came from the clouds to give Willie Mullins a treble on the opening day at Punchestown. The Galiway gelding swung wide in the straight, in the Willie Coonan Memorial bumper, under Patrick Mullins and still had plenty to do over a furlong from home. He picked up strongly in the closing stages though to hit the front and record a three-length win. The 7/2 joint-favourite had cost 85,000euro as a yearling in France. "I was getting stick for the route I took in the Goffs Defender Bumper earlier so I had to double-down!” said the winning rider. “I don't know if I was right or wrong, but I got one winner and one second anyway. I thought we got a nice strip of ground out wide and that made the difference in the end. "He will improve an awful lot for this as he was green and stays better than his pedigree suggests. He won snug in the end with ears pricked and I see him more as a good-ground horse.  "Normally with these bumper horses we give them a break now so we'll see what Willie wants to do now. I think there is a lot of improvement in him." (Quotes by Tom Weekes)
