Mulligan off the mark on Laytown debut Rory Mulligan rode a winner on his first ride at Laytown when partnering the Thomas Dowling-trained Hugo's Girl to take the Pride Of Place Maiden this evening. It’s been a great week for Mulligan who landed his second career double at Galway on Tuesday. And he had an easy enough time of it here when leading on the 11/4 shot early inside the final furlong to beat Andy Slattery’s 9/4 favourite Therewillbeglory by a length and a quarter. It was also a first Laytown success for the winning trainer who was also on lead-up duties and Mulligan commented, “Delighted to get one for Thomas and all of these men. They gave me plenty of chances and it is nice to be able to win one for them. "She has been so consistent all year; she has been unlucky not to get her head in front at this stage. “The beach seemed to sweeten her up a bit today. She hit a little flat spot with me in the middle but she took off again and won well in the end. "Just jumping out, I got a little bump from the side, but I ended up where I wanted to be anyway. "She stays seven furlongs well and she is quick enough for six, so anywhere in between she is okay. Hopefully, that will give her a bit of confidence, and she will improve from it. "That's my first time riding at Laytown, so it is nice to get that done. It is very different - it is a nice change of scenery and a good atmosphere here today. It is great for fillies like that." Additional reporting by Michael Graham
