Mullins doubles up as The Irish Avatar impresses in the bumper The Irish Avatar completed a double for champion trainer Willie Mullins when making an impressive debut under Rules in the Racing Again February 8 (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race at Navan. Patrick Mullins steered a wide passage throughout in search of better ground on the son of Poet’s Word, runner-up on his only point-to-point start for Colin Bowe, and proceeded to make all. The 8/11 favourite stretched clear inside the final furlong to score by nine lengths from Low Kick, who made it a 1-2 for owners Gigginstown House Stud. Liskeveen was a further two and a quarter lengths back in third. Patrick Mullins said, "He is a fine, big, tall horse, quite narrow, light-framed. A big, long stride and I said if I was pulling out of him, I was going too slow. That worked fine. "It's only in the last two weeks, since we have really done a few sharp bits of work with him, that he has come. He wasn't showing an awful lot early in the season. He is improving with every week now. "We hope so (plenty of improvement in him), but I'm really looking forward to him over jumps. I think that is really where he is going to be at his best because he has a big, high cruising speed and that is his strength, I think." Joystick initiated the Mullins double when taking the beginners’ chase at odds of 16/1 under Brian Hayes, who partnered a treble on the card. Quotes by Michael Graham
