Mt Leinster and Patrick Mullins win the Amateur's Derby© Photo Healy Racing
Mt Leinster looked the one to beat in the Chapmans Kildare Amateur Riders Derby at the Curragh and duly justified odds of 1/3.
Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by his son Patrick, the Beat Hollow gelding was recording his firth career win and his third on the level this year.
Mullins sat motionless early in the straight as the six-year-old travelled smoothly to challenge but he needed to get a lot more animated inside the final furlong as the hot favourite eventually beat Damalisque by two and a half lengths. The Names Jock kept on well in the closing stages to finish a further three quarters of a length away in third.
Patrick Mullins said, “His form got a great boost in the Cesarewitch. I thought a mark of 97 was harsh but the handicapper is usually right to be fair to him.
“This fellow has schooled over fences and he’s very good so I’d imagine that is going to be on the cards for him.
“I was able to twist Willie’s arm and get him to run here rather than the Cesarewitch.”
