Brahma Bull and Paul Townend are clear over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Brahma Bull completed a short-priced double for champion trainer Willie Mullins when readily landing the Thurles.ie Maiden Hurdle.
The Presenting gelding was sent off the red-hot 2/9 favourite on the back of three bumper wins on varying ground conditions this season, and Paul Townend replaced Ruby Walsh who suffered a bruised hand in a fall last weekend.
The six-year-old gelding was a bit untidy at some of his hurdles including when jumping right at the second last.
He asserted before the final flight where he pecked slightly on landing, and galloped on strongly on the run-in to beat Eviscerating by 11 lengths.
The pair had the race between them throughout, while Kilbrew Gold kept on one paced a further 18 lengths back in third.
The Closutton trainer was also on the mark earlier on the card with the Brian Hayes-ridden 2/5 shot True Self in the Templemore Mares Maiden Hurdle.
Patrick Mullins said, "He is made for chasing and we had to wait three years for him to run so he's paying that back now in spades. He was quite keen today but in bumpers he has had to be 'on his head' so we'll try to teach him to settle now over a trip.
"He'll stay hurdling this year but chasing is going to be his game and in a better race going faster, he'll jump better.
"Rich's son George named him after the wrestler 'The Rock' (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who had a famous Brahma Bull tattoo)."
(TW & AM)
