WITH winners ridden by Daniel King and Ben Coen, Willie Mullins recorded his first treble on the flat when dominating at Tramore on Saturday.

The 20-time National Hunt champion trainer secured his first success of the evening in the stewards’ room after the running of the Griffin Auctioneers Maiden.

Davy Crockett, with King in the saddle, was promoted a place when Paul Fahey’s 20/1 shot Shirzan was disqualified after Jessica O’Gorman weighed 1.3lb light, heartbreaking for the Clare jockey, who had earlier won on the Fahey-trained U S Navy Spearhead.

Shirzan had won well, scoring by a length and a half from the J.P. McManus and Sue Magnier-owned Davy Crockett with Solness, the 6/5 favourite, a neck away in third place.

No drama for Rakki

There was no such drama when the Ben Coen-ridden Rakki recorded a first success on the flat in the Perennial Freight Handicap.

In the familiar Act D Wagg Syndicate colours, the 7/2 chance led over three furlongs out to beat 6/1 shot Daboya, ridden by Coen’s cousin Sam, by a length and a quarter.

Representing Mullins, David Casey said: “He has a great pedigree and ran well in Galway. Billy Lee said just to drop him back a little bit, he thought he didn’t get home.

“I said to Ben before he went out that he was a small, little, nimble horse, and I said he’d go around here like a greyhound. Ben said he really enjoyed the track and the ground.”

Winning return

The Mullins treble was completed when Spasiba made a winning return to action in the Brennan’s Pharmacy Handicap for the Friends Of Paolo Partnership.

A second success for Ben Coen, who had three rides at Dundalk earlier in the day, the 3/1 chance led at the furlong-pole and skipped clear to beat Miss Gitana, at odds of 11/2, by four lengths.

It was a fair effort from the seven-year-old on his first start since January 2025.

Casey commented: “It was great that he won. Obviously, we were concerned that he hadn’t had a run, but hopeful because he had been working well at home and seemed in good form.

“You don’t really know until they run back on the track after such a long layoff. Ben said he won well, so we are absolutely thrilled.”

JESSICA O’Gorman and Paul Fahey had won the opening Newly Weds Sara & Nigel Irish EBF Fillies Maiden with the newcomer U S Navy Spearhead.

The Siobhan Fahey-owned 18/1 chance led early inside the final furlong to beat Joseph O’Brien’s 5/4 favourite Mawhibah by a length.

Fahey said: “I had her half-brother Trapalanda, he was second in the Curragh first time out and then he won his maiden in Listowel. He’s gone to Australia and he’s won out there, so the family is good.”

Shay goes one better

Mawhibah’s jockey Shay Wallace went a place better to win the Morris DIY Rated Race on the Deborah Cody-trained A Pretty Penny.

He made every yard of the running on the well-supported 9/2 chance, holding off Noel Meade’s 14/1 shot Love Orchid by a neck.

Cody said: “She won in Ballinrobe earlier in the season and the tighter tracks seem to suit her better. She was second here at the last meeting and we knew she’d handle the track.

“Shay gave her a great ride. He carried out the instructions to a tee. We didn’t even look past today, to be honest. The plan was always to come back here.”

PREPARATIONS, ridden by Sam Coen for Andy Slattery, almost came down when hampered on the bend past the stands, just before the halfway point in the Strand Inn Dunmore East Handicap, but recovered well for an unlikely success.

The 4/1 shot had little difficulty in making up the lost ground and led well inside the final furlong to beat her own stable companion, the 18/1 chance Nathema, by a length and a quarter.

Rhythm

Brian Slattery said: “Sam was very good on her. He was very cool on her after the incident happened. He just let her get her own rhythm and get back into the race. He didn’t panic going up the hill, he just waited until they got to the top and tried to creep back into it. It was brilliant watching the finish. We didn’t mind which one won!”

In the colours of US owner Jeff Mahany, Gallo Dell Cielo scored a runaway success in the concluding Dan Cowman Memorial Handicap for Pat Flynn and Robyn Donaghue-Leahy.

On his first start since February, the 6/1 chance led on the downhill run and went clear before the furlong-pole to win by all of seven lengths from John McConnell’s 28/1 shot Fine Print.

“He is owned by a very lovely man from Savannah, Georgia called Jeff Mahany,” said Pat Flynn. “He was on the phone to me there a minute ago.

“I’m delighted for them. They are very good owners. We’ll get him home and see where we go from there.”