THE Willie Mullins Team was the talk of Cork on Thursday with their well-backed winner Roumanian (11/8 favourite), a basement 80-rated hurdler, in the Stay Classy Handicap Hurdle.

Roumanian, running in the colours of Patrick Mullins, was making his debut for the champion trainer in the race and despite having previously beaten just a handful of horses and with ‘0/0000’ form-figures, he went to post the strongly-backed market leader, under Danny Mullins.

The French-bred son of Kapgarde was held up for much of the race and while he travelled well into contention, needed a strong drive from Mullins to short-head the verdict from Cloudy Morning.

Trainer Mullins wasn’t present but winning owner Patrick Mullins later stated: “He was recommended to me by Paul Byrne, who also recommended Rockyaboya to me, so he deserves plenty of credit.

“I told Danny to be in the first half today but he completely ignored my instructions and gave the horse a fantastic ride! He felt there was too much pace early on and held him back as he can also be quite keen.

“Our reasoning for buying him was he had finished second in his point-to-point and is a half-brother to a French Grade 1 winner called Grivette. Grivette beat Hurricane Fly (second) and Quevega (third) to win at Autueil in June 2008.”

On Students’ Day at the track, Mullins was earlier out of luck in the three-horse CIT Rag Week Hurdle when his Aklan trailed in last of the three runners, in a race won by the Gordon Elliott-trained and Gigginstown House Stud-owned Thunder Zone (9/2).

Ridden by Cheltenham winning jockey Luke Dempsey, the son of Shamardal made all and responded well for pressure in the closing stages, for a seven-length win over 8/11 favourite Sadler’s Risk.

Elliott stated: “Things didn’t work out for him at Cheltenham and he went so wide, he may as well have stayed at home in his stable.

“The soft ground suited today and Luke used his head and used his initiative on him. He’ll be entered up until the ground dries up and won’t want it too quick.”

Sadler’s Risk’s trainer Henry de Bromhead did experience some better fortune in the opening CIT Horse Racing Maiden Hurdle when his Sizing Killarney (7/2, in the colours of Ann & Alan Potts Partnership) made a fine winning debut under Jonathan Burke. Afterwards de Bromhead said: “I’m delighted with that and he jumped really well.

“It’s not the cleverest thing winning a maiden hurdle at this time of year but I think he’ll be jumping a fence straightaway next winter and he looks a real three-miler.

“He is slow at home but is a real stayer in time and is exciting. All the time he gets will stand to him and I’ll speak to Alan and Ann about where we go next but the winners’ of one at Punchestown, if it turns up soft, is a possibility.”

The only local winner was the John Joe Walsh-trained One Cool Princess (heavily backed 8/11 favourite) who had the field strung out for most of the trip, in the CITSU Maiden Hurdle. Ridden by Brian O’Connell, One Cool Princess ended up having to work hard for success, with Cairde Aris closing on the winner all the way to the line, with the winning verdict being three parts of a length.

Walsh reported: “She won her point-to-point in Horse And Jockey and won her bumper here last year and will go chasing next year as she had the pedigree to be a chaser. We’ll see where she’ll go next but she could have one more run - we’ll hope to get another soft race!”

Captainofthefleet credited three generations of the O’Connell family from Cullen, Co Tipperary with a win, in three different capacities, in the Don’t Step On The Crest Handicap Hurdle.

The eight-year-old gelding was ridden to victory by 20-year-old Eoin O’Connell, son of winning trainer Eamonn and grandson of part-owner Tom O’Connell (from the 10 member Ab Initio Syndicate).

The youngest O’Connell was himself beating champion jockey Ruby Walsh, in the race with Captainofthefleet proving half a length too strong for Walsh’s mount Your Busy.

Trainer Eamonn O’Connell stated: “He loves the heavy ground and isn’t as slow as people think. We love to see it raining when he runs but is a horse you can’t run too often as he suffers with a bad back.

“He could end up in Punchestown or in Clonmel (for the Clonmel Cup) but it’ll all depend on the ground.”

Regarding son Eoin, he added: “That’s his third racecourse winner (also has two point-to-point wins) and I’d say he’ll probably see out the winter before thinking about turning professional.”

Husband and wife, trainer/jockey Ross O’Sullivan and Katie Walsh combined successfully in the racecourse for the second time when King Blue (8/1, owned by the Top Of The Wave Partnership) landed the Fegentri World Championship (QR) Handicap Hurdle by an easy eight lengths. Following the win, trainer O’Sullivan said: “He did today what I thought he’d do at Thurles in a ladies race the last day.

“He had worked unbelievably well at Punchestown a few days before that run but was then beaten after a furlong when he did run at Thurles. The piece of work must have left him flat as a pancake and took the edge off him.

“I left him freshen up coming here. He might go to Fairyhouse next.

“He is owned by Tommy Ward, a metal merchant from Mountmellick, who also owns Cliff House with John Joe Walsh and by Dermot Meagher, who is at sea today in his job as a Captain with Stena Ferries.”

The concluding Viva La UCC (Ladies) Bumper was won by dual point-to-point winner Mall Dini, who battled gamely in the straight under Liz Lalor for a three quarters of a length win over Dallas Cowboy.

The winner is owned by Philip Reynolds and while winning trainer Pat Kelly was on lead-up duties. Lalor said afterwards: “He feels like a lovely, honest horse and keeps galloping. He went on the ground no bother at all - I walked it and struggled!”