CHAMPION trainer Willie Mullins and stand-in stable jockey Paul Townend completed trebles at Sligo on Sunday as the pair won three of the opening four races.

Salsaretta (1/12 favourite) got things rolling for the pair in the opening maiden hurdle, when making all the running for a facile six and a half lengths win in the colours of Susannah Ricci.

Mullins wasn’t present at the meeting and afterwards Townend said: “That was messy and I think he’ll be better over further. He handled that ground well.”

Half an hour later Townend steered 1/10 favourite Msassa to a more workmanlike success in the Taylor Construction And Civil Works Hurdle for Sullivan Bloodstock Limited.

The winning son of Sholokhov had previously filled fourth place in his trainer’s one-two-three-four in Punchestown’s Champion 4YO Hurdle.

The pair’s treble was completed in the Kennedy’s Bar Sligo Rated Novice Hurdle with Causey Arch (5/1) for the Merchants & Missionaries Partnership. The five-year-old son of Jeremy was short of room approaching the second last flight but arrived full of running to lead on the run-in and score a cheeky length and a quarter success under an almost motionless Townend.

Townend reported: “He did it nicely and jumped much better today. He loved the ground and his flat form showed he had loads of boot. He just got a fright early the last day and that put paid to his run. I’d say the smaller field suited him as well.”

KEEN AND GREEN

Mullins did suffer a reverse in the concluding Kevin Egan Cars Bumper when his 8/15 favourite Roll Again, under son Patrick Mullins, was beaten by the Noel Meade-trained newcomer The Red Menace, under jockey Mark O’Hare.

Roll Again had raced quite keen and green in the race and in the end was no match for 12-length winner The Red Menace, (6/1), for owner/breeder Denis Hannon.

O’Hare was riding his third recent winner for Meade and said: “The further he went he seemed to get more comfortable. They just had him on his head for the first mile. It was all new to him, and the lively ground too, but as the race went on he just got better and better.”

The Strandhill Caravan Park Handicap Hurdle was contested by two seemingly well handicapped runners Lord Erskine and The Last Indian, with Lord Erskine eventually beating his chief opponent by three lengths to win for trainer Harry Rogers and jockey Jonathan Burke.

Both horses had showed vast improvement towards the end of the 2017 flat campaign and were today reverting to hurdles from ratings in the 80s with Lord Erskine in the end proving the better handicapped, with a comfortable success. There was 10 lengths back to third-placed Oakfield Rose.

Following the race Rogers, who trains the gelding for Corkman Jerry Nolan, said: “He was my last winner and it’s nice to get one on the board again. There was probably only the two of them in it. He might run on Thursday at Tipperary if he gets in.”

Lord Erskine did indeed run at Tipperary on Thursday and won again.

“We’ll see what the handicapper does. He’ll probably stay over hurdles for a while. He wants a dig in the ground and he wouldn’t want it any quicker than that. Hopefully he might end up in Galway if all goes well, that’s the main plan. Ideally he could scrape into the amateur race.”

BOOST

Michael Hourigan himself bridged a seven-month gap between winners as his Humm Baby (13/2) gave the Co Limerick trainer a boost when winning the Harrington Concrete Quarries Handicap Hurdle, under jockey David Mullins.

Hourigan said: “I’m glad she won. She belongs to three Irish/English people. The nice bit of ground makes the difference. She hadn’t much to spare. We’ll look for something similar.

“She won on heavy in Listowel but she’s not a big mare and you have to make it as easy as you can. She’s a bit like myself, she’s short!”

OFF THE MARK

Dual bumper winner Sally Park (2/1 favourite) got off the mark over hurdles in the Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle when scoring a narrow neck success for trainer Paul Flynn and jockey Barry Browne for owner T.A. McLynn

A delighted Flynn later commented: “We gave him a break because we felt that he didn’t cope with the heavy ground.

“He didn’t jump great today and he suffered a bit with his palate. He’s probably going to have that done and then come back for something.

“He won’t stay hurdling for long as he’ll go chasing. He does jump fences well and maybe it was the track because he does jump hurdles well and he actually jumped well when he asked him.”

Acting Stewards

P.N. Reynolds, R. Dore, T.L. Crawford, Dr J.F. Gillespie, P.D. Matthews

Horse To Follow:

FIRST CLASS TICKET (A. McNamara) He was touched off in a close finish to the maiden hurdle and looks capable of winning a similar race in the coming weeks.