Zero Ten delivers for Mullins in Thurles

Paul Townend and Cut The Mustard were in pursuit but came down at the last.

ZERO TEN LANDED Saturday’s feature race at Thurles, the Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase, after an eventful race.

Trained by Emmet Mullins and ridden by his cousin David, Zero Ten had travelled supremely well throughout in the Grade Three.

Sizing Pottsie, who was bidding for the hat-trick, had taken the field along at a decent gallop and was still in front turning into the straight, but Zero Ten appeared to be going better.

Running to the second last, it looked a matter of when Zero Ten would take up the running, but Sizing Pottsie got in too close in any case and came down, bringing down Dallas Des Pictons.

Paul Townend had been biding his time on Cut The Mustard, though, and was the last to challenge, but then she came down at the last when two lengths in arrears.

That left Zero Ten (3-1) to come home in splendid isolation, 14 lengths clear of Dunvegan.

“It was brilliant. We were a bit unlucky the last day when he tipped up with a novicey fall and the tables have turned today as we had a bit of luck,” said Emmet Mullins.

“It’s great, he jumped around and put it back together again. Fingers crossed, now we can keep it going and he could have a nice finish off to the back of the season as a novice.

“He jumped straight and, to be fair, the last day it was probably his best round of jumping up to the fall.

“He learned from the fall and especially today when he went to the last, he had a good head of steam down to it and he was able to sit up and pop. He’s learning and so are we.

“It’s a big monkey off David’s back to come back here and do that in a big race today, a Grade Three race especially at Thurles with the Molonys.

“It’s a great race to win with the Mullins’ being so close to the Moloneys over the years. It’s a proud moment to win that race.”