Mullins hoping for another Galway fairytale with progressive Princess Zoe

Galway Shopping Centre Handicap | 1m 3f 180y | RTV & RTE 2

A night on the town with Tony Mullins is not for the faint hearted but after muted celebrations on Monday, the trainer will be approaching Saturday’s feature fresher than he usually would had this been your typical all-singing, all-dancing festival.

The same cannot be said about his stable star Princess Zoe. After landing the Ladies Derby at the Curragh, Princess Zoe gobbled up the hill to win the big amateur riders’ handicap here on Monday.

This will be her fourth run in roughly a month, her third in just three weeks, but just a couple of seasons ago, Whiskey Sour, trained by Tony’s brother Willie, followed up Monday’s big-race win with victory in this contest, and Princess Zoe is reported to be in good shape as she bids to emulate that achievement.

Princess Zoe (yellow, right): winning at Galway on MondayCredit: Patrick McCann

There are booby traps everywhere. War Diary’s debut for Michael Halford couldn’t be working out any better and Aidan O’Brien’s handicap debutant Memorabilis is another intriguing runner.

Willie Mullins has won four of the past six renewals but does not have a runner this year. Tony Martin supplied the other two winners during that six-year period and attempts to break his duck at the 2020 festival with Melburnian and Tudor City.

Full card at Galway

What they say

Tony Mullins, trainer of Princess Zoe
This is our third run in 24 days and I just hope she's fresh enough. She came out of Monday's race very well and has eaten up and I believe a horse that can quicken, like she did at Galway on Monday, being such an idiosyncratic track, it's a big advantage. This is a nice prize and, while I'm anxious about it being the third run in three weeks, I believe horses that handle Galway well should be targeted back at it. She was beaten off 63 a month ago and now she's racing off 90, so you couldn't say she's a certainty.

Michael Halford, trainer of War Diary
He's in good form and has come on from his run at Cork. That was his first run for us and he has taken a step forward from that on his homework. Galway is a totally different track but I'm very happy with him and his preparation has gone great. He should handle the ground.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Memorabilis
He's coming back in trip and we think that might suit him better than a mile and six. He's been in good form since the Curragh and we're looking forward to running him.

Tom Mullins, trainer of Takarengo and Excelcius
They didn't go a strong enough gallop on Monday. I won't take anything away from the winner [Princess Zoe] but it was a joke of a race after that. There were 10 or 11 of them crossing the line within about three lengths of each other. We didn't go strong enough and Takarengo was too free. He wants to come off a good gallop and if he doesn't feel the effects of that he should be bang there. Excelcius doesn't want any more rain. He's in good form but he's a good ground horse.

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