'Crazy idea' pays off for Emmet Mullins Japanese-import Crowns Major rewarded trainer/owner Emmet Mullins' entrepreneurial spirit when landing a gamble (14/1- 11/2) on debut in Punchestown's concluding Irish Field About The Horse Bumper today. Crowns Major, under 17 year old talented 7lbs claimer Philip Byrnes, responded well for pressure in the home straight and beat runner-up Hara Kiri, whose challenge was delivered wide, by two and a half lengths. Crowns Major is a rare European runner for stallion Daiwa Major, who stands for 6,000,000 Japanese Yen (€45,000), and afterwards Emmet Mullins reported “it's been a long road and it's finally paid off for me. We bought him in Japan as a foal four years ago. “It was one of my crazier ideas - we bought three horses the same day, him and Fujimoto Flyer were two of them so we had a good trip. “He's a tough hardy horse. We were just a little worried about the ground with the rain, being Japanese bred. Once they had a couple of races on it and had a few showers it was going to get into it. “Philip was very good, I told him to take his time and drop him in and pick the best of the ground. I know Patrick (Mullins, on runner-up Hara Kiri) came wide for ground but in these four-year-old races Philip got the rail and that's a huge advantage for four-year-olds at this time of year.” Quotes from Gary Carson
