Port Joulain heads for home© Photo Healy Racing
Port Joulain marked himself out as a horse to follow when he delivered in the bumper at Gowran Park.
The five-year-old gelding tanked along for Patrick Mullins and readily passed His Nibs inside the final quarter of a mile.
That rival soon gave best as Good N' Kind picked up the chase. Patrick Mullins asked his mount for more in the final furlong and Port Joulain galloped in by two and a-quarter lengths to justify 11/8 favouritism.
Good N' Kind, who was punted from 5/2 to 7/4, couldn't match him but you'd think a bumper would be well within his remit soon. He was some 19 lengths clear of His Nibs (9/1).
Port Joulain graduated to the track after winning a point-to-point by six lengths in December for Denis Murphy.
Willie Mullins said: “He was on my Cheltenham Bumper team but I couldn’t get him ready in time, so I put him by for this race and I’m very pleased with him.
“We’ll probably have a look at a winners' bumper at the big Festivals.”
Mullins' other winners on the card were Aime Desjy (2/7f) and Annamix (9/2).
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
