Powersville wins the opener under Niall McCullagh© Photo Healy Racing
After a fallow year at three, trainer Tom Mullins has got his dual juvenile winner Powersville back in rude health and she scored for the second time this season in the opening Summer Racing And BBQ Evening Handicap at Naas.
The 7/2 favourite tracked early leader Associate Rock and, having been ridden outside the furlong pole, came through to head that one 100 yards from the finish and land the spoils by a length and a quarter and a head.
Having won over an extended 5f at Sligo last month, this was her first time to score over the minimum distance.
Ken Sam’s (8s into 13/2 on course) came through late for second, with Associate Rock (5/1) filling third spot.
Winning trainer Tom Mullins remarked afterwards : “She had a rating of 82 as a two-year-old but everything that could go wrong went wrong with her last year so she went down in the handicap.
She came back a different mare this year, and you are just hoping she will keep doing it on the track.
“I was a little bit afraid of the ground as I declared her on good ground but Niall said she went on it and it was nice ground.
“She could turn out again on Friday at Down Royal (also over five furlongs) if everything is alright in the morning.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
