Shuttle Diplomacy and Patrick Mullins © Photo Healy Racing
Shuttle Diplomacy charted a wide course in the bumper at Naas and knuckled down well in the closing stages to land the spoils in the finale for Tom Cooper and Patrick Mullins.
The French-bred son of Dschingis Secret was prominent on the outer throughout in the two-miler as Frogman led on the inner.
Mullins asked the 10/3 favourite to pick up the front-runner passing the furlong pole and despite hanging to his left in the closing stages his mount stayed on well to score by a length-and-a-half over Wartime Leader
Cooper said:- “He was very green even though he’s been away a couple of times but it’s different when they come here.
He looked at the road crossing and if he didn’t hang he would have won easily. I’d say it was a good race.
“We might go to Limerick for the Listed bumper and then hang on for Punchestown. He’ll jump a hurdle and has plenty of schooling done.
“He came to me as a two-year-old. He’s had his breaks but they take a lot of work for these four-year-old races. The man on top was masterful.”
(Quotes by Alan Magee)
