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Navan review: Maiden success for Willie Mullins' Milsean

Image: Bryan Cooper: Rode Milsean to victory from the front

A review of the rest of Sunday's action from Navan, where the Willie Mullins-trained Milsean claimed the opening I.N.H. Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Maiden Hurdle.

Milsean duly landed the odds when making all the running in the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle at Navan.

It was not plain sailing for the Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old, however, as both Snow Falcon and Ordinary World put in strong challengers from the second last.

Thankfully for short-odds backers Milsean (2/11 favourite) found more on the run from the final flight for Bryan Cooper, owner Gigginstown House Stud's retained rider, to pull away in the closing stages and score by a length and a half.

Milsean then had to survive a length stewards' inquiry before the result was confirmed.

Cooper said: "He's a big baby. It was not ideal making the running but I kept it simple.

"The ground is soft. He's a big heavy horse and handles heavy ground. I'd say the more they race on it today the more it will open up."

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Cooper was handed a four-day suspension for careless riding on Milsean.

Mullins enjoyed his eighth winner of the weekend as Lyrical Theatre (11/8 favourite) gave him a treble on the card with a cosy success in the ITBA Fillies Scheme EBF Mares INH Flat Race.

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Ridden by the trainer's son Patrick, the five-year-old bounded home by eight and a half lengths from Twentytwo's Taken.

Mulins senior said: "She is the real deal, and is improving all the time. She has never showed anything like that at home but her pedigree is coming out in her and she looks very smart.

"I thought she would win a summer bumper but not go on to do a lot more than that.

"We'll have to decide if we go jumping or wait until next season. We may think about the Cheltenham Bumper."

Glenquest (11/2), who had to miss an engagement at Haydock on Saturday due to travel issues, gained compensation by taking the Navan Race Membership Club Now Available Handicap Hurdle.

Stuart Crawford's charge was always prominent under Barry Geraghty, who was replacing the suspended Andrew Lynch, and pulled clear from two out to win by three lengths from Moreece.

Crawford said: "He ran well on his first run for us (formerly trained by Terence O'Brien) at Down Royal. He was dropping back to two miles but the conditions were more testing and so is this track.

"He was due to go to Haydock yesterday but was unable to travel due to the weather. He has an entry in the Welsh National but may not have a high enough rating to get into that."

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