DANNY MULLINS landed an incredible 403 to 1 hat-trick on Cristal Island, Glitter Baby and Metal Madness at the Galway Festival last night.
The 16-year-old son of trainers Tony and Margaret Mullins only rode his first winner in May yet took Ballybrit by storm.
The middle leg of his terrific treble came on Glitter Baby (20 to 1) in the feature Arthur Guinness Handicap.
Following trainer Paul Cashman's instructions, the 7lb claimer had the mare tucked away on the rails in the early stages before bringing her through into a challenging position on the home turn.
She surged clear to score by four lengths from Zafar with Heavenly Blues third, another two and a half lengths away.
"It's been a very good evening. I was hoping for a winner and now I've got three with one in the feature race. It's great," Mullins said.
Mullins, who rode 126 winners on the pony circuit, is apprenticed to Jim Bolger and Cashman was full of praise.
"The key to her is get her some cover so I told Danny to keep her on the rail if he could. He rode the race to a tee and gave her a super ride," said the Co Cork trainer, who was celebrating his biggest success.
"Johnny Murtagh rode her the last day and said she got no cover early on and she was a bit keen. She was Listed placed in England (Warwickshire Oaks). I got the mare last Christmas when she came to the yard to be covered. She didn't get in foal.
"She'll go for a Listed or Group race next between a mile and a half and a mile and six."
Mullins had earlier struck for his uncle Thomas on Cristal Island in the Guinness Auction Maiden. The 7 to 4 favourite had opened up a healthy lead on the turn for home but she was all out to hold Dactik by a short head at the line.
Mullins completed his remarkable trio on Metal Madness (6 to 1) for Newmarket trainer Mick Quinlan in the Arthur Guinness Handicap. Taking it up some way out thanks to a dream run up the inner, Metal Madness looked like giving way in the straight but he stuck to his guns to beat Golden Tokyo by half a length with Stan Moore's Zulu Princess third.
Danny Mullins's cousin Patrick also got in on the act with victory on Truckers Delight in the opening the Guinness (Q.R.) Handicap Hurdle.
Aidan O'Brien got on the scoresheet when Mikhail Fokine (2 to 1) defeated Dermot Weld's odds-on shot Matters At Hand by three-quarters of a length in the Galway Publican's EBF Maiden.
