Whiskey Sour handed dramatic Future Champions
Whiskey Sour won an incredible renewal of the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Favourite Mengli Khan appeared to be dictating matters approaching the second-last before the Royal Bond winner dived through the wing and unseated Jack Kennedy.
That left Patrick Mullins in front on Sharjah, with Paul Townend riding hard on stablemate Real Steel approaching the last.
But once Mullins asked his mount for a big leap he took a crashing fall, while Real Steel also hit the deck independently.
Advertising Willie Mullins' strength in depth, yet another Closutton inmate picked up the pieces as dual Galway Festival winner Whiskey Sour (9/1) came home unchallenged under David Mullins.
It had been an eventful afternoon for Willie Mullins, who lost the other Grade One on the card when Min lost the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase to Simply Ned in the stewards' room.
"I've never seen anything like that," said the trainer.
"I was just waiting for them to bring down our third runner, which would have really capped off the day, but it just shows you've got to be in these races.
"Whiskey Sour was definitely the fourth of ours coming into this and he ends up winning it! It was just an extraordinary race.
"I said to David, 'How did you miss all those horses?', and he said, 'It's lucky he's small'.
"He's probably the smallest horses in the yard. It was a lucky win, end of story.
"It was an extraordinary race and I don't know what to take from it."
David Mullins said: "The plan was to drop him in but he fell asleep on me.
"I'd say the earplugs have done the trick for him and he'll be a lot sharper the next day. They went a right good gallop."
All horses and jockeys were reported to be fine in the aftermath.