Trainer Tony Mullins has revealed that Group 1-winning stayer Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) could now be sent hurdling after failing to reach her reserve at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last week.
The 7-year-old mare, who won the G1 Prix du Cadran in 2020 and was runner-up in last year's G1 Gold Cup at Ascot, was bought back by her owners Patrick Kehoe and Philomena Crampton at 300,000gns.
“We had a few enquiries [after the sale] and we felt we weren't getting what we stated before we left,” explained Mullins. “We said if we got 300,000gns, we'd take it and we had a few enquiries just under it, but we said we were keeping her if we didn't get it.”
He continued, “Paddy loves jump racing and he has been asking me. I said we'd start riding her out again and we will school her and see. But we have no decision made. If she jumps well and if she takes to it, we'll see.
“That is what she was bought to do in the first place. Then she just turned out she was a better filly than we thought. I will get her riding out now and we will probably have her jumping by Christmas.”
Princess Zoe has won eight of her 34 races on the level, including this season's G3 Sagar S., and she has raced in Ireland, Britain, France and Saudi Arabia, as well as her native Germany. Her trainer was the regular rider of arguably the greatest jumping mare of all time, Dawn Run (Ire), who was trained by his father Paddy Mullins.
Mullins added of his own stable star, “The fun we had with her will never be equalled. If she takes to jumping, I've no worries about trips. We could do with a few more horses who could run as fast as her.”
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