Patrick Mullins claims long-awaited victory in Galway Race amateur highlight

The Willie Mullins-trained Echoes In The Rain has claimed the feature race on the opening day of the Galway Festival - the Connacht Hotel Handicap.

The 11-to-4 favourite came home ahead of stablemate, Maze Runner, while 20-to-1 shot Dutch Schultz was third for trainer, Gavin Cromwell.

Patrick Mullins has won plenty of big races, counting a clutch of Grade One successes on his CV, but he had yet to land a race that is viewed as one of the highlights of the amateur season.

However, the rider righted that statistic in style as Echoes In Rain, trained by his father Willie Mullins, was tanking along a fair way out and despite getting a bump before turning into the straight, she was in a perfect position to challenge in the two-mile-one-furlong contest.