TRAINER Leroy Tomlinson took Mule Train under his care with a racing record of one win, three seconds, and two thirds, from 30 career starts. On his first try with Mule Train in a competitive race, the six-year-old dark bay gelding was a winner.

Mule Train last won a race on March 13, 2022 when he broke his maiden over seven furlongs (1,400m), his 13th try at the wicket, and had gone winless in his next 16 starts.

However, on Saturday January 20, 2024 it took
Mule Train only one start under new management to score, an encouraging sign during the five-year-old and upward Claiming ($180,000-$150,000) race that included native-bred six-year-olds and upward (non-winners of two) over 5½ furlongs (1,100m).

Mule Train, ridden by Romario Spencer, broke significantly behind the field, with
Fiery Path (Oshadane Robinson) taking the early lead ahead of
Galway Bay (Ruja Lahoe) and
Crushing Power. Mule Train began to gain ground but he was still a mile behind the field as
Galway Bay surged to the front and opened up opponents navigating the half-mile (800m) turn.

Galway Bay turned for home with a strong lead ahead of the chasing pack but the eight-year-old bay horse then began to shorten inside the final furlong (200m) of the race. This left
Mule Train with the opportunity to challenge for top honours as the
Natural Selection offspring came with a strong run behind horses to score by a length and three quarters at the wire.

Sensational Storm (Jawani Forbes) came home in second place ahead of
Galway Bay in third place. The final time for the race was 1:12.3 (24.1 x 48.4).