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Mullins dealt Princess Zoe blow

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Trainer Tony Mullins confirmed on Twitter that stable-star Princess Zoe has been moved to another trainer on Monday evening.

PRINCESS ZOE. Picture: PA

Trainer Tony Mullins confirmed on Twitter that stable-star Princess Zoe has been moved to another trainer on Monday evening.

The 2020 Group 1 Prix du Cadran winner had been found by Tony Mullins in Germany as a handicapper. The filly's meteoric rise to Group One standard has captured the imagination of racing fans and many were excited by her transition to hurdling for the 2022/23 season. Unfortunately for Mullins, Princess Zoe had not taken to hurdles despite finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Mares' Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Owner Paddy Kehoe was disappointed by the ride of Danny Mullins aboard Princess Zoe on that occasion and had made his feelings known with a subsequently deleted tweet in March. Afterwards he said, "I was bitterly disappointed in the aftermath of the race and I shouldn't have said what I did. I regret it. It was just a spur of the moment thing. That was my best chance of having a Cheltenham winner and I even brought my 96-year-old mother over to collect the trophy. That's how sure I was that she would win!

"Mistakes were made and we will move on. There are plenty of races coming up that we can look forward to with Zoe. I've never had a problem with Tony and the way he has campaigned the mare. He's done a wonderful job and she always looks a picture before her races."

Kehoe is yet to confirm where Princess Zoe will be trained and whether she will be returning for a Flat campaign.