Emmet Mullins saddled a winner with his first-ever runner at Kilbeggan

Another member of a famous racing family entered the training ranks when Emmet Mullins' first runner scored at Kilbeggan on Monday evening.

Mullins, a Cheltenham Festival-winning rider, decided to try his hand at training at the tender of 25 and join the ranks that have been so famously graced by his late grandfather Paddy, and uncles Willie, Tom and Tony.

He got off to the best possible start just a week after receiving his licence when St Stephens Green landed a bumper in the hands of his cousin, amateur rider Patrick Mullins.

Mullins, who was 16 when riding his first winner, decided it was time to have a go at training, feeling he had achieved as much as he could as a jockey, winning at Cheltenham on Sir Des Champs in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle in 2011 and riding in plenty of big jumps races including the Grand National.

Based at Closutton in County Carlow where his uncle Willie trains, Emmet will not have his second runner for a while as he only has a handful of horses.

"It was nice to get off the mark. I've been doing my own thing since September last year, but I only got granted a licence to train on Monday of last week," he said.

"I've only got a bare handful of horses for the summer, but I'm hoping I'll have a few more for the winter.

"My own place is on Willie's gallops. I'm lucky enough to train from home and use his gallops.

"I'd been riding away for a good few years. I rode out my claim, had a Cheltenham Festival winner.

"I rode in the Grand National, rode in the Pardubicka. I was delighted with everything I'd done.

"It just dried up for me. I just wanted to keep moving forward and I had Black Hercules for his point-to-point. It was great to get him and it was just something I dabbled with.

"Then I decided we'd crack on with it. There was no masterplan, it just all fell into place.

"It was just fantastic to get my first winner. The Mees bought the horse and decided to put him with me and Patrick rode the horse. It just worked out perfect.

"There were no worries with the horse this morning and hopefully he'll be able to go back to war soon enough.

"The owners love Galway. They are from there so they would love to aim him for there. All being well, that will be the next step.

"There's a winner's bumper on the Sunday of Galway. With any luck we'll hopefully aim him for that.

"I don't have anything to run for a while. I've only a handful, they are ticking along. I'd had this lad ready to run for a long while for when my licence came through.

"It was great to have Patrick on board and he couldn't have ridden it any better."

Emmet Mullins' other wins as a rider included one aboard this year's Champion Hurdle hero Faugheen in a Grade Three novice hurdle at Limerick in 2013 and on Golden Silver in the Grade Two Hilly Way Chase at Cork in 2011.