On the first day of Galway the crowd, slightly up on last year, saw Ruby Walsh return to action with a winner as the favourite Easy Game ran out an easy winner of the novice hurdle from Count Simon and Cool Colonade. In the Easyfix Handicap Hurdle 10/1 shot Storm Rising held on by a neck from Kellyiscool with Golden Poet back in third 2½l away.
Punters were out of luck again in the first flat race of the meeting as Zandar came with a late run to catch Wargrave and Power Of Now by 1¼l and the same. Backed from 14/1 morning price into 5/1 favourite, Premier League won the The Claytonhotelgalway.com Handicap from outsider Vocal Music with Krispen 3rd at 6/1.
Aubry McMahon won the 2017 Connaught Hotel Qualified Riders Handicap on his father’s Whiskey Sour trained by Willie Mullins and the same connections won this year’s race with Uradel. Patrick Mullins, who is still seeking a win in this race, finished 2nd on the mare Limini at 2/1 favourite and Waaheb 3rd.
The penultimate Eventus Handicap was won by the Johnny Murtagh trained Baba Boom ridden by Shane Foley from Flindt trained outside Mullingar by Dot Love with Lady Camelot 3rd. The bumper provided no respite for punters as the Emmet Mullins, nephew of WP’s, trained Zero Ten under Galway jockey Derek O’Connor to win from Exit Poll and Neptune.
On Tuesday things got off to a bad start for punters as Pakora, WP Mullins’ second-string, won the novice hurdle by 8½l and 6½l from Holding Pattern and Canardier under Paul Towend. Mullins’ first-string Exchange Rate, under Ruby Walsh, came to grief at the first flight. The favourite St. Stephen’s Green made it 2 winners at the meeting for Emmet Mullins with his cousin David doing the steering in the Latin Quarter Beginners Chase. The 7-Y-O won by 2¼l and 3½l from Winter Escape and Niven.
Flat racing opened with a win for Ballydoyle with Hermosa ridden by Donnacha O’Brien. The favourite beat Engles Rock and Tarawana by 1l and ½ l. In the Caulfield Industrial EBF Maiden the Shelia Lavery trained Burning Question gave all his supporters the right answer winning from the fav Dabiyr trained by Dermot Weld and Fozzy Stack’s Iiex Excelsa.
The feature race of the day the Colm Quinn BMW Mile was won by Riven Light with top weight. Willie Mullins’ charge was returning to the track after a layoff of since last October and he beat Bond Street and Rionach by ¾ l and 1l. Probably Mullins’ finest training achievement of the week. Danny Mullins was aboard and became the 4th member of the family to grace the winner’s enclosure this week.
The Caulfield Industrial Athlone Handicap there was another upset as St Gallen trained by John Joe Murphy in Cork held on by 1¼l form Try Again, trained in Longford by Paul Flynn, with Guanabara Bay the same distance back in 3rd. The final race saw Shelia Lavery complete a double on the day with 20/1 shot Truffles winning by 3½l and 1½l from Honor Oak and Mokhalad.
On Wednesday racing opened with the Win Big On The Tote Maiden Hurdle and the blue and yellow silks of Roscommon’s Sean and Bernadine Mulryan returning to the Ballybrit winner’s enclosure on City Island at 10/1. Getareason with Ruby Walsh aboard was 2nd and the favourite Debuchet 3rd. The winner was ridden by Mark Walsh and is trained by Martin Brassil.
The second was won by another 10/1 shot Black Key with Mil Quest and Dawn Raider filling the places. No respite for punters as a 33/1 shot Rovetta came home ahead of Lakemilan and Clementina. Relief for punters in the amateur flat handicap as father and son, Willie and Patrick Mullins, produced Diamond Hill to beat National Wealth by a head with Rising 9l back in 3rd.
The big one the Galway Plate went to Michael O’Leary with Gigginstown’s Clarcam at 33/1 as Mark Enright slipped the field to power clear up the hill with Patrick’s Park 3rd under Ruby Walsh and Jury Duty with Davy Russel aboard. The winning distances were 6 l and a neck.
