Rockbrook foils Wee Charlie's hat-trick bid

Rockbrook (10/1) produced a game effort to win the Mulryan Auctioneers Handicap Hurdle under Shane O'Callaghan.

A winner on testing ground at Limerick just over a year ago, the Laverock gelding, available at 33/1 this morning, made the running but was headed by the strong-travelling Wee Charlie on the approach to the last.

At that stage, the latter looked on course to complete a hat-trick of handicap hurdle victories at Galway but Rockbrook, in receipt of a whopping 30lb, rallied on the run-in to score by half-a-length.

Philip Rothwell trains the winner for the GVD Syndicate and O'Callaghan said: "I'd never ridden the horse but was talking to Simon Torrens (jockey) beforehand and he said he'd absolutely love the ground. 

"I let him bowl away out in front enjoying himself, set steady fractions and while the two lads took me on jumping the last, there was plenty of time finishing up the hill and he toughed it out well.

"Jumping the last, I knew I'd be second but he got upsides, he was gritty so I knew he'd get there."

Quotes from Tom Weekes