The Dream is alive for Jessie
The W.B. Gavin & Co. European Breeders Fund Beginners Steeplechase was billed as the race of the day at Galway and so it turned out with Jessies Dream putting up a good performance to score by three lengths under Davy Condon.
In the colours of former champion English owner David Johnson (his first winner with an Irish trained horse), Condon travelled well on the son of Presenting to lead before the straight from Cheltenham hero Berties Dream and he stayed on well up the hill to prevail by three lengths from Corskeagh Royale (hampered by the last fence fall of Coolavanny Gaffer .
Bobby McNally, representing winning trainer Gordon Elliott said: "He is the best we have in the yard. He'll go for either the Grade 1 in Fairyhouse (the Drinmore) or to Cheltenham in November. He wasn't even half fit there and Davy said he was doing nothing in front."
Meanwhile Paul Gilligan commented of fourth placed Berties Dream: "We're more than happy with that. He was 80 to 85 per cent fit, not fully wound up. He'll go for the three mile novice in Cheltenham next. He just blew up after the last - it was a serious run."