Brave Crogha and Aine O'Connor (yellow) charge home© Photo Healy Racing
The fourth day at Galway ended with a massive shock as Brave Crogha swooped late to land the concluding bumper at odds of 200/1.
Local trainer Iggy Madden had plenty to celebrate after his five-year-old came from off the pace to launch his challenge in the closing stages under Aine O'Connor.
The French-bred collared front-runner Sporting Glance in the closing stages to record a three-and-a-quarter length win.
It was a eighth career start for Brave Crogha, who had been beaten a total of 86 lengths in a Ballinrobe bumper on his last outing.
Madden, owner of a local haulage company, was saddling his first winner since September 2018, and the biggest priced winner ever at the festival. He said afterwards:-
"I thought he was a proper horse and I kind of knew he was coming back together because he had been there or thereabouts. I told Aine not to move on him coming down the hill, see how you get home and you saw how he got home!
"He was giving me trouble as he was hanging and three days ago, I contacted a physio and he had the horse done in an hour. We did a bit of work then and I thought this was a different horse.
"We came in four hours before today's race to get him settled so it was all about planning, although I didn't get up to back him!
"I had a Galway festival winner with Cairdiul in the past and with having my own yard, you keep tipping away with it."
(Quotes by Tom Weekes)
