Imposing Supreme stays on well© Photo Healy Racing
Gary Carroll doubled up at Galway with a fine ride on board 9/2 favourite Imposing Supreme in the first split of the extended mile handicap.
A change of tactics saw the pair drop in from stall 19 and they were fully five horses wide climbing out of the dip towards the rear of the field.
Imposing Supreme began to race past horses in the final couple of furlongs but had to come widest of all into the straight.
He was fourth at the furlong pole and soon had the sniff of victory in his nostrils. The five-year-old grey gelding was ridden to storm into the lead in the final 100 yards and surged home by two and a half lengths. Emphatic (33/1) was second, a length and three quarters in front of Petticoat Rule (12/1). Angel's Trumpet gave his each-way backers a reward in fourth at 14/1.
Trainer Tom Gibney said: "We were hemming and hawing whether we'd run him on the ground to be honest.
“We always believed he wanted good ground to be at his best.
“We took a chance on the bad ground, to take a pull and drop him in as he's normally ridden prominently as well. Gary is brilliant and it worked out.
“He's been running really well. His only one win before today was here so the track was never going to be an issue if we got a bit of luck.
“He's in towards the end of the week and we were thinking if it wasn't working out we'd try and mind him and come back at the end of the week as we thought the ground might be a bit better.
“If he's okay we'll probably run him back. It wouldn't be our thing to be running that quickly but on this particular occasion we just might.”
Imposing Supreme is unbeaten in Galway - two from two.
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
