Somethingwonderful with Dessie Hughes and Johnny King© Photo Healy Racing
The five-runner bumper at Galway was run at a crawl and developed into a tactical affair, but the winner Somethingwonderful was certainly that for trainer Dessie Hughes who trained four winners today – three at Galway and one at Naas (78.5/1 accumulator).
Somethingwonderful was appearing in a bumper for the first time and was partnered by Johnny King. The pair took the small field along at a slow pace and were headed by Fickle Fortune three furlongs out.
Nina Carberry’s mount had proved difficult to settle. She readily took a couple of lengths out of the field turning in, but was picked off deep inside the final furlong by Somethingwonderful who rallied well to win by half a length.
Somethingwonderful was supported from 8/1 to 4/1 this morning and was returned at 5/2. Runner-up Fickle Fortune went the other way from 4/9 in the morning to 11/10 on the off, but she still retained favouritism.
Commenting on training his fourth winner of the day, Dessie Hughes said: “I had four winners in a day at Roscommon many years ago.
“It’s unusual for us to have bumper winners, but the two we had today are very good [Somethingwonderful and Thunder And Roses .
“I'd like to keep him [Somethingwonderful] as a novice hurdler until next season and I’d prefer to bring him back for a winners bumper in the spring.”
His jockey son Richard Hughes also landed a four-timer at Leicester today at 346/1.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)
