Lord Scoundrel (green cap, third from left and with sheep-skin noseband)© Photo Healy Racing
Leading trainers Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins dominated the finish to a thrilling TheTote.com Galway Plate at Galway today, with Gold Cup winner Elliott winning with the Gigginstown House Stud owned Lord Scoundrel under conditional jockey Donagh Meyler.
Mullins’ Ballycasey led a group of six horses into the home straight with both trainers represented by three runners each. The result was still in the balance with a furlong to race as a wall of six horses raced for the line almost upsides. In the end Lord Scoundrel, under a determined Meyler, edged ahead in the closing stages for a length and a quarter win over Mullins’ Alelchi Inois Clarcam and Shadow Catcher respectively, completed a ‘1-5-6’ in the race for Elliott while Mullins had to make do with a ‘2-3-4’, with Alelchi Inois leading home Ballycasey and Devils Bit for the Champion Trainer.
Grand National and Royal Ascot winner Elliott was ticking off another big race win in claiming a first Galway Plate win and later said “it's great when it works out and I’ve had lots of placed horses but I didn't have a winner at Galway for five years until last night. This has been the plan since we let him off last year; he had some good novice form and thankfully it's worked out.
“He was one of the three we fancied and it worked out great. It's Donagh's first ride for me and he gave him a good ride. He works for Tony Martin so he's obviously a good rider.
“I said to him, if he was within a couple of lengths of them two out he'd stay better than any of mine.
“We've had placed horse before in the Hurdle but to win this is nice. Winning races like this keeps us up there in the trainers championship; unfortunately I'm up against Willie Mullins but we might keep tabs on him for a little longer now!
“It's unfortunate for Bryan (Cooper, Gigginstown’s first jockey) as we said if he didn't ride Road To Riches (pulled up) he'd ride this horse. Jack (Kennedy) had the choice but he had to go for Clarcam as he's a bit classier.
Meyler was later handed a four day suspension for excessive use of the whip on the winner.
By Tom Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson
