A fine shot of Road To Riches and Shane Shortall© Photo Healy Racing
Started off by local handler Martin Cullinane and now with Noel Meade, like the brilliant hurdler Go Native before him, the Shane Shortall-ridden Road To Riches (14/1) gave Noel Meade his first winner in the big event when he landed the Thetote.com Galway Plate.
Crediting 7Ib claimer Shortall with a 74/1 double after his win earlier on Greatness the Gigginstown House Stud-owned seven-year-old, bred by Sunnyhill Stud, like the great Kicking King, set the pace with the pursuing Lord Ben
They looked like they might be caught with a reduced lead going to two out but it was soon apparent that Road To Riches had plenty more left to offer.
The Gamut gelding stayed on strongly in the straight to register a comfortable eleven length victory over Burn And Turn
There was three and a quarter lengths back to another Gigginstown runner in Balnaslow (3rd) whilst Spring Heeled came home in fourth and the aforementioned Lord Ben in fifth.
Joint favourite Golden Wonder had to settle for sixth whilst his fellow market-leader Alderwood got brought down at the sixth.
Meade stated: "This was Eddie's (O'Leary) plan. I thought he'd have top-weight if he came here and I was delighted to see Kid Cassidy (top-weight, unfortunately a fatality in the race) in.
"Willie (Mullins) was behind me when they started up the hill and he clapped me on the back. At that stage I wondered did he have a lead-cloth on him at all he was winning so easy.
"He was out of all the trouble the whole way and with Shane it's obviously a case of an old head on young shoulders.
"Michael (O'Leary) is not here but I'm sure he's watching in. They've had the third too in Willie's Balnaslow. Jonathan Burke, another young man going places, was on him.
"Being by Gamut, and Gamut is by Spectrum, most of them want good ground. Probably that's the key to him and he does want to come into a race fresh. He jumped brilliant.
"He went a fair gallop but he was always comfortable. He jumped so well he gave himself a chance, and every fence was a help to him.
"I think that was Shane's first ride for me. Ger (Fox) would have been riding him put for breaking his collarbone (at Wexford last Friday) but that's racing. We bought him off Martin Cullinane who only trains about six miles from here.
"That's the only one of the big races (at Galway) that I hadn't won. I've been second in it I think three or four times. I'm absolutely thrilled as the Plate is something you want to win.
"I'm sure the handicapper is not going to be too nice to him after that, he won so easy. I'm sure he's a Graded horse, there is no doubt about that. His handicapping days might be over after that. Good ground is essential."
Shortall stated: "I can't believe it and he gave me a dream spin the whole way. From pretty early on I didn't see another horse and I was waiting on something to come to me but they never did.
"He was so game and this is just the stuff of dreams." (AM & EM)
