Zarak The Brave leads over the last © Photo Healy Racing
Zarak The Brave became the first four-year-old in 23 years to win the Galway Hurdle with a battling success under Paul Townend.
Willie Mullins' charge hit the front rounding the home turn and, after being strongly pressed by both My Mate Mozzie and Jesse Evans on the run-in, pulled out a bit more to thwart the latter by a head.
The winner is owned by Simon Munir and Issac Souede.
Mullins was recording his sixth win in the race and said: "Only one four-year-old that I'm aware of (Perugino Diamond in 2000) has won the race before and it says something about how tough the horse is. Paul was fantastic on him and had him out in the right position the whole way around.
"There was no point in winning another small winners' race with him so you look at iconic races like this when you have horses like this.
"I wasn't too far away from Noel Meade in the stand and thought my horse was beaten so it is tough on Noel whose horse was second last year and third in 2021.
"Paul thought he was beaten too but when he changed his whip and hit him one smack the horse got down and galloped again. That just shows how brave he is.
"He looked a really decent horse when he won his maiden hurdle but got a colic last winter and had to put him by for the season. But it is all worthwhile now and he is obviously a graded horse and his previous form with Lossiemouth looks huge now."
He added: "We are delighted today came off and his owners are here today - Isaac came from Alaska to be here and Simon came from the south of France.
"He is a lightly-race four year old and the Morgiana Hurdle is a possibility now along with the Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas in November. There is every possibility he could be a champion hurdle horse and is going along those lines."
Townend said on RTE: "I won it back in 2008 and I thought the game was easy back then! I found out since it's a little bit harder.
"Good tough performance. I got away lovely and got in a lovely position. I was kind of caught in two minds at the top of the hill whether to go around them or try for a bit of luck. I think I learned my lesson here on Tuesday about riding for a bit of luck. I saw a few fancied ones in there and just wanted to keep them in there as best I could and he's pulled out a lot halfway up the run-in.
"He has a bright future. He missed the middle of last season. I rode him instead of Lossiemouth one day, that's what we thought of him at home at the start of the year. He'd a brilliant run at the Punchestown festival and they might forgive me for Auteuil (third to Gala Marceau) after that!
"On a lad like this with a bit of class, the good gallop suited me. Even with his inexperience, at least I had a bit of room and was able to organise him. There's nothing worse than a Galway Hurdle where they go slow.
"If I got beat I'd be kicking myself for letting him slide on down into the dip but when you win you're a hero and if you get beat, you're zero!"
Quotes from Tom Weekes
