Though it will come as no surprise to veterans of the Galway Festival, the undoubted star of the show on day one was trainer Dermot Weld.
The master of Rosewell landed three races on the card, including the most valuable contest, the Carlton Hotel Galway City (QR) Handicap, with Midnight Music < Clarach appeared to be travelling much the best when edging ahead on the home straight, but he faded rapidly, allowing Jane Mangan to drive home Weld's 11-1 chance, beating Cry For The Moon by two and three-quarter lengths.
Weld wasted no time in getting off the mark this year when Train Of Thought took the opening Radissonhotelgalway.com & Galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle.
Ruby Walsh was quick to send the 9-4 chance to the front and controlled the race throughout, coming home four and a quarter lengths clear of Faustina Pius
Weld followed up with a winner in the first Flat race on the card, as Thunder Mountain charged clear in the claregalwayhotel.ie EBF Maiden.
The 3-1 chance slipped clear on the home turn as odds-on favourite Line Drummer went wide on the bend, and came clear under Pat Smullen to score by four and a half lengths from Dont Bother Me
Weld also had odds-on favourite Silver Concorde in the pillohotelgalway.com INH Flat Race, but he had to settle for second behind the Jim Bolger-trained 5-2 chance Cul Baire
Denis Hogan's Kalellshan made every yard of the running to land the HotelMeyrick.ie & theghotel.ie Handicap Hurdle.
Young jockey Mark Enright left enough in the 7-1 chance's tank late on, because though favourite Maxim Gorky threatened at the last, Kalellshan ran on agin to win by five lengths.< Kanes Pass (14-1) ran out an impressive winner of the Claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap for young jockey Ronan Whelan, while Michael Halford's Sure Reef (11-2) took the Galway Oyster Hotel Handicap under Shane Foley.
