Going - Yielding (Nh), Soft (Flat). Overcast
Jackpot Pool - 64,260.00 Not Won. Carried forward to Galway on Tuesday 1st August. Placepot Pool - 73,491.25 Dividend - 5,159.80 Winning Units - 16.36. Pick Six Pool - 57,696.00 Days Aggregate - 877,359.00 Last Year 862,306.00
Richebourg justifies odds in opener
He's a grand horse and Barry gave him a lovely ride,. They went very slow and then winged down over the last two. It was very tactical but he's a nice horse. He's a national hunt bred horse and he's running against horses off the Flat so that would be playing into their hands. He's exciting. He missed the second last and it's hard to gain momentum up the hill here and he seemed to do it fairly sharpish. We might look at the race at Tipperary in October. He's had three runs over hurdles now. We'll speak with Frank and JP and see what the plan is.
Pateen springs shock for Ryder
This is my Cheltenham and it's great,. We told Paddy to be handy and not to go too wide. He followed the instructions to the tee. Thankfully he had a horse everywhere he needed it. He had ability back in his bumper days and his bumper run worked out really well and did his first run over hurdles wasn't a bad run behind a horse of Joseph O'Brien's, Hallmark. Then for some reason or another, we couldn't figure it out, he just wasn't living up to what we thought he was. On his first run in a handicap he bounced back to himself. I train in a little village between Ballinasloe and Portumna and I've 12 horses in. I might get one or two more now!. This is my first winner at Galway. I rode here a few times as an amateur with no joy. We had a second and third here last year.
Saoirse stays well to grab maiden win
He was a bit coltish in Cork so we decided to geld him and he's improved,. It was the owners who wanted to come here really, I thought he wanted another two weeks. He worked well last Tuesday after working moderately in the Curragh the week before. That's obviously brought him on and there should be improvement to come. When he was a colt we were doubting his resolution but he showed it there. I thought we hadn't a strong team this year but that's a grand start. The pressure is off me now. He has a good pedigree as he was a cast off from the Maktoums. He's a half-brother to a horse of Richard Fahey's called Another Touch. He's a good tough hardy horse and looks like he'll get further. I don't know how good he is yet to be honest. I thought he'd need the run today and we'll look for a nursery now. He's still a bit green and you'd have to be happy with him. I wasn't sure about the ground either but he's handled everything.
Dinky "all heart" for Doyle and Halpin
I thought this place would play to her strengths. She's real tough and the rain was a help too as she won two races at the back-end of last year on softish ground,. She just grinds it out and is very honest. She's all heart. She's in here again on Friday night over a mile and if she's good she might come back again. The first day she won she was in claimer for €6,000 at Naas. She's never run a bad race and is nearly always in the money. It's great to get a winner here and it'll keep the owner happy!
McMahons celebrate with Whiskey
Fahy's filly a Pearl in the West
Poet completes double for Mullins