Going - Good. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - €13,942.71 Dividend - €68.10 Winning Units - 147.96. Placepot Pool - €42,951.82 Dividend - €30.90 Winning Units - 983.58. Pick Six Pool - €20,000.00 Dividend - €6,666.60 Winning Units - 2.1. Days Aggregate - €467,409.00 Last Year
Martin scaling Ballybrit heights with Mr Everest
Things are going very well and it is brilliant. He had a couple of good runs over hurdles and was second in this race last year. On Monday night we thought he had a great chance in the amateur handicap but unfortunately there was no gallop and we got no run. Maybe it was a good thing, though, as he bounced out well out of it and came home great and not a bother on him. We are delighted to get this win today with him and he's a novice for the rest of the season now. He's not too far off the top novices and you'd be hoping to go the novice route rather than the handicap route and hopefully he can also run in those top staying flat races.
Great Trango gives Kelly his 'biggest win'
That's my biggest win and the plan from 12 months ago was to run in the amateur handicap on Monday and this race on Saturday. Nothing went right on Monday and it was just a disaster and I went home sick. But it was no one's fault and Jamie (Codd) looked after the horse and that's what you get when you get the best; when things go wrong they look after them. There is nobody better off a light weight than Phillip (Enright) and he is a jockey always trying for you. There were no stalls tonight and the plan was to jump off good and handy and Philip was great on him all the way. He is one of the toughest horses in training and I'm very grateful to the owners for buying him. The Donohues have been great and he was bought as a replacement for Lagostovegas and he's not a bad replacement. He was beaten seven and a half lengths on Monday; we lost four lengths coming out of the stalls and he was last for a horse who needs to be prominent. Jamie said to run him again if he gets the ground at the end of the week, and said 'I hate to say it, but he did a lovely bit of work for you during the week!'
Emperor Of The Sun shines in Galway
He did it nicely. He had a good run the last day (in third at Killarney). He is still quite green, quite raw. Plenty to learn still but he has ability. He is still raw and gawky. In an ideal world you'd like to get a lead on him but if I had done that he'd have gone too slow for his own good so I had to make the running on him. He stuck at it well and he'll learn plenty from it. The second horse (Delta Dawn) had a decent run the first day and would have learned a lot from that as well and I'm sure they are smart horses.
Lancaster House rules the roost in Ballybrit
He was still quite green and raw but his work at home was nice and he'll progress from that. He was a little bit slow away from the stalls but nothing around me had too much gate speed, so I was able to get him up there and, once I did, I was comfortable the whole way. He quickened up well and he put a nice bit of daylight between himself and the field. I think a mile and two furlongs will be no problem for him and after that we'll see after he steps up.
Royal County Down seals Galway treble for O'Briens
He is still very green and is still learning and was fairly raw when I got to the front on him. He had shown signs of it (quirkiness) at home but he definitely has ability and when they have ability you can work on the quirks.
Make A Challenge doubles up at the Galway Festival
He is a real improver and it was a hard one to take off Joe Doyle (Tuesday's winning jockey) but he understood and I told him he could ride Caesar's Comet and he finished fourth and wasn't out of it. It is great for everyone and my parents still own a leg of him and Joey's claim (7lb) was a massive help. Joey came in riding out for me one day and I saw him riding work and you'd know he was talented and he is well able to ride. It was unfortunate we lost Kerosin yesterday and I had a dead arm yesterday but rode out this morning and am grand now. It's been an up and down week and we've had some good results and some disappointments and losing the horse was a killer.
Treble-winning One Cool Poet makes history
It is brilliant and I'm shocked and it is dream stuff for me. He has been up and down to the yard all week and was out in the field on Wednesday, had a hack on Thursday morning, same on Friday and then today. He was really relaxed and chilled out in the parade ring and I was going to tell Billy (Lee) that I thought he was better today but was nearly afraid to say it! . Busted Tycoon did it a few years ago but that was on the flat and over hurdles and this lad is the first to do three on the flat (at the Galway Festival).
Majestic Maid a first Galway Festival winner for Kennedy
She did it well. She just took a right hold early and she took me to the front but when she got to the front she dropped and I was able to get a good breather into her coming down the hill and then she toughed it out coming up the hill. It's my third winner for Mikey (Kennedy) now, so he is really supporting me and I'm very grateful for it. I had a great year last year (point-to-pointing) and I was champion novice. I'm in college at the minute so I think I will stay amateur until I finish that. I'll reassess the situation then. She had a good run in Limerick and we thought she'd win but it was a blessing in disguise she didn't win. We'll probably give her a break now as she has been on the go a long time. She has a bright future, she is handy enough but is good and strong and very tough. Her owner Conor Murphy is a great supporter of mine and I'm delighted for him. He owned her dam as well and has a good few homebreds at home. I have 10 horses to run for the summer and have 20 for the winter. This is my first Galway winner.
