Going - N.H.: Good. Flat: good, good to yielding in places. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - 17,474.37 Dividend - 4,530.30 Winning Units - 2.7. Placepot Pool - 62,687.47 Dividend - 173.90 Winning Units - 258.34. Pick Six Pool - 46,129.29 Dividend - 23,064.60 Winning Units - 1.4. Days Aggregate - 556,721.00 Last Year
Fast Buck scoots away to land the spoils
Zero Ten in charge at Ballybrit
You have to have a big engine to be able to win these races that he’s winning. He’s very well balanced. He’s on the ball. He’s clever. He was a bit cautious at a few of the fences but his first run over fences, you’d expect that. He’s safe enough, he’s very aware of what’s going around him. He’s a bit special. David (Mullins) said he was just a bit deliberate at his jumps today. He said he wasted an awful lot of energy in the air. He was putting an awful lot of emphasis on his jumps. He said take his time and look after him. We’ll probably have to do a bit more schooling. You’d usually be happy enough if you won your beginners' around Galway. We’re not sure what’s going to come next. It’s great to get the novice chase campaign off to a winning start and hopefully can keep going in the same vein of form as we did last year.
O'Brien effusive in his praise of Petite Mustique
I was very impressed with her. Things went really smoothly but I loved the way she picked up in the last two furlongs. I'd say she is very smart. She had the experience of the two previous runs and I was impressed by the way she picked up. She broke smart, travels very well and I like her a lot. She is not slow. She gave me a real good feel. I'm sure we will step her into Group or Listed company and find out more.
Rita Levi makes the breakthrough in Ballybrit
Colin is unreal around these tracks and is strong and is the last man ever to go for his stick. To be fair to the filly she looked brilliant and it was the first time ever she looked like a mare than a filly and has taken her racing really well. Colin was brilliant but you need to have a horse underneath you.
Keane seals Galway double on Saltonstall
I thought we had everything covered as such behind us, it was just what was in front of us - Donnacha's horse (Numerian) was just after getting out and getting running. This lad was travelling well as he met the rising ground and he really powered up the hill. I can't believe it and it is great for the crew who have worked hard and for (owners) the Dooley brothers from Manchester and Bart O'Sullivan, who is also our yard sponsor. Today was a plan, some of these plans don't come out but this has come out and it is brilliant. Stevie (Thorne), my assistant, is brilliant at picking out these horses and picked him out at Goffs and we looked at him. He had had a few problems and had bled a few times, but he said he was a horse we could take a chance on and we always felt Galway was a fantastic place to be in, so we tried to get him up for Galway and it has happened.
Drop in trip works oracle for One Cool Poet
I even got there too soon!. I just got out of a pocket down in the dip and I gave him a squeeze and he has leapt on the bridle and I got there and I got there and I just tried to bide my time before 'go'. In fairness when he stuck his head in front he was just doing enough. He's a clever old boy, but thank God he won. At long last! In the last year he has been second or third nine or ten times but today was the day to do it. Over one mile four furlongs he is travelling too well and tends to stop in front when the other horses aren't carrying him. He travelled incredibly well again today and Bill (Lee) said he has some gears. It was a little bit of an unknown running him over a mile and half a furlong today but it worked out well and had no problem today. He has a couple of entries later in the week and will run again. I'm delighted for Ollie Ryan, from Tullamore, who is the main man in the syndicate and has been very good to me in the last couple of years.
Make A Challenge prevails for returning Doyle
That was super and it is a great story as Joe (Doyle) rode his first winner for me. He rode out his claim very fast in the UK and went away from the game for a year and a half. He has been riding out for me for a long time and I've been months asking him to get a licence and he wasn't ready for it. Six weeks ago he told me he would take out his license and I said 'drive on' and he had his first ride back on Friday night. He is very light, does well and is in my yard every day now. Pat Doyle (trainer) is his uncle and he is a neighbour of mine at home and is from a good racing background. I bought the horse (Make A Challenge) unraced at a Horses in Training Sale and he took time to come to hand and hadn't been going into stalls. He goes down before every other horse now and has to go in early and have a hood on. He is from a right good family and we had been riding him too forcefully.