DOMINANT trainers has been the story of Galway in my time heading to ‘The Races’, initially Dermot Weld and Willie Mullins more recently, but the meeting had a different look during the first two days this year.

Aidan O’Brien may have won both juvenile flat maidens but the 12 other races had 12 different winning trainers, including a pair of British raiders on Tuesday, though it was Mullins who trained one of the most impressive winners on opening night, Sirius in the Connacht Hotel Handicap.

That win seemed unexpected for almost everyone, including the market that sent her off 50/1 for a rider that had not ridden in four years, and success looked unlikely for much of the race as she sat detached off the back of the field in early stages.

Still last entering the final half mile, David Dunsdon showed patience akin to the winning rides by Aubrey McMahon back in 2017 and 2018 in the same race, remaining down the inner as many of his rivals made their challenge out wide in the dip.

He only came off the rail turning into the straight and it was soon apparent that his mount was travelling powerfully, only asked for her effort in the final furlong to win going away.

Prominent throughout

This race can sometimes produce a pace collapse but that was not the case this year as the runner-up and third were prominent throughout and Sirius showed herself a well-handicapped mare to come from as far back as she did.

Of the other hold-up horses, Lord Erskine did best in fourth, a fine effort considering he met trouble, is not long off a summer break and prefers slower ground.

He has improved plenty over hurdles since running in a flat race where he had a realistic chance and should be able to add to his tally of seven wins on the level, particularly as the ground softens.

Mexicali Rose won the Galway Mile on Tuesday, and was well bought for 42,000 guineas in December, not only taking the €70,800 prize but improving her rating and in turn broodmare value.

A prominent position was an advantage in this race, the first six all in the front half of the field throughout, last year’s winner Coeur d’Or the one that came from furthest back.

As ever, there were a few that got little luck in running, with the ninth home Lady Lunette one of the main sufferers in that regard.

Encore can take a bow

THE card at Naas last Wednesday was notable for UK-trained fillies winning both feature races, their wins bringing up the 11th and 12th winner of the 2024 flat turf season for the raiders, already equalling last year’s tally of 12.

Their totals for the four years prior to that were 17, 6, 10 and 12 respectively and a return to figures in the 20s at least, commonplace in the mid-to-late 2010s, seems assured.

Naas took quite some rain prior to the meeting, the ground turning slow and creating a bias towards runners coming near side.

Both British riders, Clifford Lee on Miss Lamai and Danny Tudhope on Nighteyes, seemed wise to this, though there was a runner in each of the four races on the straight track to shape well in defeat.

Last Encore had shown little in a barrier trial back in May and seemed unfancied on debut proper in the opening juvenile maiden but shaped with a lot of promise to finish fourth.

The two-year-olds went a strong gallop here with the first three home coming from behind having raced off the far rail, but Last Encore went forward down the inner, looking disadvantaged by both pace and track position, and kept on well.

Make Haste had been an impressive winner at Naas back in May before disappointing in the Queen Mary but came back to form when runner-up in the Marwell, not only in the wrong part of the track relative to the winner but also making a big move in the penultimate furlong, her split in that sectional 0.3 seconds faster than anything else in the field.

Terrific race

Mint Man was coming off a 175-day absence in the sprint handicap, while also being a three-year-old against older rivals, and ran a terrific race to take second in the first-time tongue-tie.

He travelled particularly well and had to be taken out of a pocket to make his challenge, only giving best to a strong stayer at the trip in Universally.

The first five home in the Yeomanstown Stud Stakes all raced near side and the sixth, Shandy, did well to last as long as she did on the far side.

She had the worst of the draw in stall one and was in deep for a filly rated just 87 but more than held her own for much of the race.

THE juvenile picture is starting to develop, and the opening four races at Leopardstown last Thursday added some colour for one reason or another.

Ballydoyle have yet to unearth a star two-year-old colt, though The Lion In Winter put his hand up to some degree at the Curragh the previous weekend, but there can be little doubt about the identity of their top juvenile filly.

The Silver Flash win of Bedtime Story might seem to have meant little as she was sent off 1/16 – the shortest priced Aidan O’Brien-trained horse I could find anywhere in Horse Race Base, a pair of 1/12 shots coming closest – and only had to beat a front-running stablemate.

There were reasons to be positive, however. This was a third start in short space of time, and she showed a robust constitution to back up such an impressive win at Ascot, the sort of run that might have invited a bounce.

This win was also good on the clock, her overall time faster than the Tyros winner and her final two-furlong split the fastest on the card despite not being fully extended.

That Tyros winner was Hotazhell, who showed a good attitude, and along with opening maiden winner Green Impact gives Jessica Harrington a strong hand in the staying juvenile group races, that pair likely to take in mile races in autumn.

Latin Fever put up an impressive performance in winning the Irish EBE Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden \ carolinenorris.is

Harrington’s blue bred Proxima Centauri shaped better than the distance beaten when fifth in the median sires’ maiden for fillies, only getting into the clear late on and putting in the best final furlong of all, but the winner of that race Latin Fever was the biggest eye-catcher in the race.

Drawn widest in an 18-runner field, she could never get in at any point but was still able to win and looks an exciting prospect for whoever has her for her next start.