FOR the third day in succession at this year’s Galway Festival, Willie Mullins struck feature-race gold as Jazzaway bagged the Grade B Guinness Handicap Hurdle to cap a memorable day for Conor McNamara who marked his return from injury in style.

After spending a good portion of the summer on the sidelines, McNamara only returned to action in the days leading up to Galway, but he made quite an impact at the last National Hunt fixture of this year’s meeting as he reeled off a double.

Dominated

That brace was completed in the evening’s feature where he teamed up with a trainer who has dominated this prize, like so many others at Galway, to a striking extent in recent years.

Indeed Mullins fielded four runners in his quest to win this race for the fifth time in the last seven years and the Whitegrass Racing Syndicate-owned Jazzaway (9/1) looked a strong contender.

She won a good handicap hurdle at Punchestown in April on her last outing and her penultimate start saw her lose out to the subsequent Pertemps Final heroine Mrs Milner at this meeting last year. A dramatic step-up in trip from two miles to an extended two-and-three-quarters was no problem for Jazzaway who launched a terrific charge from the turn in which enabled her to nail the game Western Victory in the final yards.

The runner-up’s jockey, Shane Fitzgerald, received a three-day whip ban for his efforts.

“I told the owners she wasn’t going to run this week as she was lame the other day, but whatever happened, 24 hours later, she seemed fine and then she comes out and does this,” stated Mullins. “I don’t think we’ll run her back too soon, we’ll see where the next big-prize-money race is and I don’t know if she’ll go jumping fences or not. She has done more than we ever thought she would.”

Mountain’s success

Earlier, Mullins and his son Patrick successfully joined forces when the Annette Mee-owned Purple Mountain kicked off a treble for her owner in the James’s Gate Maiden Hurdle. A listed bumper winner last autumn, this daughter of Beat Hollow was trying her hand over hurdles for the first time and was sent off at 5/6 for her first outing since early February.

The mare looked as though she could be in trouble when stablemate Gamin Original joined her at the last but that one blundered badly and unshipped Paul Townend to leave Purple Mountain to come home with one and three-quarter lengths to spare.

“The winner was maybe a bit lucky at the last as Gamin Original looked to have a winning chance,” commented Mullins. “The Mees like to have runners here so possibly we will look at the October meeting with Purple Mountain with maybe a run at Listowel beforehand. Today was the first time that Gamin Original showed what he had shown us at home.”

Grand result

Grand Bornand (4/1) made it a treble for Mullins in the Guinness Beginners Chase over two and a quarter miles for Susannah Ricci.

The favourite, Russian Diamond, was shading the lead from the winner facing into the last two fences but was caught out by the final obstacle and came down, which left Paul Townend’s mount to come home with five and a half lengths to spare. Russian Diamond may well have taken plenty of beating, but the winner posted a nice effort and one which suggests that he will make a better chaser than a hurdler.

Arcadian Sunrise shines for Queallys

ARCADIAN Sunrise, who has threatened to land a decent prize over hurdles for some time, got his turn in the Guinness Galway Tribes Handicap Hurdle. This race acts as a consolation for those that miss the cut for the Galway Hurdle and there is ample compensation in the fact that this race is worth some €75,000.

Back over hurdles for the first time since winning a decent contest at Punchestown in late May, Arcadian Sunrise was returned at 5/1 under Denis O ‘Regan who has partnered the gelding to five of his six career wins.

Arcadian Sunrise travelled through this race with ease and when he had to raise his effort in the straight he did so in willing fashion to get home by half a length from the well-backed course-and-distance winner Bua Boy, whose rider Denis Hogan picked up a one-day whip ban.

“We were disappointed not to get into the Galway Hurdle so it was great to win today and he has only been out of the frame twice in 14 runs. He has been a lucky horse for us,” remarked John Queally who trains the winner for his wife Miriam. “There is a two-mile handicap on the flat at York for him but that is only 18 days away so it might come too soon.”

McNamara’s luck

An injury to Jordan Gainford meant that Conor McNamara’s victory in the night’s feature was preceded by a chance success on the Annette Mee-owned and Shark Hanlon-trained Hallowed Star in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

The top-weight was a 2/1 favourite to build on an easy win at Roscommon last time. However, the race didn’t go entirely to plan for the son of Sea The Stars who ended up further back than planned and he had a number of lengths to find on Ashqar when that one strode on after two out. To his credit the market leader dug in splendidly and finished strongly from the last to collar his aforementioned rival late on and get home by half a length.

“Conor gave him a great ride to get him home in front. The horse just shied away as the tape went up so he ended up a little further back and he didn’t jump as well as he can,” stated Hanlon. “I think he wants two and a half miles and is a typical flat horse in that he likes a bit of daylight at his hurdles.”

Mee treble

A great day for the Mee family got even better as The Gossiper (6/1) made it a treble on the night for the owners who cherish a winner at this meeting above all others. The Emmet Mullins representative already had two bumper triumphs to his name before the Hop House 13 (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race where he defeated seven previous winners.

Mike O’Connor, who claimed a valuable 7lb, rode a canny race from the front on the 7/1 shot. In first-time cheekpieces, The Gosspier travelled powerfully and then extended in good style over the last furlong and a half to defeat Ashroe Diamond by seven lengths.

The winner will now go hurdling.

THE 2021 Galway Festival is one that will live long in the memory of the Gilligan household and there was a particularly special success for the family-run operation when Born By The Sea clinched the €75,000 Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase.

In the consolation race for the Plate, Paul Gilligan produced this hardy seven-year-old in great order and for good measure he had his son Jack (picked up a two-day whip ban) on board while the gelding is owned by his wife Natalie.

Competitive

A typically competitive edition of this race still had many of the runners holding chances on the approach to the last two fences and one of those was the always prominent Born By The Sea who dashed into the lead after the last where Sapphire Lady had shifted sharply right and threatened to take out a number of her rivals.

The well-backed 10/1 chance then maintained an unfaltering tempo all the way to the line to defeat Popong by three and a half lengths.

Hugh Morgan, who rode Popong, was given a six-day whip ban.

“It’s a great thrill. We’re local and Galway means a lot and to have our son riding him, this means a lot. We’re a family run operation and don’t have as many horses as we had in the past but we’re trying to keep a better standard of horse,” declared Gilligan who has the Kerry National in mind for the winner. “I’ll dedicate the win to a good friend of ours, Mandy Nolan, who passed away and we were at her funeral before we came here. It was a sad day earlier watching Mandy going, but this is fantastic.”

Battling back

Denise Foster got among the winners when Galway Plate also ran Battleoverdoyen showed that the ability that has carried him to two previous Grade 1 triumphs still glimmers. On the back of a number of disappointing runs, the Gigginstown House Stud eight-year-old seemed to enjoy the switch to a small field for this extended two-and-three-quarter-mile affair. Jack Kennedy produced the 7/2 chance to take over from the favourite Annamix after the last and Battleoverdoyen stuck to his task dourly on the long climb to the line to fend off the staying on Ben Dundee by half a length.

“It’s nice he’s done that as he’s lost his way a bit over the last nine months. This will give him some confidence going forward and we’ll aim for a few more of these types of conditions chases through the autumn,” reported the trainer.