TALENTED apprentice Wayne Hassett was the toast of Ballybrit on Tuesday when notching the biggest winner of his career aboard Joseph O’Brien’s Mexicali Rose in the feature €120,000 Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap.

The 5lb claimer got a dream run through on the 12/1 chance, who carried the colours of prominent racing pundit and stable race planner Kevin Blake, and dug in well to edge out Jessica Harrington’s Norwalk Havoc (14/1) by a neck.

A frantic pace can typically be expected in the day-two highlight, but the fractions were not overly taxing this time around, and a move in the early stages from the 18-year-old rider proved particularly effective. Having broken slightly slowly, he allowed the Zoffany filly to roll closer to the pace and avoided any traffic issues as a result.“She came up the hill lovely and flew through them without a bother,” said Hassett.

“I’d like to thank Joseph for giving me the ride on her again. He gave me loads of confidence going out, we broke a little slow but they went a good gallop and that’s what she needed. Wherever I pointed her she went, she fought her way through and she really came up the hill.

“I’m delighted to get this win under my belt and thanks to Joseph and Kevin Blake. I came up thinking I had a good chance and, thank God, she won.”

The well-bought 42,000gns purchase at last year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale was out of luck when making a quick return to Ballybrit on Thursday, finishing down the field in the Listed Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.

FORTUNE favours the brave, and trainer Adrian Keatley was well rewarded for his positive campaigning of smart mare Gale Mahler, who ran out a ready winner of the opening Listed Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle to record a sixth win on the bounce.

Keatley, previously based on these shores before relocating to Britain in 2020, had notched winners at the meeting in 2016 and 2017, and relished this return to the Ballybrit winner’s enclosure.

British rider Henry Brooke made it a successful second trip to Galway to score aboard the Jimmy Fyffe-owned five-year-old, who had her supporters in the market at 9/2 (from 14/1 after declarations and 8/1 overnight).

Speaking after the 10-length success, Keatley said: “We had to step her up in grade to see what we had. It’s very hard to judge English and Irish form, especially at this time of year, but she was very impressive I think we can go home and make proper plans for her.

“She’ll handle slow ground, though wouldn’t want winter heavy ground. She hasn’t put a foot wrong, really. I think she’s a very good mare. We’ll target some of the big races in the autumn and next spring.”

Reidh for Richard

Gale Mahler was not the only runner trained in Britain to prosper on day two at Ballybrit. Richard Fahey was visibly thrilled and relieved after Reidh managed to sneak through a gap in the straight to land the caulfieldindustrial.com Handicap under returning rider Oisin Orr.

A 10lb higher mark than when easily scoring at Thirsk in June wasn’t enough to halt the progress of the 100/30 favourite, who carried the colours of proud western connections. Winning owner John Staunton was repeating a win at this meeting with Fahey back in 2007 when Sadler’s Kingdom collected for the same combination under jockey Michael Hussey.

Fahey said: “I’m delighted to have a winner here with John and Jimmy [Staunton] and Mike Feeley. I loved this winner. The plan was to come here with the owners relatively local, and the horse has won off his highest ever rating. Finding a bit of trouble in running probably allowed him to fill up and finish off.

“It might sound silly, but I felt nervous today - my heart was thumping out of my chest. To have a winner here for the lads is great; I started off training for the late Tommy Staunton 28 years ago and I think he helped us find the gap today.”

Graded ambitions

Rachael Blackmore got up and running for the week when capitalising on a call-up to ride Thecompanysergeant for Denis Hogan in the Latin Quarter Beginners Chase over two miles and two furlongs.

The Martin Cooney-owned 6/4 favourite brought some useful form to the table but had to bounce back from being turned over as favourite at both Kilbeggan and Tipperary. His regular rider Donagh Meyler ended up giving him most to think about, finishing a length and three-quarters away in second on Merlin Giant, who he rode due to commitments for Emmet Mullins and the Mee family.

Hogan said: “We were thinking of going for the Plate, so he would have wanted to do that in this grade. He finished fourth in a Grade 1 three runs ago, beaten six lengths by Spillane’s Tower.

“The Plate was in my head all summer but when he was beaten at Tipperary and Kilbeggan, I had a chat with Martin and we decided to stay in calmer waters.

“There’ll be time for bigger days again. He’s now a novice for the full season so we’ll exploit that. We’re hoping he will mix it in graded company for the winter. This horse could have been sold before so thanks to Martin for keeping him.”

THE likes of Tahiyra, Hermosa, Legatissimo, Eziyra and Purple Lily feature on the roll of honour over the last decade for the seven-furlong Colm Quinn BMW Irish EBF Fillies Maiden, so it’s only right that due attention is paid to the race each year.

The 2024 renewal delivered a clearcut winner in the shape of No Nay Never filly Bubbling, trained by Aidan O’Brien, ridden by Wayne Lordan and owned by the Coolmore partners.

She showed just why she was sent off the 13/8 favourite in this five-length success over main market rival Lady Marien. It was a pleasing progression from her debut fourth at Leopardstown 19 days earlier.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “She’s very exciting. She had an eyecatching run at Leopardstown and the form has worked out well, with [the winner] Exactly running a lovely race in the Silver Flash [when second to Bedtime Story].

“She’s a typical No Nay Never, has lots of natural pace, travelled lovely and sprinted the last furlong. This trip is perfect for her. She’s still a little bit babyish and will improve again. She’s now bang in the mix for the Debutante Stakes now, and all those good seven-furlong fillies’ races.

“When you look down through the roll of honour at Galway, it’s a great track for educating horses and you need a proper one to win here.”

Out on top

The only other maiden on the card, the seven-furlong Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden for three-year-olds and up, saw another decisive performance as Lucky Out rewarded favourite backers at 7/4 under Seamie Heffernan.

Trainer Tom Mullins has a real eye for finding value at the sales and this three-year-old filly by Unfortunately, out of a Galileo mare, was well bought for €16,000 as a yearling. She had too much for her rivals and won by two and a quarter lengths in the colours of Helen Mullins.

“She’s a really nice, honest, uncomplicated filly,” said the winning trainer.

“It was grand to have Seamie on her again today at a track like this, and nobody else has ridden her. I thought he gave her a lovely ride.

“They jumped out and went hard for the first furlong and then they jacked it up. It’s kind of an epidemic now in races that they go 500 miles an hour in the first furlong, and then jack it up until the last furlong, which is a bit annoying, but Seamie was on top of it. She won well.”

Quartz shines

History repeated itself in the concluding Caulfield Industrial Handicap over an extended mile as Mark Fahey delivered an excellent training performance to capture a second running of the competitive affair with the grey.

Sent off at 12/1 under Ronan Whelan, the Jean Bird-owned seven-year-old returned off an identical mark to two years earlier and scored by a length and a half. It was quite the atmosphere as the race was underway, with Daniel Wiffen’s gold medal-winning performance at the Olympics being broadcast around the track at the same time.

“He just loves this place,” said Fahey.

“He missed last year through injury and we got him back at the end of the year when he had no luck at the October meeting. Thankfully, today we got the luck and Ronan gave him a peach of a ride. Jean loves this horse and I’m thrilled for her.

“It felt like I was the only one roaring at Galway for the horse - you could have heard a pin drop with everyone watching the swimming. I started to roar, and then I obviously knew that Wiffen was getting close too when everyone was leaping around the place!

“It’s brilliant when you see Galway like this. Everyone was getting behind Wiffen and I was roaring for Clear Quartz. It was an amazing few minutes. This horse could run again on Saturday.”