Tote.com Galway Plate

(Chase Handicap)

(Grade A)

IN what was nothing short of a monumental upset Clarcam provided jockey Mark Enright with the finest moment of his career as he somehow rediscovered all his old class, and then some, to give Gordon Elliott a second Plate in three years.

In a display which was perhaps emblematic of his yard’s return to form, Clarcam was able to boss a competitive field in freewheeling style as he gave the popular Enright a victory that he will cherish forevermore.

As he alluded to after this triumph, Elliott endured a quite start to the summer, and he went two weeks without a runner at one stage, but his string have been back in fine heart lately and a four-timer at Perth the previous evening was a pointer to the form of the Elliott string.

However, not even Clarcam’s most ardent supporters could have envisaged a return to form like this, and at 33/1 he became the longest priced winner of the Plate since Master Player 1984.

In victory he was able to defeat the favourite and first reserve Patricks Park, who got into the field when his stablemate Ballycasey came out due to a change in going. This development would highlight that there are aspects of the reserve system that require reform.

In terms of the race itself, Clarcam enjoyed a dream run throughout as he recaptured all the old class and quality which carried him to a pair of Grade 1 triumphs several seasons ago.

Enright, who was bringing up a 1155/1 double on the card, had him showing in the front rank from the outset and the eight-year-old held a definite lead from early on the first circuit.

When the English raider Drumcliff crashed out at the second fence on the final circuit, Clarcam was left with the outright advantage and, to use American flat racing parlance, he got loose on the lead.

A third consecutive winner of the race for Gigginstown House Stud, Clarcam produced a series of stunning leaps that carried him ever farther clear of the chasing pack.

By the time Elliott’s charge was making his approach to the last two fences he was at least a dozen lengths clear, and two safe jumps in the dip left him with an advantage that never looked likely to be bridged.

Patricks Park, who recovered well from mistakes at the fifth and fourth last fences, recovered well to lead the chase but he could never reel in the leader. At the line Clarcam had half a dozen lengths to spare over Patricks Park.

The Elliott-trained Jury Duty was just a neck further back in third, with the next two placings going to Snow Falcon and the top-weight Sub Lieutenant.

“That’s brilliant and I really am thrilled for Mark. He started riding out for us during the winter with no promises of any rides and it’s great he’s won a race like this. He only got on the horse at half 11 yesterday and he gave him a brilliant ride. I told him to go out and enjoy himself and he’s done that,”

“I suppose it looked as though this horse’s best days were behind him but we didn’t have that much for the Plate so we said we’d let him take his chance and if you did go back far enough he had a lot of classy form as a younger horse. I’d imagine that we will look at all the good handicaps with him going forward. Jury Duty ran very well in his first big handicap chase and I’m very proud of him too.

“As you know we’ve had a quiet start to the summer but the horses are back bombing now and I can’t wait for the winter to roll around again,” concluded Elliott.

Meanwhile, this was a day of days for Enright whose previous big race successes include this year’s Coral Hurdle on Off You Go.

“It’s just fantastic. I don’t think I’ve gotten round in a Galway Plate before. Gordon just told me to go out and enjoy myself and he jumped from fence to fence. It’s just very special as I don’t win races like this,” remarked Enright.

“I could hear the others coming in the straight but to be honest I was more aware of Gordon and the lads on the inside of the track shouting than anything else!

“I also have to thank the O’Leary’s and Gordon. I made a decision after Christmas to ask Gordon for a job. I was driving up and down the country and there wasn’t much coming of it and Gordon has been very good to me. He’s a great man to ride for.”

Patricks Park, who was ridden by Ruby Walsh after he switched from Saturnas, ran a superb race after making the line up owing to Ballycasey’s defection.

BALLYCASEY

The stewards enquired into the reason lodged by Willie Mullins for the withdrawal of Ballycasey. In summary, Mullins felt that Ballycasey was suited by small fields but competing on the ground conditions (yielding) with a large number of runners where he would encounter kickback was not suitable to him at this stage of his career.

The stewards noted the trainer’s explanation.

The reserve system in Ireland works very well on a day-to-day basis but situations such as the one that prevailed in the Plate would highlight that some reforms are needed.

In a handicap of this stature it shouldn’t be the case that the favourite gets into the race just over an hour and a half before the first race and this is not the first time to have happened in the Plate’s recent history.

In future perhaps the best system for Grade A handicaps could be cut off point at 10am on the morning of the race.

Rovetta lands surprise victory

Rest Of THE CARD

MARTIN Brassil has a fine prospect on his hands in City Island who followed up a bumper success at Punchestown in mid-May by upstaging the odds on Debuchet in the Win Big With Tote Maiden Hurdle.

The Bernadine Mulryan-owned son of Court Cave boasted a nice profile and attracted some good support beforehand but even so he was allowed to go off at 10/1 behind Debuchet, who was beaten just over a dozen lengths in the Supreme Novices Hurdle on his penultimate outing.

Debuchet was in front after the second last in this two-mile, five-furlong affair but the Mark Walsh-ridden City Island soon loomed up on his outer and the latter moved on approaching the last flight.

A tidy jump there put the seal on a three-and-a-quarter-length success over Getareason, with the market leader back in third.

“He’s a nice horse who ran very well first time out at the Punchestown Festival and he went back there to win his bumper. I’d say he’s even strengthened up since his last run and he had previously run a couple of schooling hurdles so that experience stood to him,” commented Brassil.

“He might now go to Listowel for a novice hurdle and he’s a good staying type of horse. He probably wouldn’t be a winter ground horse.”

WELL RELATED

Ger Lyons and Colin Keane combined for a second success of the meeting as the talented Espere made it three wins from four career starts in the Tote.com Handicap.

The Anamoine Ltd-owned daughter of Elusive Pimpernel, who was allowed to go off at 10/1, turned in a very willing effort under the champion jockey.

She got a split between horses to take aim at My Silver Nails entering the last furlong and she dug deep to see off that rival en route to a two-and-a-half-length success over the English runner, Mr Top Hot.

The winner shifted right when making her challenge and this caused interference to the runner-up but an enquiry left the placings unchanged.

“She was all over the place to be honest. In that ground she nodding coming into the dip, still a little bit green, and rolling around on the ground,” declared Keane.

“She was hard to keep straight but she’s classier than them and she’s done it well. Everything just happened too quick for her the last day so it’s nice to get her back to winning ways.”

A memorable meeting for Annette Mee yielded a third winner in as many days as Diamond Hill (11/8) did very well to win the Tote-sponsored amateur rider’s maiden.

Over the course of the last half-mile, Patrick Mullins endured a troubled passage on the daughter of Beat Hollow and she still had to get into the clear nearing the straight.

She switched out rounding the last bend though and then there was certain inevitability about her charge which saw her edge out National Wealth in the final yards.

“She mightn’t be too bad. She had more enough excuses to be beaten and yet she still pulled it out. She’s not the biggest of fillies and she’s done very well to win,” observed Willie Mullins, who was teaming up with his son to win this race for the third time in five years.

After taking some time to get off the mark over hurdles, Black Key made it two wins from his last three starts in the Tote.com Handicap Hurdle.

The season’s leading rider Rachael Blackmore was on board this son of Authorized for the first time and she had the 10/1 chance up with the pace from the outset in a race where very few ever threatened.

Black Key had slipped into a decent lead by the time he cleared the second last and he stayed on strongly from the turn in to defeat Mill Quest by seven lengths.

“He’s tough and I thought that Rachael was brilliant on him. It was on Eddie’s recommendation that Rachael has been riding for us a lot and you wouldn’t look back now. She’s doing great,” reflected Henry de Bromhead.

“I did think that the horse be a bit exposed but he’s won well and he seemed to appreciate stepping up to this two -mile, five-furlong trip. He’ll be going chasing sooner rather than later.”

SURPRISE WIN

A 33/1 surprise was lying in wait in the Tote Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle as Rovetta, whose owners include Irish rugby star Sean O’Brien, took a marked step forward on her recent efforts to register the first success of her career.

Ahead of his amazing Plate success Enright took the mount on the daughter of So You Think who crept into this race as the first reserve and she responded well when asked to raise her effort from the second last flight.

She produced a sustained burst to move past stablemate Timetoget on the run-in and, at the line, the strong-finishing Rovetta had six and a half lengths to spare over Lakemilan.

“We thought a lot of her when she came to us first from France, where David Minton bought her, and then my daughter Kate leased her to the Capel Street Syndicate involving Sean O’Brien,” reported Harrington.

“Her last couple of runs have been on quick enough ground and she really appreciated the dig in the ground today. She didn’t jump great but that will come.”

The day concluded with an utterly dominant success for the Harry Kelly-trained Great Trango in the Tote-sponsored two-mile handicap. The very consistent five-year-old, who is owned by Martin Donohoe, helped to force the pace under Lordan and appeared to revel in the deteriorating conditions.

The 12/1 chance had his rivals in some difficulty from a long way out and he kept up a strong gallop on the climb to the line to finish five and a half lengths clear of Bronagh’s Belle.

“He’s been running really consistently without winning and these are the tactics that suit him best. We felt he was in off a nice mark today and he’s a most genuine horse. The blinkers help him travel as he’s a bit lazy,” remarked Kelly.

ACTING STEWARDS

P.J.A. O’Connor, R. Groarke, A. Ryan, N. Rooney, P.D. Matthews

HORSE TO FOLLOW

SPEIRLING (P.G. Kelly): This five-year-old has shown promise in the past and again indicated that he could make his mark before too long by finishing a creditable fourth to City Island in the maiden hurdle. He will find much easier assignments in the coming weeks.

Highlight Of The Day

Gordon Elliott notched up his second Plate in three years but the day belonged to Mark Enright and a resurgent Clarcam who enjoyed their finest hour in producing a big race victory that really did come from left field.