PETER Fahey completed a fourth consecutive daily success at the Galway Festival on Saturday where the trainer landed the featured €110,000 BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle with Ambitious Fellow (14/1), for the OGB Partnership and jockey Sam Ewing.

The seven-year-old made good headway on the inside in the final half-mile of the race and in the end fought off runner-up Bugs Moran to score by three-quarters of a length.

Afterwards Fahey praised Ewing’s winning ride, saying: “Sam made a good move to nip up the inner before coming down the hill and it could have been the winning and losing of it. It was a brave move but it worked out great for him.

Fahey, who was equalling last year’s festival haul of four wins, added: “Ambitious Fellow lost his form a little bit but had an issue after he ran at Limerick last year and it took him a while to get back right.

“He had a lovely run the last day when he was completely wrong at the weights, but it gave him confidence coming here. I was worried about the ground but it worked out great.

“There are four involved in the OGB Partnership including Ber (wife) and after he won a bumper, we brought him to the sales but couldn’t get anyone to buy him.

“We brought him home and he has now won at the Punchestown Festival and has landed a big pot today.

“We had four winners last year, we’ve had good old craic again and it has been brilliant.”

Second success

Local owner Annette Mee registered a second success of the week in the opening BoyleSports Download Our App Maiden Hurdle with the Shark Hanlon-trained Enfranchise (10/3), under Galway Plate-winning rider Danny Gilligan.

The former flat Invincible Spirit-mare quickened smartly on the run-in to beat Rath Gaul Boy by 11 lengths.

Afterwards Hanlon reported: “She ran in the graded hurdle the other evening and was only beaten a length for second and to have had a run around here makes an awful difference.

“I think she is very good and we like her a lot at home - I was disappointed she was beaten the other evening but at least we got it today. This mare is after doing everything since I bought her, she won the Oaks (at Down Royal) and it is hard to get a mare like this one - I think she is very smart.

“I have her entered in the Ebor but she won’t get in off her mark and we haven’t looked any further than this.”

The only other National Hunt race was the concluding BoyleSports Irish EBF Mares Bumper which saw the Charles Byrnes-trained, Philip McGee-owned Fortunate Lightning land a sizeable gamble (20/1 in the morning, returned 7/2).

Ridden by Monday’s Connacht Hotel Amateur Handicap-winning jockey Ray Barron, the five-year-old mare met some traffic entering the home straight but quickened well in the final furlong to comfortably beat Theflyingbe.

Byrnes said: “She is a good honest filly who ran well here last October when finishing a closing fifth. She had a nice run back in Wexford and we thought she had come on from that. She came home well and surprised Ray in how well she quickened up.

“There is a listed bumper at Gowran and I think she is up to getting blacktype.” He added: “Ray is with me every morning and is riding a long time.

“He is very strong and with his experience his 7lb claim is a bit like having Rob James (experienced point-to-point rider). Ray rides her every day at home and had a lot of confidence in her.

“We thought she was fairly right going to Wexford but has tightened up a lot since. We had a few quid each-way on.”

TRAINER Ciaran Murphy notched his second winner of the week and jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle his fifth, as Bottler’secret (3/1, in the colours of Emily Murphy) landed the Bathshack Maiden on his second start.

Afterwards Murphy said: “He was one we kept for Galway and it worked out beautifully. I’m delighted for the lads who are from Portarlington and Kinnegad and bought him as a yearling and they came in with me. I have to compliment them as I didn’t want to run him last year as he was backward and they said to do what I wanted.

“We brought him back this year, I told the lads we’d have one run before Galway and I really appreciate their trust in me to do that. This was always the plan, we couldn’t have asked for any more and we haven’t thought beyond today.”

Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Seamie Heffernan combined for doubles, with juveniles, beginning with Navy Seal (1/4 favourite) in the BoyleSports Casino Irish EBF Maiden.

The Dubawi-colt quickened well to comfortably beat newcomer Navy Seal and afterwards Ballydoyle’s representative Chris Armstrong reported: “He was a still a bit babyish throughout the run but came on from Killarney, where he ran a nice race on debut.

“Seamus felt once the penny dropped, he showed a nice turn of foot to quicken up and peg back Joseph’s horse. He will come on from it and will be a nice middle-distance horse for next year.

“He’ll probably step up to stakes company now and into something like the mile Group 2 at Leopardstown on Champions Weekend.”

Dramatic

The most valuable flat race was the dramatic, four-runner €21,000 Gra Chocolates Nursery, which was won by Ballydoyle’s Portland (15/8), under Heffernan.

Runner-up Jakajaro had the lead but jinked left inside the final furlong, handing the initiative to Portland which scored by a length.

Armstrong reported: “Seamus gave him a lovely ride. He is still very babyish and having finished in the first four in your first two maiden runs, you are eligible for nurserys so it was good to come this route. Once he put everything together, he went away in the finish.

“We have taken him in baby steps and will now step him up to stakes company.

“He appreciates the ease in the ground and will have no problem stepping up in trip once he puts everything together.”

CHELTENHAM Festival-winning trainer Pat O’Donnell was on the mark in the Ardilaun Hotel Handicap with Dragon Of Malta (4/1 favourite), which gave champion jockey Colin Keane a third festival winner.

Carrying the colours of the Dublin/Malta-based Gzira Syndicate, the gelding won eased-down from Shawaamekh.

O’Donnell reported: “Before Colin hit the ground at Killarney he said ‘Galway, lads’. He had looked at his previous form and he folded a tiny bit in Killarney (finishing third) but seven furlongs here was spot on.

“His form is very solid and there were a lot of ducks in a row today. It is hard to get him early in the year but he comes to form in the autumn and that’s just him.

High standard

“Peter Keogh, from Knocklong, who heads up the syndicate, is with us three or four years and makes the entries, decides on who rides him et cetera and we try him have the horses fit and healthy. I like to think we do things to a very high standard and it is a team effort. I have no idea where we’re going next!”

Trainer Joe Murphy and jockey Gary Carroll were on the mark in the McDonogh Capital Investments Handicap with 2/1 favourite Mon Coeur, which was improving a place on four recent runner-up efforts, including at the course on Wednesday.

Murphy reported: “We didn’t know how he’d handle coming back just three days after his last run but he got a massage on Wednesday night and we had him out in the paddock since.

“He was due to go up 10lb but we had to roll the dice. It is great to get that win, he is a progressive horse but has had two sinus operations and the clinic in Fethard were very good. With those sinus operations you have to give them a lot of time to clear up.

“This is a wonderful occasion to have another winner in Galway and is great for Tom (Egan) and all the boys (Glennane, O’Brien and Dillon).”

Attendance: 2023: 12,026 2022: 11,474

Bookmakers: 2023 ??? 2022: €499,071

Tote: 2023: €581,732.89 2022: €701,852.19