BALLYBRIT had to wait 23 years to see a four-year-old win the Guinness Galway Hurdle, when Zarak The Brave achieved the feat last year and Nurburgring followed suit 12 months later with a dominant seven-length success under J.J. Slevin for Joseph O’Brien and Bronsan Racing.

In a race that got off to a particularly messy start for many, Slevin managed to find an extremely smooth run through on the 13/2 shot. The youngster jumped and travelled with purpose throughout.

My Mate Mozzie, third in the race 12 months ago, looked the biggest danger to the winner upon turning in, but nothing got close to the Triumph Hurdle fourth. In fact, it was another four-year-old, Ndaawi, who stayed on best from behind for second.

Big-race favourite, Daddy Long Legs (5/1), failed to beat a single rival home, with Paul Townend noting that his mount “got turned sideways at the start and got left” behind.

Slevin said: “It’s a very special race to win, I’m very lucky. The start was a bit of a shambles, but I got where I wanted to be and Danny [Mullins, rider of the front-running Anotherway] was parking it up everywhere and doing his own thing.

“This lad travelled well and jumped well. I let him roll along before the second last. He’s a little bit below those proper juvenile Grade 1 horses, but did it well here.

“It’s massive to do this for Joseph. The support he’s given me over the years has been unreal and I don’t like to think where I’d be without him.”

Summer target

Victory in the Galway Hurdle continued an excellent week for O’Brien, who was making it four winners at the meeting this week, including one in another of the major races, after landing the Colm Quinn BMW Mile with Mexicali Rose on Tuesday.

“When he ran well at Punchestown [in third behind Kargese in Grade 1 company], we decided this was a good mid-summer target to have,” said O’Brien.

“He came here with the four-year-old allowance, but it really was a fantastic ride from J.J. - he got a good start, a great position, made a lovely move at the top of the hill. It was a very impressive performance for a four-year-old.

“He was a fresh horse today and was dropping from Grade 1s into a handicap – that class drop is always a help. He’ll probably have to go back to graded company now.”

There was drama before the Ladies Day feature got underway, as the gamble of the race, Petrol Head, was withdrawn by the directors of the IHRB after a positive sample emerged from his recent Bellewstown win.

As for the beginning of the Galway Hurdle, the raceday stewards reviewed the start and were satisfied that no further action was warranted.

JESSICA Harrington has often made Galway a happy hunting ground and emerged with two blacktype winners from Thursday’s card.

Admirable campaigner Ashdale Bob showed a smashing attitude to get the better of a prolonged tussle with Saylavee in the Grade 3 Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase under Jack Kennedy, for owner Diarmuid Horgan.

The form of his previous beginners’ chase win at Kilbeggan was boosted when runner-up Thecompanysergeant won at this meeting on Tuesday, and connections are now weighing up a trip to Cheltenham in the autumn after this half-length success as 13/8 favourite.

Harrington said: “I’m delighted for the horse because he had been running around in hurdle races running against all the top horses without getting his head in front. He’s now two from two since we went back to fences this summer.

“He is a model of consistency, a beautiful sound horse and just a joy to train. He’s a right character. He really wanted it today and was headed, but came back. My worry was the [two-mile-two-furlong] trip today because it’s his minimum distance. I think he’s like me, he gets brave with age.

“We might go to an autumn meeting at Cheltenham, give him a break for the winter and then come back for the spring. Maybe he’ll be a Galway Plate horse next summer.”

Listed touch

The second half of the Harrington double came through a superbly bought filly at just 25,000gns in a Tattersalls Online Sale last September, Raknah, who benefitted from an excellent Gary Carroll ride to win the Listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.

With a rating of 82, the Blessingndisguise Partnership-owned daughter of Blue Point looked like she had plenty to find and was down the field in a handicap at Gowran Park the previous weekend.

However, in a tactical race, the 16/1 chance was always in the right position and held off Joseph O’Brien’s Princess Child by a neck. One Look, sent off the 9/4 favourite, disappointed in ninth.

“She had a very good run at Ascot [when seventh] in the Sandringham Stakes but she surprised me today,” said Harrington.

“She tried the whole way to the line after getting headed. Kevin [Blessing, owner] bred her, sold her as a yearling [for €80,000] and then bought her back last year. I actually rang him this morning to say we wouldn’t run her due to the ground, but he said they were all down here so we would run her. It just shows you that trainers know nothing!”

Leading the way

Carroll was notching a brace of his own on the card, having already excelled from the front in the Rockshore Refreshingly Irish Handicap over an extended mile aboard Joe Murphy’s Grey Leader (10/1), denying 11/4 favourite Genuine Article by half a length.

Nothing got into the race from off the pace and the Tony Auld-owned four-year-old delivered a welcome tonic to the Joe Murphy stable, who sadly lost Sionnach Eile due to injury here on Monday.

Murphy said: “We’re delighted with that, especially after a hard blow to take earlier in the week. That’s life and racing, but when it comes to your own doorstep the pain is a little greater.

“Grey Leader was unlucky at Leopardstown two starts ago [when third] and I thought the handicapper was a bit harsh [by raising him 5lb] but, again, I was proved wrong. He could run again back here on Sunday.”

Happy Hidden team

Trainer Andrew Kinirons achieved his first Galway winner when the in-foal Hidden Land (25/1) refused to be denied in the Guinness 0.0 Handicap over a mile and a half.

Luke McAteer was strong on the Peter Byrne-owned seven-year-old, who has been covered by In Swoop, and pulled two and a quarter lengths clear of the well-backed Lady Christa (5/1).

Kinirons said: “Today is probably her last flat run as she is in foal, although she’ll run again over hurdles at Downpatrick in a couple of weeks. That’ll be her finished then.

“Today is her sixth win, she has blacktype over jumps and is a tough mare. We picked her up for 2,500gns and I’m delighted for Peter, who has had great craic with her.”

SO much for the lucky last. The concluding Guinness Time INH Flat Race resulted in what is believed to be the longest-priced winner in Galway Festival history, as 200/1 shot Brave Crogha provided Galway trainer Iggy Madden with his first winner since 2018 – and a first winner at this meeting in a decade.

Most of the chat beforehand surrounded 4/9 favourite Vicar Street, Vroum Vroum Mag’s first foal by Galileo for Willie Mullins and JP McManus, but the newcomer was safely held by eight lengths in fourth.

Instead, Aine O’Connor managed to engineer a career-best effort from the winner, who was beaten 86 lengths in a Ballinrobe bumper just over a week earlier.

Madden said: “It’s special to have a winner here, but especially when you’re waiting five years for a winner at all. I knew this horse was coming back together because he had been there before. I told Aine not to move on him coming down the hill, and you saw how he got home.

“He was giving us a bit of trouble with hanging, but I got onto a chiropractor and he had the horse done in an hour. Three days ago we did a bit of work and we thought this was a different horse. We came in four hours before today’s race to get him settled so it was all about planning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get up to back him.”

Deadly Donnie

Everything Ross O’Sullivan touched on Wednesday and Thursday at Galway turned to gold, with Donnie Devito making it a hat-trick from the trainer’s first three runners of the week in the extended-two-and-a-half-mile Guinness Novice Hurdle under Tom Harney.

The Tommy Ward-owned five-year-old, who won a Punchestown maiden hurdle in June, was actually making it five consecutive winners for the in-form stable. He battled on gamely to have the measure of 5/2 favourite Ninth Titan by three quarters of a length. O’Sullivan said: “When we started off training, Tommy came to us with a horse and has been with us since. You won’t find a better owner. The horses are on fire, we’re pinching ourselves. Myself and Katie [Walsh] were in shock last night at the whole thing. It doesn’t last forever but we’ll keep enjoying it while it is.

“There are loads of trainers similar to me who just need the chance to get the horses. I’m delighted for Tom Harney to get his chance because he couldn’t do the weight for yesterday. There’s a great atmosphere in the yard at the moment and I’d say the horses are feeding off that.”

Pink on Ladies Day

Despite a 50/1 winner in the Connacht Hotel Handicap on Monday with Sirius, it was a quieter-than-usual beginning to the Galway Festival for Willie Mullins, but he doubled his tally for the week when Pink In The Park claimed the Guinness Beginners Chase over an extended two miles and six furlongs.

The mount of Paul Townend will continue to aim at further blacktype in the colours of the Roaringwater Syndicate after this length-and-a-quarter victory over Dartan. She was quite easy to back beforehand at 9/2.

Mullins said: “It was a nice performance. She was a little sticky going to the first but she improved as she went through. I was very pleased with how she stayed on.

“Paul produced her nicely and she wants a trip at this stage of her career. The reason we bought her dam [Pink Hat] was to breed from her, and she is producing nice horses.”