THE best made long-term plans can often end up in flames around the planes of Ballybrit but they came fruition for local boy Danny Gilligan and Meath owner Eamon Waters when Ash Tree Meadow went three better than last year in the Tote Galway Plate.

The planner was Gordon Elliott and we shouldn’t be surprised. This was a fourth Plate in eight years for him so he knows what it takes and he saw enough in Ash Tree Meadow’s run to be fourth here last season, when he was a six-year-old novice.

He ran just four times since and this was his first start over fences since last year but anyone who backed him did so in the hope that he was a much better horse than his 1lb lower rating he competed off 12 months ago, and that was every bit the case as he led from pillar to post under his 17-year-old jockey.

Waters knows a thing or two about riding horses, having hunted with the Ward Union, the origin of his friendship with Elliott, and he was full of praise for Gilligan in his finest moment in ownership.

“Seventeen years of age - what a ride,” he said. “Even after all the problems at the start, he didn’t get fazed, popped him out in front and kept filling him up. It was brilliant.”

Galway Plates usually don’t pass without incident and the problems Waters referred to consisted of a double false start, which was referred to the stewards. When they did get underway Ash Tree Meadow travelled powerfully in front for Gilligan, but he got distracted by a loose horse twice going to the last fence down the back, and ran to his left.

He managed to regather his momentum andm as they came over the double jump, it was clear Authorized Art was the only threat. That challenge faded once Gilligan got his horse to the near side rail and he was in control at the line, with a further gap back to Elliott’s Hollow Games in third.

“It’s great to win - we’ve been minding him since last year,” Elliott said. “Danny gave him a great ride. My own horse nearly caught him out going around (the loose Andy Dufresne) but today was his day. Eamonn and Robbie of Alymer Stud have been great supporters of me.

“The plan was to jump out smart and I said if he gets to the front, sit against him. Danny gave him a beautiful ride.”

Gilligan is officially down to a 5lb claim but had been declared with a 7lb claim before he won on Neveradullmoment here on Monday.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. A big thanks to Gordon and my agent Garry Cribbin.

“Twice at the roadway before the ditch he had a good look at it but he got in tight and that allowed me to fill him up coming down into the dip. To be fair to the horse he batted the whole way to the line. I took him to the stands’ side and he was gutsy.”

THE closing Tote Always SP Or Better Handicap Hurdle was a thriller with Oran McGill and Building Bridges getting up to force a dead heat with Thornleigh Frank and Mark McDonagh.

Both horses raced prominently in the two-mile-six-furlong contest and it looked to be going the way of the Mark Fahey-trained Thornleigh Frank, but a slow jump at the last opened the door for Building Bridges, and Oran McGill excelled on him to summon a final effort.

There was a unique situation in the winners’ enclosure with both owners from Co Down - the Taphouse Syndicate (Building Bridges) and Tom McPolin (Thornleigh Frank) sharing the joy of a Galway winner.

Mark Fahey said: “We thought we were beaten and, looking at the photo finish, he had his head to the floor; he dipped his head at the right time.

“He’s a magical horse to have, a Galway Festival winner, and for two small teams like ourselves to come down here and have a winner like that is brilliant. We’ll enjoy it together.”

Peter Fahey had been hitting the crossbar for the first two and a half days of the week but the Kildare trainer is always good for a winner at Galway and he hit the back of the net when A Law Of Her Own battled hard to get the better of favourite Aurora Princess Bet €10 Get €30 Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle.

The G B Partnership-owned mare was providing Sam Ewing with a first winner since his return from injury and the 17-year-old gave her a fine ride, extricating her from a gap at a crucial point on the turn before keeping her balanced as the runner-up leaned into her. A stewards’ enquiry was called but it was no fault of the winner.

“She is a lovely mare to have,” Fahey said. “Hopefully she can pick up a bit of blacktype along the way. She’ll go back on the flat as well. She won a point-to-point as well, so she could go any way.

“It’s great to get a Galway winner. This at least gives me a reason to celebrate and have the craic!”

High Class Hero (4/5 favourite) gave Willie Mullins a fifth winner of the week when he ground out victory under Paul Townend in the Win €1,000 Tote Fantasy Bonus Maiden Hurdle.

However there is a fair chance this will be the last time we see the six-year-old gelding race at Galway as he continually hung and jumped to his left. For the most part he didn’t help his cause but ironically he probably did benefit from his final move to the left at the last, as it just stopped the momentum of his main challenger Tag Man, allowing him to hold a short advantage to the line.

Owned by Sullivan Bloodstock, Neil Hughes and Pat Crowley, he had previously won his bumper comfortably at Listowel and may well head back to Kerry for the signature festival at that track next month.

PERHAPS only at Galway could an Irish Derby fifth and 106-rated colt get beaten by a Kilbeggan bumper winner but that was the case in the Tote.ie Never Beaten By SP Qualified Riders Maiden when Minella Mate and John Gleeson held off Up And Under and Tom Hamilton.

Trained by renowned Tipperary trader John Nallen, the son of Shantou had been beaten in a maiden hurdle on his previous start but he always travelled well for Gleeson up in the van, in sharp contrast to the odds-on favourite, who ran off the bend after the stands and generally looked awkward, running on late when the race was all over.

With Nallen not present, the winning rider was left to reflect on another bit of icing on the cake of a brilliant year. “I rang John (Nallen) about 11am this morning when I saw he was second reserve and I just said to him, in case he gets in, I’d love to ride him. I won a bumper on him in Kilbeggan so I’m delighted. It’s great to get a winner at Galway.”

Ammo

There has been plenty of celebrating in Limerick over the last week or so but there will be just a little more in the village of Cranagh, where the Rock Bar Syndicate resides as their Last Ammo provided another big price winner on the day in the Follow @thetotecom Today Handicap.

Trained in Co Limerick by Richard O’Brien and ridden by Jack Kearney, the €10,000 Godolphin cast-off settled nicely off what looked like a searching gallop in the two-mile contest. Kearney got a perfect run through and the restraint he showed earlier in the race probably made the difference in the end as he collared the more prominent-racing Mon Couer, who travelled powerfully into the lead.

O’Brien, after receiving a hearty congratulations from the 16-strong syndicate, said: “I got it completely wrong with this fella, I thought he wanted very, very fast ground. But we felt he should go to Galway, this is what syndicate horses are all about.”

Lan Cinnte had the form in the book to take the opening Download The Tote App Handicap and she duly obliged for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley, but it got very tight 50 yards from the line.

Owned by Joan Brosnan, the daughter of Saxon Warrior raced prominently for Foley and produced what looked like a race-winning turn of foot to get on top of Sea Gardens on the turn for home, but Malbay Madness summoned a very strong late effort under Sean Bowen, and the verdict for the one-mile contest required a photo finish.

Harrington indicated the filly could now aim for blacktype in the rescheduled Hurry Harriet Stakes at the Curragh next weekend.