Racing:Jane Mangan made history at Galway as she partnered Midnight Music to victory for Ballybrit king Dermot Weld in the feature Carlton Hotel Galway City Handicap on the opening day of the festival.
Mangan was becoming the first lady rider to win the €70,000 event, which is restricted to amateurs, as Weld registered an opening-day hat-trick. The only surprising aspect was that the four-year-old was sent off at 11 to 1.
A daughter of Dubawi, the four-year-old looked to have plenty to do but passed several horses in the short straight to win going away by two and three-quarter lengths from Cry For The Moon.
Weld said: “It was a lovely ride, normally Robbie (McNamara) would have ridden her but she is a small filly. Jane is a very talented rider claiming 7lb and I thought it would have been the right move.
“We had a worry whether the filly would stay two miles, I said take your time, you can’t wait long enough on this filly. She took her time, got her balanced and produced her in the last 100 yards.
“Now that we see she can win over this distance it opens lots of options and we may even get her stakes placed over this trip later in the season.”
Mangan said: “It was pretty simple because the mare travelled very easily. The only thing I was worried about was the trip but she was finishing off the best of them to be honest.
“It was just a terrific race. When you’re coming to Galway riding a Dermot Weld horse you always have to be pretty confident.
“I knew she’d won three times before over a mile and half so I was pretty confident.
“I’m currently riding out at Ballydoyle so I hope they’re watching, we’ll be having a bit of banter in the barn in the morning!”
Weld, seeking his 26th top trainers’ title at Galway, wasted little time in getting off the mark as 9 to 4 chance Train Of Thought landed the Radissonhotelgalway.com & Galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle under Ruby Walsh.
Weld said: “He jumps well and he got a typical Ruby Walsh ride
that is why he’s a champion jockey by giving rides like that on a horse he’d never seen before.
“He’ll come back here for a handicap on Sunday on the Flat providing the ground stays decent.”
Thunder Mountain gave Weld an amazing 22nd win in the claregalwayhotel.ie (C&G) European Breeders Fund Maiden.
Having finished only 11th of 12 on his debut he looked to have it all to do against the odds-on Aidan O’Brien-trained Line Drummer.
However, that one failed to handle the track and Thunder Mountain (3 to 1), who had been gelded since his debut, sprinted clear turning in under Pat Smullen.
Weld said: “The favourite ran off the bend and he was in the right place at the right time. When you lose ground on the bend here you don’t win.
“His half-brother Riviera Poet won this last year.”
Kalellshan was another to make front-running tactics pay in the HotelMeyrick.ie & theghotel.ie Handicap Hurdle.
Denis Hogan’s top-weight had not been seen over hurdles for 731 days but a recent run on the level had sharpened him up.
Mark Enright adopted the positive tactics that had served Walsh so well in the first race and the 7 to 1 chance showed more resolution than the favourite, Maxim Gorky.
Hogan still rides himself but after discussions with the owner it was decided to use Enright’s 7lb claim.
Hogan said: “I was tempted to ride him but we agreed to claim just in case I got beat half a length. He might run in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap on Wednesday.”
Kanes Hill (14 to 1) could be called the winner of the claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap from a fair way out under in-form Ronan Whelan.
Willie McCreery’s three-year-old rounded the bend travelling strongly and stretched clear when asked to account for Sharp And Smart by three and a quarter lengths.
Sure Reef (11 to 2) raced handily and had everything in trouble off the home bend to land the Galway Oyster Hotel Handicap in style for Mick Halford and Shane Foley.
Jim Bolger struck in the concluding pillohotelgalway.com INH Flat Race as the
Patrick Mullins-ridden Cul Baire (5 to 2) stormed clear to beat the Weld-trained favourite Silver Concorde.