Galway Festival Report: Rory Cleary is just 17 but he managed to pretty much sum up Palace Star's desperately emotional McDonogh Handicap success last night with the simple phrase "unbelievable". Despite the thrilling head defeat of Amourallis there was a terrible synchronicity to the race that left many more than the young apprentice with a lump in the throat.
It's now less than nine months since Cleary's elder brother Seán lost his life in a fall at the Galway track that tore at the very heart of the sport in Ireland.
At the time it was little more than a footnote that the very race in which Seán was fatally injured was won by a filly from Peter Casey's Stamullen yard called Palace Star. That she should last night have shown such courage to provide Rory with the greatest success of his fledgling career had a sort of symmetry that nevertheless only reminded everyone in the huge Ballybrit crowd of just how terribly hard the racing game can be.
The winning jockey was greeted by his tearful father, Tom, but despite the maelstrom of emotions it was still easy to spot the potential young Cleary has to carve out a significant niche for himself within racing.
The Athlone-born rider only left the apprentice school in 2002 and his first success came last August. Fifteen more have arrived since but Palace Star was easily the most valuable.
"I still can't believe it. It's unbelievable," he said quietly. "I'm sure Seán was looking down at me." Dubliner Peter Casey has been at racing's coalface for a lot longer but the McDonogh win was also his greatest triumph and made up for coming so close with Fearn Royal last year.
That filly ran prominently for a long way again but it was her younger stable companion that was expertly switched off the rail to challenge for the lead a furlong out and then held off the late challenge of the other bottom weight, Amourallis.
"The ground was too fast for Fearn Royal but that makes no difference to Palace Star. I was hopeful beforehand because of the drying ground, the weight and the young lad. He's a lovely fella who has won three or four races for us this season. I think the world of him," said the shrewd Casey, who trains the winner for property developer Séamus Murphy.
"I sold a half share to him," grinned Casey. "But then I was stuck for a few bob and I sold the rest of her."
The McDonogh also featured a colossal gamble on the topweight, Livadiya, who was backed down from 10 to 1 to 7 to 2 clear favourite. Michael Kinane had her in position to strike two furlongs out but the effort quickly petered out and she faded to finish second last.
There was a far less bitter twist to the earlier conditions chase, where the joint favourite Ross Moff failed by three lengths to overhaul the Mick Fitzgerald-ridden Talking Cents.
It was a first Ballybrit victory for Fitzgerald, who first rode at the track in 1987, but the coincidence was that the winner is owned by the son of the runner- up's owner.
Séamus Ross jnr, son of the property developer of the same name, saw his horse come out on top for the Co Cavan trainer Shane Donohoe.
Another bottomweight to come out on top was Caviar Royale, who pounced late in the seven-furlong handicap to deny another Michael Kinane-ridden gamble, Sahara Prince. Caviar Royale was ridden by Helen Keohane and McAteer added: "What a ride. She did everything exactly right." The Posh Paddy was ridden in bumpers by his owner, the Carrickmines-based investment manager Barry Connell, but it was Ruby Walsh who guided the horse to success in just his second start over hurdles.
The newcomer Right Key conceded experience but not the fillies maiden to the odds-on Faint Heart and continued Kevin Prendergast's good festival run.
A record Tuesday crowd of 23,280 bet a second day Tote record of 1,098,862 which was up on last year's total of 1,018,587. The corresponding 2003 crowd figure was 21,103. Bookmaker turnover was also a second day record with a total of 2,488,571 compared to last year's 2,429,397. The biggest betting race was Caradak's win in the seven furlong maiden which generated €508,966.
