GALWAY REPORT: Pual Nolan's 24-hour journey from despair reached a fairytale high in yesterday's Galway Hurdle with Say Again's victory in front of an all-time record crowd.

The Enniscorthy-based trainer had felt the full blast of media attention in the build-up to Wednesday's Plate only for Torduff Bay to spoil the perfect ending with a lack-lustre eighth.

Nolan's famous verbosity briefly disappeared, but it was back in full blast as Say Again tracked Mutakarrim to the last flight.

In a scene that could have come from the movie Braveheart, Nolan kept shouting one word as rider John Cullen stalked the biggest prize of his career.

"I just kept saying 'hold, hold, hold'," Nolan said afterwards, grinning. "We didn't want to be in front too soon and John's given him a beautiful ride. After the lows of yesterday, it's great to come back like that."

Nolan has known sport's ups and downs in the past. As a hurler, he won a junior All-Ireland medal for Wexford in 1992 and played for the senior team also before knee problems ended that career.

"It just makes up great for the Plate. Torduff made four or five mistakes and found the track a little sharp but I couldn't believe it today. Say Again had a double handful the whole way," he said.

Say Again wasn't the only one to travel well in the early stages as John James set a less-than-breakneck pace from Mutakarrim.

The well-backed favourite Anxious Moments was prominent in the chasing pack as was another JP McManus contender, Timber King.

Barry Geraghty kicked on Mutakarrim down the hill and looked to have stolen the race. The pack were suddenly floundering on the tacky going, except for Say Again and a patient Cullen.

The jockey tasted big race success on Bob Treacy in the Thyestes last year and remembered what it smelled like. "I didn't want to get there too soon on him. I've done that before and got beat. I wanted to save as much as I could for the hill but in the end he galloped all the way to the line," he said.

Mutakarrim ran a blinding race to just hold second from the gallant topweight Just Our Job. Anxious Moments faded badly to finish a remote 17th.

Paul Carberry was seventh on Moratorium but the champion jockey had earlier flashed to the top of the rider's festival standings with a stylish double on Ansar and Lantern Leader.

It might have been Ansar's first start over fences, but apart from a slight error at the first ditch, anyone would have been hard pressed to tell.

Last year's big race winner strode up the hill to earn a brief but significant tribute from his rider: "Brilliant!"

Lantern Leader is a little small to be a major factor over fences, but he continued his winning streak over hurdles with a first success over three miles in the handicap. "He's not very big but he has improved out of all bounds," said trainer Michael Hourigan, who was notching his third success - including the Plate.

"When you're going well, anything can happen," he said - and went on to win the bumper with Easy Julia.

The veteran Curragh trainer Con Collins would no doubt agree. In Other Words was guided to victory in the mile handicap by Pat Shanahan and just over an hour later the same jockey did the same for Yellow Bog Common in the fillies handicap.

Apprentice Paul Scallan has had a couple of Group One seconds on Sholokhov this season but he notched up his second winner on the 20 to 1 Sottvus in the mile and a half handicap.

The Plate winning rider Keith Hadnett kept up the momentum up with another inspired effort to get Native Sparkle up the inner of Kilcrea Shyan in the novice hurdle.

"Keith's a class pilot. It was a smashing ride. That was his fourth winner for me this season - and I've only had five!" said trainer Tom Hogan.

Record Galway Crowd

An all-time record crowd of 38,882 crammed into Galway yesterday, including a number of very shrewd jackpot punters.

A pool of €233,439 was whittled down to two winning tickets courtesy of Sottvus' 20 to 1 victory in the last leg. Each ticket was worth a massive €87,539.

There was also an all-time Tote record. The €1,549,191 total marginally edged out last year's €1,543,334.

However the bookmaker figure was down. A total of €2,675,510 paled next to last year's €3,077,885. A total of €491,914 was bet on the Galway Hurdle.