Yet another record breaking Galway Festival draws to a close today and Storm Gem can wind it up successfully for punters with a win in the featured Dawn Milk Handicap Hurdle.
The Pat Fahy-owned mare won a two-and-a-half mile handicap in impressive style on Wednesday and prompted exuberant celebrations from her owners, the Town and Country Racing Club.
They are 22 prison officers who bought Storm Gem in 1995 for 4,000 guineas and have enjoyed her career ever since although a victory today would cap everything.
It would also be a boost for Fahy who has had just four horses to train this summer but whose win ratio is impressive and this race has been targeted by him ever since jockey Ruby Walsh told him she was an ideal candidate.
That assertion will be tested today but there was a lot to like about the way Storm Gem beat Owen Bart by a length and a half on Wednesday. She travelled extremely well through the race, handled the ground and looks capable of defying a 6lb penalty.
Walsh could be on the double as he and Viking Buoy look suited to each other in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase. The key to David Kiely's horse is to arrive as late as possible on the scene and that has been done successfully recently as Viking Buoy comes here on a winning streak. There was only half-a-length between him and Cristys Picnic at Wexford but while Viking Buoy may not win by much, ridden patiently he does win.
Dermot Weld will be hoping to add to an already successful festival with Thunder Cave in the mile maiden and while this horse should improve on a fifth to Rolo Tomasi at the Curragh, preference is for the Aidan O'Brien-trained newcomer Moon Dragon, a colt by Sadler's Wells out of Moonsilk. O'Brien's horses have shown a welcome return to form at Galway this week.
Tomorrow's card at Cork features two Listed races and it would be no surprise to see the season's leading jockey Johnny Murtagh wrap up the two of them.
The former dual champion has been riding brilliantly all season and in Nicola Bella and Show Me The Money looks to have winning material again.
It took far longer for Nicola Bella to break her duck than many expected.
