Art takes Weld’s tally to 17
Unlucky in a conditions event on Tuesday and fourth to Banna Man when favourite for this event last year, Truckers Delight scored convincingly from Norther Bay, prompting his relieved trainer to declare: “Thank God for that, after the week we’ve had. We’ve been a bit unlucky a few times. But this fellow pulled it out of the fire for us.”
Truckers Delight was ridden with a mixture of patience and confidence by Conor O’Farrell, currently making a name for himself with David Pipe in England.
Settled near the back of the field, he began to close three fences from home.
Sent in pursuit of leader Norther Bay early on the run-in, it was clear that O’Farrell’s mount was travelling strongly and, when asked to tackle the leader turning for home, he soon asserted and forged clear for an emphatic success, prompting Hanlon to add, “He’s a real festival horse. Galway has been the plan all year and I haven’t looked beyond it. But it’s great to end the week on a high.”
Dermot Weld, leading trainer at the meeting for the twenty-seventh time, is unlikely to even threaten his 2011 Festival tally in the future.
In Munich for Famous Name’s failed attempt at bagging a Group 1, Weld missed seeing Comedic Art provide Rosewell House with an incredible seventeenth win of the Festival when scoring in the mile-and-a-half fillies.
Ridden by Tuam-born apprentice Leigh Roche, Comedic Art swept into the lead on the home-turn and stayed on dourly to beat Landenstown Lady by three lengths.
Weld was represented by his son Kris, who commented: “It’s been a great week and it’s great for Leigh, a local lad, to ride a winner here. This filly stays well and appreciated stepping-up to a mile and a half.”
A third winning favourite on the final day of a good week for punters was Blossom Gate, which oozed class in landing the Festival finale, the Fr. Breem Memorial Pro-Am Flat Race in the hands of Andrew Latta.
Settled at the back of the field, the four-year-old Westerner filly had to be shaken-up to close as they ran into the dip. But she scythed through the field before chasing Patrick Mullins’ mount Bless N’ject rounding the final turn.
In front at the furlong-pole, Blossom Gate stormed clear to triumph by six lengths, providing her trainer John Kiely with his third winner of the Festival.
Kiely admitted: “She looks like a decent filly. She learned from her win in Cork, but was still quite green today. She’s only four and should have plenty of improvement in her.
“We’ll probably consider going hurdling now, but we won’t be in a hurry with her.”
The biggest shock of the day came in the opening Galway Bay FM Beginners Chase when former point-to-pointer and 33/1 shot Venture Lazarus, owned by Thomas O’Toole from nearby Oughterard and bred by his father Kevin, proved too strong for Native Palm and favourite Regal D’Estruval.
The six-year-old was a second winner for trainer Diatrmuid Ryan, from Kilmacthomas, County Waterford, who was not present and was ridden by amateur Michael Nolan, who is set to turn professional and ride as a conditional for Philip Hobbs in England.
