Remarkable Meain goes in again
He has been flying up the weights, but refuses to stop winning and this was essentially a procession.
Hogan missed the race, absent having an operation on a broken wrist, but will certainly have enjoyed what he saw from a distance.
Chris Hayes, enjoying his sixth of the week, soon had the five-year-old travelling sweetly in front and was literally pulling him up long before the line in beating Truthwillsetufree by two lengths.
Said Hayes: “I was going a stride faster than I wanted, but the horse was happy. He might be anything, the further we went the better he was and could be one for the Cesarewitch.”
John Joe Walsh’s Jackemil, third here earlier in the week, made no mistake in the John And Terry Moriarty Memorial Handicap.
Given a fine drive by Ben Curtis, she arrived travelling strongly in the straight to wear down the front-running Three Bells and score by half a length.
Said Walsh: “She loved the ground, but wouldn’t go much further than that trip. She’s only been a couple of months in training and has improved with every run.”
David Wachman’s Pageboy was a costly failure in the mile-and-a-half Listowel Printing Works Maiden.
Wayne Lordan pushed him ahead well over two furlongs out, but he found surprisingly little from the furlong pole, proving no match for seasonal debutant Highflying.
The Galileo colt was trained last season by Aidan O’Brien and made just 10,500 guineas at the horses-in-training sale at Newmarket
He is now in the care of Paul Hickey, who said: “I’m delighted, that’s my first winner and I’ve been knocking on the door for a while.” Hickey has ten horses at his Co Kildare base and held a licence for under a year.
Willie McCreery enjoyed his first ever winner at the festival when Shifting ran away with the L M Carey and Company Handicap.
Produced to lead over a furlong out by Danny Grant, the daughter of Oratorio powered through the ground to score by an easy six and a half lengths.
Commented McCreery: “I told Danny to be patient and he did exactly what I wanted.”
Ruby Walsh rode his third winner of the week when driving Willie Mullins’ Shakervilz to victory in the Southampton Goodwill Chase.
Walsh let him roll along in front going out for the final time and though Wellforth tried to close the leader down in the straight was always fighting a losing battle
Said Mullins: “Our horse got lonely in front, but there was plenty in the tank.”
Michael Hourigan saddled his first winner of the week when Run With The Wind justified favouritism in the South West Bins Novice Hurdle.
Always moving nicely within himself for Barry Geraghty, this was over once he was given the office to lead between the final two flights.
“I was worried about the ground and you probably won’t see him again until Cheltenham in November,” reported Hourigan.
The Limerick trainer soon doubled his tally when Geraghty again did the driving aboard Whats Happening in the John J Galvin Maiden Hurdle.
Geraghty pushed his charge into the lead approaching the last and Whats Happening eased away to beat the favourite, Reafadda.
“He wants better ground and might have a little break,” said Hourigan. “I think I have a nice team of horses and it’s something to look forward to.”
The well-backed Jennies Jewel got a dream run up the far rail in the straight to win the Bumper going away by three lengths for Mark Fahey.
The attendance was 27,808, as against 24,605 in 2011. The bookmakers held €892,185, down from €952,840 last year.
