Mullins strikes again in Plate
Veteran trainer Paddy Mullins enjoyed his first Classic success earlier this month and landed another big prize, this time over jumps, as Nearly A Moose took the Hewlett-Packard Galway Plate today.
Given a confident ride by 22-year-old Robert Power, the 25-1 chance took over in front from the heavily-backed favourite Back On Top on the punishing climb from the final fence.
He eventually had four lengths and half a length to spare over the fast finishing-pair Kadoun (10-1) and Glynn Dingle (16-1).
Mullins, 84, was winning the Plate for the third time and Helen, wife of his son and assistant Tom, owns a quarter share in the horse, who runs in the colours of Dublin businessman Mick McGinley, father of top Irish golfer Paul.
“Tom saw the horse winning over hurdles at Leopardstown and liked him. Nearly A Moose jumped better than ever for Robert,” said Mullins, as connections celebrated lifting the winner’s prize of Euro 91,675.
“Nearly A Moose was jumping and really travelling on that ground. He missed just one fence in the back straight but soon recovered and I was confident two out he would win it,” said jockey Power, who still claims a 3lb allowance.
The winning rider was collecting his second major handicap win of the year, having also scored in the Midlands National at Uttoxeter last March on Intelligent for the Jessica Harrington stable.
Kadoun, bought on the eve of the race by JP McManus, came with a tremendous late surge to snatch second in the hands of amateur rider Denis Cullen, assistant to the gelding’s trainer Michael O’Brien.
“Kadoun was unable to lie-up as he lacked experience. It was his first handicap, but he came up the hill like a train,” said Cullen.
However, O’Brien enjoyed some compensation when High Priestess (9-4) justified favouritism in the HP SuperComputing Maiden in the hands of Pat Smullen.
Odds-on favourite Direct Bearing was the all-the-way winner of the opening HP Services Classic Hurdle and turns out again tomorrow afternoon unpenalised for the featured Guinness Handicap Hurdle.
Jim Culloty is booked for tomorrow’s contest as today’s winning rider Paul Carberry is required for Noel Meade’s Dashing Home.
The betting in Galway has been hectic for the first three days of the Festival, with almost €3.5m in circulation on Tuesday evening, while today’s Plate generated a new national record with the Tote on a single race.
The Tote handled €344,379 on the outcome of the main race of the seven-day Festival, while the Jackpot was not won with the pool of €80,638 carried forward to tomorrow’s afternoon session.
