Full steam ahead for Weld in Galway

Dermot Weld wasted no time in opening his account at this year's Galway Festival by taking the first race of the meeting, the Radissonhotelgalway.com & Galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle, with Train Of Thought.

Ridden by Ruby Walsh, the four-year-old was a four-race maiden on the level but was soon in command on his hurdling debut.

Allowed an easy lead, Walsh kicked clear before the final bend and was never under any pressure as the 9-4 chance came home four and a half lengths clear of Faustino Pius.

Weld said: "He jumps well and he got a typical Ruby Walsh ride - that is why he's a champion jockey by giving rides like that on a horse he'd never seen before.

"He knew my horses usually jump pretty good so we discussed tactics beforehand.

"He'll come back here for a handicap on Sunday on the Flat providing the ground stays decent, it's beautiful at the moment."

Walsh, who starts the week as favourite to be top rider over jumps, said: "It's nice to get on Mr Weld's horses around here.

"For a first-timer he jumped extremely well, travelled really well and when I wanted him to pick up going to the second-last, he really did.

"The ground is good - from a jumping point of view you wouldn't mind a shower or two of rain but for the meeting in general, it should be lovely.

"I ride Blackstairmountain in the Galway Plate - he'll love the ground. Willie (Mullins) has Drive Time and Blazing Tempo in the Galway Hurdle so we'll see what the weather does before we make our mind's up."

Kalellshan was another to make front-running tactics pay off in the HotelMeyrick.ie & theghotel.ie Handicap Hurdle.

Denis Hogan's top-weight had not been seen over hurdles for 731 days but a recent run on the level had sharpened him up.

Mark Enright adopted the positive tactics that had served Walsh so well in the first race and the 7-1 chance showed more resolution than the favourite, Maxim Gorky.

Hogan still rides himself but after discussions with the owner it was decided to use Enright's 7lb claim.

"It's absolutely unbelievable to win here (as a trainer)," said Hogan.

"It was the plan from a long time ago to come here but things don't always go to plan.

"He got injured two years ago and had a year off so we started him off on the Flat.

"He's won at the Festival before and it's a massive plus if a horse can front-run around here.

"I was tempted to ride him but we agreed to claim just in case I got beat half a length.

"He might run in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap on Wednesday."

Hogan went on: "I've ridden a good few winners myself but my heart was going a hundred miles an hour there. It's very different from riding them yourself.

"You get a great kick out of training and riding them but I got some kick out of that.

"Liam O'Kelly (owner) has been very good to us. He sent me a different horse first and when that one won he told me he was sending me Kalellshan and that was brilliant.

"Liam is the reason we got him back - he took the time, he gave him a year and a half off, he minds him like a baby and I'm just delighted for him.

"He's entered in the Galway Hurdle on Thursday but even with a penalty I still don't think he'll make the cut.

"He's takes his racing well, he had three runs on the Flat for us and he improved with every run."

Enright said: "That was my first ride at the festival so it's great to win it. I even had a bit of trouble pulling him up and he's in again during the week so I'd say he might get another outing yet.

"I watched his races on the At The Races website last night and I saw Davy Russell and 'Corky' Carroll win on him here in 2010 and all he did was gallop.

"I knew I'd have to make it a test and when he hit the rising ground, he just took off on me.

"I've got a lot of experience as I'm based with Dessie Hughes and I'm riding and schooling with Bryan Cooper and Roger Loughran.

"Dessie is a great man to learn from - he's very easy to get on with and a great man to work for. He helps you out any way he can."

Thunder Mountain gave Weld his 22nd win in the claregalwayhotel.ie (C&G) European Breeders Fund Maiden.

Having finished only 11th of 12 on his debut he looked to have it all to do against the odds-on Aidan O'Brien-trained Line Drummer.

However, that one failed to handle the track and Thunder Mountain, a 3-1 chance who had been gelded since his debut, sprinted clear turning in under Pat Smullen to give Weld a fifth win in seven years in the race.

"I was dreadfully disappointed with Thunder Mountain at the Curragh because we thought he was a nice horse going there and he did everything wrong," said Smullen.

"He hung across the track and he was subsequently gelded. He has a tendency to lug (hang) right so that was a big plus for us, running him here and being drawn one and having the rail was a huge advantage.

"The gelding operation was a big factor in his improvement and I'm sure the boss has tweaked a few things with him because he was a different horse here today."

Weld said: "We had a beautiful ride by Ruby Walsh in the opener and a lovely tactical ride by Pat Smullen there - on a two-year-old off the home turn.

"You can see the benefit of a run. He leans a bit right, as he did at the Curragh, and to be drawn on the rail was an advantage. That said he did it very well.

"The favourite ran off the bend and he was in the right place at the right time. When you lose ground on he bend here you don't win.

"His half-brother Riviera Poet won this last year."