Distinct sense of déjà vu as Aubrey storms home on Uradel
Aubrey McMahon hit the headlines in 2017 when winning the Connacht Hotel Handicap, the feature on the opening day of the Galway festival, on his father’s Whiskey Sour, and there was a distinct sense of déjà vu yesterday evening as the young rider carried his father Luke’s colours to victory for the second consecutive year, this time aboard Uradel.
And while the outsider of Willie Mullins’ three runners in the race, there was no hint of this being an upset as the 12-1 chance came from way off the pace to collar stable-companion and favourite Limini inside the final furlong, the pair a long way clear of the remainder.
Said the proud winning owner: “I think when Aubrey won last year it was the best day’s racing I ever had, including Cheltenham winners, because if his career never progressed he still won a GPT - you have all those photographs at home.
But today I think, for Aubrey, maybe it’s just a statement to say I can ride a bit, given the chances. I’m not saying he’s going to be the next A P McCoy but he could carve out a good living as an amateur and enjoy his life.
“He is working hard. He’s a great young fella, and I’m not saying because he’s my kid. He’s up every morning and gone out of the house by ten past six and we don’t see him back until four in the evening. And he goes and trains in the gym, so fair play to him.
“And, in fairness to him, for the last few weeks he’s been saying this horse would run well. We were worrying would he get in. We needed six to come out, and nine came out, so thank God they did.”
And McMahon had a word for the winning trainer, who was leading trainer at this meeting for the last two seasons, with 12 last year and nine in 2016, and for whom Uradel was completing a double on the card.
What can we say about the man? He was first and second there. If there’s a man that can get inside the brain of a racehorse it’s him.
Mullins’ first winner, Easy Game, was hardly an appropriately named winner of the galmont.com & galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle which opened the card given his rider, Ruby Walsh, was having his first competitive ride back since breaking his leg in a fall at the Cheltenham Festival – an incident which came on the back of another break of the same leg.
As Walsh mentioned post-race, he has had one week’s work in nine months. But this was a great reintroduction, a smooth success, and one from which the winning horse can be expected to build upon.
Walsh had his mount on the front end from the outset and he found plenty to fend off the challenge of Count Simon.
“It’s great to be back, pressure off,” said a relieved Walsh. “He jumped like a buck, he travelled really well. I suppose when you haven’t ridden in a while you’re doubting yourself a bit in front, as to how fast you’re going, whether you’re going too quick.
“But the leg has felt great for a long time, there was no worries about that, it’s everything else you have to worry about. It’s been a long enough road but I have great people around me – I always have – and they’ve made a hard nine months easy.”
Denis Hogan was well represented in the second race, the Easyfix Handicap Hurdle, but chose the wrong one to ride as his mount, Golden Poet, finished third behind stablemate Storm Rising, ridden by Barry Geraghty.
It goes to show you what trainers know,” joked Hogan. “I ended up in front at the back of the second-last – they came back after a good gallop – and Barry got a good tow all the way up, and obviously gave it a good ride.
Ger Lyons notched another winner in the Juddmonte Farms colours of Khalid Abdullah when Zander stepped forward from Friday’s defeat at Down Royal with a powerful finish which robbed Wargrave of victory in the claregalwayhotel.ie Irish EBF Maiden.
Another trainer having a great season is Michael Mulvany, and his Premier League, ridden by Gary Carroll, sprinted clear to land a nice gamble in the claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap.
The Johnny Murtagh-trained and Shane Foley-ridden Baba Boom has taken some significant leaps forward recently and he completed a hat-trick with a strong performance in the Eventus Handicap.
The evening’s action closed with Zero Ten making a successful first start since joining Emmet Mullins, in the Monami Construction Bumper. The horse’s only previous racecourse outing was in the same race in 2017, but he has clearly progressed since then and look a nice prospect.
