Mullins bandwagon just keeps rolling along in Galway
Willie Mullins has well and truly made the Galway festival his own, and when son Patrick guided Sharjah to victory in the Guinness Galway Hurdle it was a third win in the race, the third leg of a near 292-1 treble on the day, and an eighth success of what has already been a wonderful week for the Closutton trainer.
Mullins was the leading trainer at the meeting in 2016 and 2017 and will likely post a personal record, greater than the 12 he recorded last year, when the festival wraps up on Sunday evening.
Sharjah was one of six runners in the feature race for Mullins but not the most obvious candidate, having to carry top weight in Ireland’s most valuable hurdle whilst making his handicap debut. But those are just the minutiae to the perennial champion trainer, whose early season exploits bode well for yet another successful defence of his crown.
Sharjah arrived with just eight previous outings over hurdles on his card, though one was that fall at the last when looking to have a Grade 1 Novice Hurdle within his grasp. The incident may have taken a toll because his hitherto progressive career over hurdles stalled.
But there is seemingly no end to Mullins’ talent as a trainer and he brought the five-year-old to Galway at the top of game, and his runner was assisted by a rider on similarly good terms with himself.
Sometimes it’s by design, sometimes by luck, but however the opportunity comes about to be on the right horse, we’ve long since learned that Patrick Mullins is up to the task. No long ago he became the most successful amateur rider of all time, and victory in Ireland’s richest hurdle race now adorns that lengthy CV.
This time, there was no choice for Mullins. If he wanted to ride in the race, his weight dictated this was his only option, as his father explained: “I said ‘do you want to ride in the Galway Hurdle?’ and he said ‘Sharjah is the only one I can ride, at the weights’ so I said ‘that’s done, bang’ and I just put him on and divided out the rest.”
Patrick had Sharjah prominent from the outset and let the race unfold in front of him. His mount and stable-companion Blazer travelled best into the dip and a good battle ensued. Mullins bided his time before applying maximum pressure and the winner, a 12-1 chance, asserted from the last hurdle to win by three lengths from Blazer, with British raiders Leoncavello and Bedrock in third and fourth place respectively.
Said the winning trainer: “It was extraordinary, I couldn’t believe it. He got a brilliant start and I thought that’s going to be tough for a top-weight to make all, but the weights were compressed as the Galway Hurdle is so valuable nowadays.
“Patrick was fantastic. I thought he was gone halfway up the back, and I thought Blazer had it going to the last, but Mark (Walsh) said he just landed on all fours and Patrick just got a run and flew – he wasn’t waiting around.
That was a little bit of compensation for missing the Grade 1 when he fell at the last when in front at Leopardstown. But I don’t know if it’s compensation for Patrick not winning the amateur race here, but I think he’ll have to put up with it for the time being.
Fittingly, on one of the big days of the year on the racing calendar and to follow up a five-star performance from our leading amateur, we were treated to some real gems from a couple of the best national hunt riders the country has ever produced.
First up was Ruby Walsh aboard Minella Beau in the Guinness Beginners’ Chase. The 6-4 favourite was expected to pop out in front and try to make all but he was unable to go the early gallop and Walsh had to be patient. He slowly brought his mount into contention and produced him with a perfectly timed challenge to collar Caltex on the run-in.
He was a fourth winner of the week for winning owners Pearse and Annette Mee, who would later double up with the Shark Hanlon-trained Camlann.
The middle leg of Mullins’ treble came when Calie Du Mesnil led home a Mullins 1-2-3 in the Guinness Novice Hurdle.
Davy Russell also produced a masterclass on the Colin Kidd-trained Rashaan, in the Grade 3 Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase. The well-backed 6-1 chance hadn’t been entirely convincing with his jumping in his two previous outings over the larger obstacles, but Russell gave him time to measure his fences, kept him wide for much of the trip and gradually brought him into contention. Russell put him into a late battle which his mount relishes, and he duly dug deep to beat Ornua by half a length.
The Tom Hogan-trained and Billy Lee-ridden Honor Oak, runner-up here on Tuesday, went one place better with a runaway victory in the Rockshore Handicap. The grey mare was clear from a long way out, and unchallenged up the straight as she recorded a second course and distance success.
The listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies’ Stakes was the feature of the flat card and Yulong Gold Fairy gave trainer Dermot Weld his first winner of the meeting when winning narrowly under Shane Foley, who is retained by winning owner Zhang Yuesheng.
Trainer Martin Brassil recorded his second winner of the week when You Raised Me Up took the bumper in the hands of Jamie Codd.
Persistent rain resulted in an attendance of 26,429, which was significantly lower than the figure of 30,294 for the same day last year. Tote turnover was slightly down on last year but was more than the bookmakers turned over on day. The Tote figure was €1,060,501, down from €1,138,076, while bookmaker activity amounted to €1,043,055, compared with €1,481,528 in 2017.
It was a great day for the owner(s) of the one winning ticket in the Pick 6, which had a dividend of €119,820.90.
