Ol Man Dingle books Galway Plate ticket with Kilbeggan trial win
Ol Man Dingle & Shane O'Callaghan win the Galway Plate Trial Handicap Steeplechase at Kilbeggan. Pic: HEALY RACING
Third in the recent McHale Mayo National in Ballinrobe, the Eoin Griffin-trained Ol Man Dingle defied top-weight in the €25,000 Mongey Communications Galway Plate Trial in Kilbeggan.
The seven-year-old chased last year’s winner Gaelic Arc throughout, edged ahead early on the run in and stayed on for Shane O’Callaghan to prevail by a neck, with Warriors Wood a creditable third.
‘He’s been a great horse for us,” stated winning trainer Griffin. “The Plate has always been the target, in the back of my mind, so it’ll be on to there now.
“I’ve been going to Galway since I was a boy and the Plate is a race I’ve always wanted to win. He has won around Galway before, so we’ll try to keep him in one piece until then. It would have been better to go straight to Galway, but today’s win should make sure he gets into the race.”
The Start Your Racing TV Free Trial Mares Hurdle produced the most impressive winner of the evening as Mark Fahey’s hurdling debutant Carmel’s Phoenix, a sixth winner for 7lb claimer Tom O’Connor, came home a 25-length winner over Poetic Twist, with disappointing odds-on favourite Venusienne dropping away tamely to finish a well-beaten third.
Delighted trainer Fahey commented, “That was good. She was getting all the allowances, as a four-year-old, but I wasn’t expecting a performance that. I was blown away by the way she did it. She can gallop, but she’s still green in her jumping. We’ll try to find a suitable ‘novice’ for her. And we have the option of going back to the flat.
"That ground is as quick as she’d want it. We’d love to Galway with her, whether she runs over hurdles or on the flat. I’m delighted for Tom (O’Connor) – she’s a tough rider, but rides her at home a lot and gets on well with her. And I'm delighted for her owners, Pat McCarthy and Tommy O’Connor – they’ve been very patient and were happy to give her plenty of time.”
Runner-up in the Galway Plate Trial at this meeting lats year, Le Coq Hardi (Mike O’Connor) belatedly opened his chasing account when justifying even-money favouritism in the opening T Murray & Son Ltd. Beginners Chase, left in command when the challenging Glen To Glen ran out at the final fence.
The 135-rated winner is trained by Henry de Bromhead, whose representative Robbie Power stated, “He deserved that. He has some solid runs and was beaten by a very smart horse in Limerick the last day. This was a good opportunity for him, although he can jump better. He ran well in the Kerry National last year and will be competitive in those good staying handicaps.”
John Ryan and Alan O’Sullivan were both in double form and shared in the success of 10/1 shot Ad Caelum in the Paul & Carmel Fay Memorial Handicap Hurdle.
Ryan was also on the mark when 100/30 favourite Love Like This (Brian Barry) landed a division of the 0-100 three-mile handicap, breaking her duck at the forty-fifth attempt, while O’Sullivan had scored on Donnacha Duggan’s Island McCoo (5/2 favourite) in the first division of that event, completing his first double.
Duggan and amateur David Doyle also completed their first doubles, when Johnny Rambo, an eye-catcher over hurdles in Clonmel last time, justified 9/4 favouritism in the bumper.
Doyle’s brace had been initiated when the talented but quirky Silly Mongoose took the Old Harbour Bar (Amateur) Maiden Hurdle for Pat Foley.
