Mr Hollywood to return to Flat after winning opening race on Galway Plate day for Willie Mullins
Mr Hollywood and Brian Hayes win the Tote Guaranteed 50K Placepot Maiden Hurdle from Jeroboam Machin. Pic: Healy Racing Photo.
A return to the Flat for a crack at the Ebor Handicap at York is on the agenda for Mr Hollywood after the Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old won the opening race on Galway Plate day, the Tote Guaranteed 50K Placepot Maiden Hurdle.
Third on his Closutton debut over hurdles at Killarney in May, the French recruit outran odds of 16-1 when again third in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot and was sent off the 2-1 favourite to land the spoils here.
He had to work hard to do so but he ultimately got the better of Jeroboam Machin by half a length with Al Arrivee, a stablemate of the winner, back in third.
“I think the winner is improving, his jumping will improve, so he’ll improve over hurdles,” Mullins said.
“Probably a trip to York for the Ebor might be next on the agenda. That jumping will just put him in a nicer frame of mind, I think. Looking at the way he finished there, and in Ascot, I think he deserves a crack at a big prize over in York.”
The second leg of a Closutton treble completed by King Alexander’s Galway Plate win came in the mares' handicap hurdle that preceded the feature race as Venusienne gave Harry Cobden a first win at Galway.
“She won nicely,” Mullins said of the 11-1 shot. “She disappointed me in Kilbeggan but I was happy enough with her form coming into today’s race.
“Harry was very cool on her. It was all about settling her and he settled her nicely. He got a great jump at the second-last and I thought from there it was all over if she just jumped the last and she did.
“I was wondering had they gone fast enough and obviously they did the way she closed out the race. She’s a mare that’s going to improve and she’ll jump fences down the road as well.”
For the second year in a row, Declan Queally provided the answer to the Tote.ie Money-Back 2nd Every Race Handicap Hurdle puzzle as 15-2 shot Mighty Berkshire emulated the exploits of 2025 victor Bal Kauto.
The six-year-old came here on the back of an encouraging run when fourth at Kilbeggan at the end of May and the application of first-time cheekpieces helped to work the oracle here.
"That was brilliant. We got his wind done and when he came back he was working better but I didn’t rush him. He ran over a short trip in Kilbeggan and when I saw a mark of 104 I said to the boys [owners the Man About Dog Syndicate] that we’ll go to Galway.
“I’m owed an apology off his owners. I went to Benidorm with a few of them and they were calling him a few names, Mighty Burgers, Mighty Useless, I was sick of them in the end!”
The Tote Every Day Is A Money-Back Day Handicap provided another double digit-priced winner as the John Nallen-trained 10-1 shot Minella Rockett got the better of 11-2 shot Johnny Soda by a neck.
Successful on his hurdling debut at Limerick earlier this month, the three-year-old New Bay gelding was making a belated breakthrough on the Flat, scoring at the seventh attempt.
“We were a bit worried about the ground but this has been the plan since Navan [when fourth in May]. We ran him over hurdles in the meantime and he’ll be a Triumph Hurdle horse for someone hopefully,” Nallen said.
Dermot Weld paid tribute to Finny Maguire after the jockey partnered 7-4 favourite Abbotsford to an emphatic maiden success on the fifth race of the card.
Weld said: “It was a big field, 20 runners, bad draw but an excellent ride by a great amateur. He gave him a lovely ride. He gradually brought him into the race beautifully and it was plain sailing from there.” Emmet Mullins got off the mark for the week in the finale as 7-2 joint-favourite Cock And Bull dug deep to get the better of Wahraan by a neck.
