Shadow Paddy makes it three wins in three as favourite storms to victory at Galway Novice Chase
Shadow Paddy and Gary Noonan won the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Steeplechase (Grade 3) for Eoin McCarthy. Pic: Healy Racing
Such was the rapturous reception that greeted Shadow Paddy’s return to the winner’s enclosure after the Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase at Ballybrit on Thursday you’d have been forgiven for thinking that it was that Grade Three that was the headline act on Galway Hurdle day.
Trained by Limerick handler Eoin McCarthy for the Complete Package Syndicate, Shadow Paddy was sent off the 5-2 favourite to make it three wins from three starts over fences and dug deep to do so, crossing the line a length and a quarter in front of Lady Bluebird with Soir De Garde a further two lengths back in third.
Bedlam followed with McCarthy elated after the biggest success of his career. “It’s just a dream that you’re chasing the whole time and Ella, my second child, has a tear in her eye leading him in and another daughter Clodagh is the same. It means everything to everyone,” he said.
“I was under pressure today as I thought it was our race to lose and to go to a Galway festival, a Grade Three, with a favourite, for an outfit of our size, is pressure.
“The race didn't go to plan as he was going too well and then drifted wide, but once he knuckled down he settled it quickly.” The enthusiastic winning syndicate is headed by Paddy McAuliffe, a well-known former bookmaker from Kilmallock. Indeed the horse was named by syndicate member TJ Ryan of this parish in honour of McAuliffe.
Asked how the association between him and McCarthy had been formed, McAuliffe said: “I had a half-share in a horse with my brother who is dead now, God be good to him, with Eoin and he won three races in six months.
"I then bought this horse for €10,000 and, by the following morning, I had 11 members involved. I left them all in and I'm absolutely thrilled that I did.” McCarthy added: “These are real racing owners and I can't thank them enough as they follow him everywhere. I was so nervous all morning so I'm buzzing now as this horse doesn't understand the weight on his shoulders. I have big aspirations for him and he’s stepping up with us gradually all the time. This is what we do it for. It’s class.”
Relief was also the dominant emotion for Joe Murphy after Pivotal Attack ended the Royal Ascot-winning trainer’s 283-day wait for a winner by denying 2-1 favourite Meriden a six-timer in the listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.
“It’s a big relief,” the Tipperary handler, now in his 50th year training, admitted after the 3-1 shot landed the spoils by a length and a half in the hands of Gary Carroll. “This is Galway and this is our first winner [of the season]. We were placed in two premier handicaps, placed in two Group 3 races but we had no winner. It’s like going to the market and not getting any money for a calf. Hopefully this turns the corner and we’ll try and make hay from now on.”
Asked how he coped with such a prolonged frustrating period, Murphy replied: “You just deal with it. You don’t change anything, you don’t panic, you just move on quietly. Luckily enough all the owners are understanding and you keep communicating with them and they live in hope with you.
“You celebrate the good days and you forgive, the whole thing about racing is to be able to forgive. They’ll come back, maybe not on the day you want it but they’ll come back. She’s a lovely filly and it’s another winner at Galway for us — Galway is like Cheltenham to us.” The Joseph O’Brien-trained Seven Nation Army ensured the day got off to the best possible start when bolting up at odds of 13-8 under Joey Sheridan in the Guinness Irish EBF Nursery Handicap.
“He got 5lb for finishing second the last day, so we thought we might have left behind today's race then but he won well and probably improved with the bit of juice in the ground."
Joint-owner Kevin Blake added: “We had great luck with Johne [Murphy, syndicate leader and former Ireland rugby player] some years ago and recently bought two more horses. When you give Joseph the right horse and enough time, he doesn't miss too often and this fellow hit the bull's eye.”
Elsewhere on the card, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Midnight Jet justified 6-5 favouritism when getting the better of market rival Roc Dino after a protracted battle in the Guinness Novice Hurdle before the Willie Mullins-trained Run Ted Run, sent off the 5-4 favourite, had to show an even greater level of tenacity to beat Sir Vinny by a short head in the bumper.
However, the Matthew Smith-trained Cala Bonita and the Andrew Oliver-trained Faro Island ensured punters didn’t have things all their own way when winning the Rockshore Refreshingly Irish Handicap and the Guinness 0.0 Handicap at odds of 8-1 and 10-1 respectively.
