Winners all round for Tipp at Galway

Tipperary Racing Scene

Trean justified strong support in the 7-furling maiden for juvenile colts and geldings at Galway day of the seven-day festival on Monday with a very convincing success.

Trainer Paddy Twomey’s son of Bayside Boy had made a bright debut in June when finishing third at Fairyhouse although he could not back it up next time at the Curragh on Derby weekend.

Everything went to plan for his third start, however. Jockey Billy Lee bounced Trean, owned by the Red Lily Racing Syndicate, straight to the front and that was pretty much it as they came home some five lengths to the good.

This is a race that can throw up a very decent type. The best 10f three-year-old seen in Europe this year, Constitution River, prevailed here a year ago and, while that sets the bar very high, Twomey is hopeful he has a horse that will measure up in higher grades.

“I told Billy that we think he is a good horse so jump out there and see what he is made of. He did it well. He has natural acceleration that you don’t see very often. I think he is a horse that can step into stakes class no problem,” the trainer said.

“From Royal Ascot to the Irish Derby meeting our horses were out of sorts. I decided to take stock and I am happy with them now again,” Twomey added.

The victory might have been a little bloodless, but there was absolutely no doubting the overwhelming superiority of Scandinavia (6-5 favourite) in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup in Sussex last Tuesday.

Aidan O’Brien’s brilliant stayer posted what was visually the best performance of his career to date as he powered to an eight-length success from Trawlerman with whom he had such a memorable battle in the Ascot Gold Cup in June.

There were mitigating circumstances for the runner-up, admittedly. With over two furlongs to race, Trawlerman was leading when hampered against the running rail by the loose Amiloc who had lost his rider exiting the gates. By the time Trawlerman could regather himself Scandinavia was already in full cry under Ryan Moore and the race was settled.

It would surely have been a stretch to say the placings would have been reversed had the unfortunate interference not occurred.

Having the loose horse to chase helped Scandinavia, a horse so notable for his will to win.

It was a sixth Goodwood Cup for Ballydoyle – two with Yeats, two with Kyprios and now a pair with Scandinavia.

“He is such a big cruiser, he travels through a race so easily. He is a unique sort of horse. The Irish St Leger looks made for him as a next target,” O’Brien said.

This latest stamina powerhouse from Ballydoyle is only four. He is unbeaten in his last seven starts, four of those at the highest level. Who knows what sort of sequence and career lies ahead. He is certainly one of the jewels in racing’s crown at present.

Frankie John (15-8), trained in Cloughjordan by Denis Hogan, made a successful debut over fences in the beginners’ chase at Galway on Tuesday and could be one to watch over the season ahead.

The grey gelding was a smart novice hurdler last season, winning at Leopardstown over Christmas and running with credit in Grade 1 races subsequently, a fourth-placed effort at Aintree especially worthy of praise.

His first chasing foray went smoothly. Daniel King settled him close to pace and assumed the lead over the final fence. From there it was a case of just staying on for a three-length break at the line.

King said later: “He was having a good look at his fences at first, but he warmed into it really well. I landed after the last full of horse and when I asked him he picked up nicely.

“We always felt he might be a better chaser than hurdler so we are delighted he got his head in front. Denis schools him at home and we are delighted to win at a big festival like this.

The celebrated Aga Khan colours filled the first two places in the seven-furlong maiden at Galway on Tuesday with Sindagan prevailing for Curragh trainer Johnny Murtagh.

Ben Coen partnered the three-year-old to his first success, racing prominently and keeping on well in the straight to go in by a length. Carrying the owners’ ‘second’ colours, Almeiyda, trained by Dermot Weld, got closest to the winner.

A winner over hurdles four weeks earlier, Minella Rockett displayed no little amount of class and courage to drop back markedly in distance on the Flat and win a nice handicap at Galway last Wednesday.

John Nallen’s three-year-old shrugged off a wide passage to eke out a neck margin from the progressive Johnny Soda, trained by Ado McGuiness.

Joey Sheridan partnered the 10-1 winner who is likely to mix it between the Flat and hurdles for the time being and, reportedly, is for sale.

Well-backed into 7-2 joint favourite, Cock And Bull got trainer Emmet Mullins and apprentice Sam Coen into the coveted Galway winners’ enclosure in Wednesday’s closing event.

Just a neck separated him from the English challenger Wahraan (28-1) at the end of the extended two-mile handicap.

It was Cock And Bull’s first winner for Mullins since joining his team from Britain late last year.

Mullins teamed up with another Coen, this time leading rider Ben, when Vantage Code won the Hop House 13 handicap over 1m6f on the Friday for owners the Mee family who always covet success at the meeting.

Joseph O’Brien got Thursday at Galway off to the best possible start when Seven Nation Army struck the right note in the nursery which opened the card.

Well-backed into 13-8 favourite, Joey Sheridan’s principal task was to settle his keen-running mount through the early stages. With that achieved, the winner was travelling much the best off the home and from there he cleared out to win by almost five lengths.

On the same card, Denis Hogan’s Meriden, who was coming into the Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes (Fillies' And Mares' Listed) with five successive wins was forced to settle for second place to the impressive Joey Murphy trained Pivotal attack.

Aidan O’Brien added two more winners to his Goodwood haul on Thursday, making it three for the week, two of those at Group 1 level.

Diamond Necklace (4-6 favourite) was a class apart in the Nassau Stakes, winning by nearly three lengths, but it could have been any margin really. Ryan Moore was content to do just the bare minimum on the filly who is now unbeaten in six starts, the last four of those at the highest level.

The Ballydoyle team also struck with juvenile Man’s Best Friend (11-2) in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes. Straight out of maiden company after winning at Naas a week prior, he had to overcome traffic problems from halfway but proved a length too good once finding racing room inside the final furlong.

After a few near-misses, trainer Andy Slattery had to wait until the final two days of the Galway Festival before the winners arrived.

The first to oblige was Faoladh on Saturday in the seven-furlong handicap. Stable apprentice Adam Browne-Souza managed to get his mount home in front by a neck at odds of 18-1. The horse was coming back in distance having disappointed at Tuesday’s meeting.

Faoladh’s syndicate ownership includes Tipperary All-Ireland winning hurler Donie O’Connell and Pat Leahy. They also owned Sunset Nova who won 10 races with the same stable.

Slattery also won the final race of the entire week when Caislean Gear (13-2) handed out a six-length beating to Willie Mullins’ long odds-on favourite Linford in the concluding bumper on Sunday. Jockey Adam Ryan had the honour of bringing down the curtain on the meeting.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Sligo – Wednesday, August 5 (first race 5.30pm)

Sligo – Thursday, August 6 (first race 4.40pm)

Leopardstown – Thursday, August 6 (first race 4.50pm)

Gowran Park – Friday, August 7 (first race 5.05pm)

Wexford – Friday, August 7 (first race 5.16pm)

Wexford – Saturday, August 8 (first race 2.15pm)

Kilbeggan – Saturday, August 8 (first race 5.18pm)

Curragh – Sunday, August 9 (first race 1.15pm)

Downpatrick – Sunday, August 9 (first race 1.58pm)

Ballinrobe – Monday, August 10 (first race 5.26pm)