Safe Voyage, near side, arrives late to catch Danielsflyer© Photo Healy Racing
British-raider Safe Voyage thundered home in the final furlong to get up in the 100,000 euro Ahonoora Handicap at Galway.
He was fully seventh and pushed along by Sean Davis two furlongs out. In the straight it was more of the same and you couldn't call him a winner racing to the final furlong.
However, he was ridden by Davis and picked up powerfully in the final furlong to eye-catchingly storm home down the centre of the track.
He zoomed past his rivals and then collared fellow raider Danielsflyer (12/1) in the final strides to win by a neck at 7/1. Turbine was best of the Irish challenge in third, half a length away. He was the subject of a major plunge that saw his price halve from 14/1 to 7/1. Master Speaker was a head off him in fourth at 20/1.
Trainer John Quinn's son and assistant, Sean Quinn, said: “He won nicely in Haydock and we just haven’t had any rain in England since then so we have been waiting and waiting. This is the first opportunity that he’s had on a little bit of softer ground.
“He had a lot to do because he went up 11lb after Haydock but he’s clearly still improving and that was nice.
“He got a little niggling problem when he was younger and we have to look after him and he just needs a bit of soft ground as a result.
“That’s a nice prize to land. There are a few nice races in Ascot later in the year and the ultimate aim would be something like the Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day at Ascot. It’s worth a hell of a lot of money and you would have thought that you might get soft ground at that time of the year.
“He’s won a valuable pot at Haydock and an even more valuable one today so he doesn’t owe us anything. He’s an out-an-out seven-furlong horse.”
Sean Davis (19) said: “The race went really well for me. He travelled well and when he got the gap he didn’t half quicken.
"I won a Premier Handicap at the Curragh before that was worth similar money but that’s by far my biggest winner at Galway.”
This was the fifth year in a row that this valuable premier handicap crossed the Irish Sea.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
