Next stop Ballybrit for Royal Hollow

Royal Hollow booked her ticket for the Galway Festival and supplied the in-form Andy Slattery with another winner when justifying good support in the concluding Tote (Q.R.) Maiden at Killarney this evening.

The dual-purpose mare had gained both previous wins over hurdles and was strong in the market having been available at 9/2 earlier in the day before sent off the 7/4 joint favourite.

Adam Ryan ’s mount headed the other uneasy joint favourite Mont St Michel about two furlongs out and was pushed out inside the final furlong to beat that rival by two and a half lengths. Arch Empire kept on at one pace to finish a further three and a quarter lengths back in third.

Slattery said, "This was the plan to come here but I wasn't expecting to meet a horse (Mont St Michel) rated 97 in a maiden, although I don't see how the handicapper can do too much with her.

"At Galway, she is in the amateur handicap and the Hurdle, which she mightn't get into being rated 131, but there is also a mares' hurdle for her. We'd prefer to go for the amateur handicap, as Adam (Ryan) thought she'd win it after her run at Leopardstown.

"They went no gallop in that Leopardstown race when she was probably unlucky against A Dream To Share. She got blocked twice in the straight, but galloped out well to the line then.

"She'll definitely go to Galway now."

The Killenaule trainer was saddling his eighth winner in the past fortnight.

Quotes by Tom Weekes