Results Galway Tue, 1st Aug, 2023

Fly too strong for rivals in opening listed hurdle

Mullins doubles up as Sharjah shines over fences

He was very smooth and jumped like he did at home. Every time I schooled him he always looked very capable and confident over fences and showed that today. If he wasn't good we wouldn't have gone chasing with him but he was so natural at home and did today what he has done at home,. In today's race he was meeting a lot less competition compared to what he had been meeting over hurdles for the past four or five years - none of those horses had ever run in a Grade 1 hurdle and he enjoyed it. I imagine he'll stay to winners' races now and he would get nice ground for the Drinmore.

Lily lunges late to make winning debut

Alan (O'Flynn, owner) asked me to buy a horse at the two-year-old sale but I kept saying 'wait, wait' so we got to Fairyhouse and gave him the choice of two and he picked this one,. Brian O'Connell (previous handler) did a fantastic job and she breezed very nicely, had a good action and temperament and Brian recommended her highly. We have a nice bunch of two-year-olds and I think she is a very nice filly and hopefully can go on to bigger and better things. She has no entries but will have to get some now and the Ingabelle (Stakes, Champions Weekend) would be a very suitable race. I had her on the list for the (Group 1) Moyglare but thought I was dreaming and took her out. We'll leave her progress away, she is a big fine filly and I think will be a nice three-year-old.

Weld bags another big prize at Ballybrit with D'or

Weld and Hayes double up with Milo

He deserves it, he's had three seconds on his last three runs and the plan worked out perfectly. He is probably better over a mile than seven furlongs and that's why the plan was to push on and get first run early in the straight,. That's what we did, he battled hard and got a good ride. He did what I thought he'd do. I love horses getting into a rhythm coming down the hill because so many get unbalanced. When they get balanced, they get a rhythm which gets them up the hill. That's his level and he's tough and the winning of the race today was tactics although I shouldn't be saying all this!

Bells strikes again in style

I was hoping she'd do that and hopefully she'll get into the Ahonoora on Sunday. She was number three to get in but might get a run now and the more rain that falls the better,. She was second in Naas a couple of weeks ago but was only back in training two weeks as Eithne (Thompson, owner) took her home for a break. She has improved and the bit of time off has done her good. I thought it was all over a furlong out bar something happened and this is great. She is a half-sister to an Athasi Stakes winner (With Thanks) and eventually we'll go across the water if we have to find a black-type race for her. Andrew (Slattery, son) was suspended today so we gave the chance to Cian so hopefully he'll get more rides from that as he is well capable.

Fiction flies home to land finale

His owner Triona is from Portarlington, works in her parent's Burbages Pub and there are a big gang of friends here since early in the bar. We were hoping for the best, we were a bit worried whether he'd handle the track but obviously handled it well and came home well, as he usually does. Colin was brilliant and is champion jockey for a reason - he has had five rides for me and three have won. We needed that 123 extra yards beyond the mile-distance and as he excels over 1m1f. We were half confident he'd handle the ground and the draw worked out perfectly - he was able to keep in a straight line and the race fell apart around him as normal. It was a brilliant ride.