Back-to-back premier handicap wins for Thread Of Gold

The Guinness Handicap was the feature on day five of the Galway festival and the 110,000 euro contest was won by the 3/1 favourite Thread Of Gold

Raised 9lb for winning the Nasrullah Handicap at Leopardstown earlier in the month, the Ghaiyyath gelding raced in mid-division for Billy Lee (double on the day and fifth winner of the week) and was travelling well approaching the home turn.

Switched out for a run early in the straight, he picked up well and led 100 yards out to beat Immutable by a length and three-quarters.

Remarkably, the three-year-old was the first of his age to win this race since the Johnny Murtagh-ridden Taraza in 2001.

"Every time I worked him at home last year, he worked better every day," said winning trainer Willie Mullins.

"He is just improving with racing. He was very free early on, but Billy got him settled in behind. He said once he got a bit of cover, he settled lovely.

"He was doing a half-speed into the dip. When you look at the head-on, you'd say he had no chance coming through that wall of horses. Billy said he had so much horse underneath him, he was just waiting for an opening. As soon as it opened, he was gone through them. 

"A great sign of a horse is what he did after the line, he couldn't pull him up. That to me showed me that there is huge improvement there. He has plenty of speed, you saw that last year. What he also has now is stamina. With the two of them, we have a proper racehorse.

"He'll be out of handicaps now, so we'll look at Listed or group races."

Mullins was completing a double on the day and sending out his seventh winner of the festival.

It was also his seventh time to win this race, and his first since Mr Adjudicator in 2019.

Additional reporting by John O'Riordan