Facebook
twitter
Colgan shines on Orandi in BMW Mile
Orandi and Robbie Colgan (red with white panel) weave their way through the field at the furlong pole
© Healy Racing Photos
The split came at the right time for Orandi as he burst through to land the spoils in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap at Galway tonight under a brave ride from Robbie Colgan.
Tony Martin’s charge had nowhere to go on the inner approaching the two marker in the €120,000 contest and Colgan also had to sit and suffer early in the straight on the 16/1 shot.
The gap appeared inside the final furlong though and the eight-year-old, who was third in the race last year, hit the lead inside the final 150 yards to score by a length-and-three-quarters.
Well-backed 7/2 favourite Pierre Royal chased him home.
Orandi was recording his third victory for connections and had also landed a big pot in the Irish Lincolnshire in March of last year.
"This is absolutely brilliant and is great for the lads involved, so it couldn't have worked out any better. CJ (Murtagh, owner) has been through the mill recently and lives for this horse, so we made a plan to come here and fortunately it has come off," said Martin.
"He ran very well in this race last year, finishing third, and appreciates an ease in the ground. What a rider Robbie Colgan is - he is the most underrated rider in Ireland.
"Everyone makes plans and sometimes they don't come true, but luckily enough this happened for us today so it was like Mayo (All Ireland win) on Sunday."
“I got about 15 or 20 different instructions and I don’t think I carried out one of them!” Colgan told RTE afterwards.
“I was happy once I got to the rail and I was following the pace.
“Coming down the hill I wasn’t too confident but then the minute he turned and hit the rising ground it was just a matter of weaving my way through. It was very good.
“As soon as he hit the rising ground he kind of came on the bridle and I had tonnes of horse, I was just waiting for room then.
“I watched all his races, he had a couple of runs here last year and he travelled really well.
“Tony said he’d never had him in such good form so he knows what he’s doing.
“I’m lucky to be still riding horses, getting rides and riding winners.
“It’s great to ride a big winner at the festival and especially for Tony Martin as he’s been very good to me over my career.”
(Additional reporting by Tom Weekes)
