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Dream a poignant winner for Meyler in Listowel feature

Helvic Dream and Donagh Meyler (pink cap) won the Ballymore Handicap Hurdle Helvic Dream and Donagh Meyler (pink cap) won the Ballymore Handicap Hurdle
© Healy Racing Photos

Classy performer Helvic Dream rolled back the years when landing a big pot at Listowel this afternoon for Noel Meade.

The nine-year-old, winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup on the Flat back in 2021, recorded his first success since February 2024 when landing the €100,000 Ballymore Handicap Hurdle.

Donagh Meyler produced the 10/1 shot to lead going to the last in the two-miler and despite a slightly untidy leap there he had plenty left on the run-in to score by a length-and-a-quarter.

Thisistheway won a good battle with Wholelotofbusiness for the runner-up spot.

Helvic Dream was returning to jumping having been well held in the valuable Petingo Handicap on the level at Leopardstown 13 days ago.

It was an emotional success for Meyler who revealed:- "This was great and my grandmother (who passed away earlier today) was obviously looking down on us."

He added: "He is a really good horse, Noel has done a great job with him and it is nice to win on him at last.

"For me anything that could go wrong, went wrong early and I never travelled a beat. I rode him for luck and when I wheeled him out, he jumped back on to the bridle.

“It is great to finally win on him as he has been through it all in Grade 1s and should have had a Galway Hurdle. 

"He has brought the owners on a long journey and is one of the yard favourites."

(Quotes by Tom Weekes)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.