Tugboat and a determined Barry Geraghty© Photo Healy Racing
The classy flat breeding of Tugboat was very much in evidence as Barry Geraghty quickly put the race to bed in the Arthur Guinness Fund Novice Hurdle from the second last.
In the two and a half miler at Galway, Geraghty got a lovely split along the rail jumping the second last. He soon set the Galileo gelding alight and the 5yo kept up the gallop to see off the patiently ridden favourite Letherbelucky (not fluent) by two and a quarter lengths.
Bred by Airlie Stud and Kirsten Rausing, Tugboat sports the well-known silks of Thomas Barr and Edward O'Grady handles the 300,000 guineas yearling whose sister, Allegretto was a Group 1 winning stayer.
O'Grady said: "I'm surprised he did it as well as he did.
"The track suited better than at Clonmel and in fairness he was entitled to improve.
"The owner said he felt he'd make a nice stayer and he's from a good staying family.
"I felt the ground was a little bit slow for him and he'll be a nice horse on nice ground in the spring. He'll go for those longer distance hurdles.
"I've spent so much money on entries waiting for goodish ground. I wanted to run him here before he went over the top."
The Stewards enquired into an incident at the bend past the stands involving Audrelles Lad ridden by M W Bowes, Letherbelucky, ridden by R Walsh, and Tugboat, ridden by B J Geraghty, where it appeared interference had taken place. Evidence was heard from the riders concerned. Having viewed a recording of the race and considered the evidence, the Stewards found M W Bowes was in breach of Rule 214 in that he had ridden carelessly and suspended him for two race days . $Z(TW & EM)
