Galway winners do battle at Listowel Galway Festival heroes Minella Beau and Housesofparliament do battle on the final afternoon of the Harvest Festival at Listowel on Saturday. The seven-day meeting comes to a close with an all-National Hunt eight-race card comprising of four hurdle races, three chases and a bumper. Minella Beau and Housesofparliament feature in a five-strong field declared for the Sean T. McElligott Memorial Novice Hurdle. The Willie Mullins-trained Minella Beau, already the winner of a point-to-point and a National Hunt Flat race, opened his account over the smaller obstacles with a battling effort at Ballybrit. Joseph O'Brien's Housesofparliament was a close-up third in the St Leger at Doncaster on this day a year ago and made it third-time lucky over jumps at Galway with an assured display. It is tough to split the pair, while Morgan, who was runner-up to Housesofparliament last month, should not be dismissed either, with jockey Chris Meehan claiming a valuable 7lb. O'Brien's Big Ben is likely to be a warm order in the opening John Lynch Memorial Maiden Hurdle. The son of Galileo has finished second on each of his three hurdling starts so far and while he is clearly no star, he should have enough about him to win this modest event. The Augustine Leahy-trained and JP McManus-owned Getoutwhenyoucan won nicely on his latest start at Ballinrobe and could well follow up in the M.J. Carroll ARRO Handicap Hurdle. The Allman Contracts Ltd. Novice Chase is quite an interesting heat, with Grade Three winner Rathvinden bidding to bounce back from an odds-on reverse at Killarney. The Mullins inmate should be capable of giving weight and a beating to his three rivals, including Henry de Bromhead's Galway scorer Three Wise Men. Racegoers are advised to stay until the end as the concluding Listowel Races Supporters Club Slan Abhaile (Pro/Am) Flat Race promises to be a cracker. Mullins has claimed this prize four times in the last five years, with the great Annie Power and top-class hurdler Wicklow Brave both on the roll of honour. This year's Closutton representative is Brahma Bull, a winner on his Ballinrobe debut. He might not have it all his own way, however, with Michael O'Connor's Awbeg Prince a fine prospect judged on his dominant display at Cork in early August.
