Barry Browne© Photo Healy Racing
The ever-reliable Swamp Fox scooped the big pot on offer in the Connacht Hotel (QR) Handicap on day one of the 2016 Galway Festival.
The four-year-old hadn't been out of the first three in his previous 11 starts and hosed up at Ballinrobe last week, but was able to sneak in here at the foot of the weights.
Barry Browne sent him to the lead rounding the turn and the move proved decisive because while last year's third Ted Veale tried to run him down, Joe Murphy's 16-1 shot had too much of an advantage and scored by two and a quarter lengths.
Dermot Weld, the undisputed king of Ballybrit, struck with his first runner of the week when Right Honourable justified 5-4 favouritism in the Claregalwayhotel.ie (C & G) EBF Maiden.
His main market rival Courage Under Fire led but Pat Smullen was always in close attendance on the winner, who showed good resolution to account for the staying-on Brutal by a length and a quarter.
Joseph O'Brien registered his first victory at the Festival when Motherland ran away with the Eventus Handicap.
The fledgling handler's brother Donnacha did the steering as the 2-1 favourite careered 17 lengths clear of Forcefull in the straight.< Muthaza gave Willie Mullins his third win in the Radissonhotelgalway.com & Galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle in as many years.
The 1-6 favourite eroded the clear lead established by Cable very quickly on the run to the final flight and a slick leap helped seal a facile six-and-a-half-length triumph, and she is unbeaten in three runs since arriving from France.< Shake The Bucket (14-1) is in a rich vein of form at present and was triumphant for the Madden family in the Easyfix Handicap Hurdle.< Spruce Meadows (5-1) wore down Flowerhill Nova in the straight to claim top honours in the Claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap, while Electric Concorde landed the McGettigan's Flat Race.
