Going - Hurdle/bumper: Yielding, good to yielding in places. Chase: yielding, yielding to soft in places. Fine
Jackpot Pool - €777.40 Dividend - €544.30 Winning Units - .06. Partial Carry Over of €730.75 to Galway on Sunday 26th October. Placepot Pool - €18,262.92 Dividend - €42.80 Winning Units - 298.6. Days Aggregate - €203,060.69 Last Year
Patient tactics prove a big plus for Minus
We went to Sedgefield the last day when it was game over after only one hurdle, as he was too keen. When Fitzy (Fitzgerald) got down off him, I told him that no matter what, we had to settle him the next day. At Sedgefield, he was keen and also ran off one bend but was still only beaten 15 lengths by the winner, who came out and won by 11 lengths the next day. The third horse also won since so looking at it in black and white afterwards, it was a good race. Today I told him that if he gets him asleep, have one good go and that he would come up the hill, and he did. The first day he ran over hurdles we had doubts about him staying and he was back in distance today. We'll worry about plans next week.
L'Evangeliste scores with promise of more to come
He missed the last a small bit but at that stage, had been in front from flagfall. This is a good horse who bumped into a really good one at Listowel the last day. I think he will eventually make a lovely three-mile chaser, and he wants softer ground and a longer trip than that. He was bought privately by a group of eight lads (the Preachers Syndicate) and was the dearest horse to have come into my yard in 40 years of training. All eight are here today and they're staying over so it'll be a great night.
Eachtotheirown makes all to book Royal Bond ticket
He had good runs finishing second in two bumpers but he's not a bumper horse and loves jumping hurdles. There wasn't any pace today which wasn't ideal, so he had to do it the hard way. He will come on a tonne from that, and he went a long way before pulling him up. Sean said he had a blow going to the second last and when he picked him up at the back of the last, he took off. He is a smasher and we have him a long time as he was bought unraced from Sam Curling. We had been minding him as he was only a frame and is only filling into it now. We'll look at going straight to the Royal Bond now or else the Monksfield Novice in Navan, but I think Fairyhouse would suit him better.
Will The Wise could be Troytown bound after novice win
Keith turned it into a good test, and he kept it simple. He made a few novicey mistakes, but he probably learned from that. It is grand to gain compensation for his defeat here the last day. We'll be keeping an eye on all the handicaps in the autumn and all being well he could take on something like the Troytown next.
Sportinthepark takes advantage of favourable hurdle mark
The whole plan was obviously to go back chasing with him and the plan now is to go to the Troytown. I didn't want to run him in today's earlier chase as if he won he'd have risked picking up a penalty, so I said we might as well have a run over hurdles where he is rated 15lb lower. He had a setback after his last run and when I got him back later in the season, it was too late to run. He has grown up, matured and grown a lot stronger as he had been a big shell of a horse. His owner Philip Polly is in Dubai so hopefully he is watching on TV.
McCann and Finnegan team up for last gasp victory
It didn't look likely for a long time, but they went some clip and Eoghan gave her a very cool ride. Eoghan comes in one day a week, we're hoping he'll come a second day, and he is a hell of a good rider. Aine O'Connor and Jonathan Moore were telling me to get him as a valuable 7lb claimer, and this is our first winner together. It's my first winner in Galway and I'm also delighted for the team as we've had a lot of seconds recently. Our horses had just been knocking on the door a bit, but this is great.
Our Guide provides Conheady with another big price bumper winner
We had a similar winner in Christmas 2021 with another four-year-old and we only ever have one or two horses. We train for fun as I'm farming and also work as a CAD technician in Shannon, so days like today are brilliant. We went a good gallop and while we didn't know if he'd dig deep and stay on, he did. Pedigree wise he isn't out of place, as all his immediate family have won races. I use Aengus King's (neighbour) gallop at weekends and between him and my dad there is plenty of advice. We were hoping for a nice run but in a small yard it is hard to know where you're at. We'll look at all options now and he is for sale.
