Askeaton jockey pulls off one of biggest shocks in the history of Galway Festival

ASKEATON jockey Aine O'Connor pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the history of the Galway festival when winning the concluding bumper on Thursday Brave Crogha at odds of 200/1.

Punters have seen festival winners at odds of 66/1 in recent years and on the opening night of this year’s festival the Willie Mullins-trained 50/1 chance Sirius won the Connacht Hotels Qualified Riders Handicap.

But success for the five-year-old grey, locally owned and trained by Iggy Madden, brought matters to a different level as he came from well off the pace under O'Connor to head Cian Collins’ front-runner Sporting Glance, an 11/2 shot, inside the final furlong to score by an easy three and a half lengths.

The race’s 4/9 favourite Vicar Street, ridden for Willie Mullins by Derek O'Connor, could only manage fourth place, all of eight lengths behind Madden’s first winner in almost six years. Mi Lucky Cailin was a 66/1 winner for Aine O'Connor at the October meeting at Galway in 2022. 

Moyross jockey Wesley Joyce landed a surprise winner of his own as he partnered 50/1 shot Bessie Abott to a taking success in the seven-furlong median auction maiden for two-year-olds on Friday evening.

Trained for the Woodleigh Syndicate by Mick Mulvany, she lost a little ground to her rivals coming out of the stalls but came through to lead inside the final furlong and at the line had a comfortable two and a half lengths to spare over Joseph O'Brien’s 13/2 chance Raven Darkholme.

A bigger win went the way of Shanagolden jockey Chris Hayes as he landed the feature 12-furlong handicap on the Bill Durkan-trained Eagle’s Way. In a thriller, the 8/1 chance made all the running and held on to beat the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained Chally Chute by a shorthead in the colours of the Four D Partnership.

The honour of saddling the first winner of the 2024 Galway festival went to Ballingarry trainer Richard O'Brien as the Lough Hyne Partnership-owned Feud scored an impressive win in the two-mile novice hurdle for four-year-olds on Monday. A maiden hurdle winner at Listowel on the June Bank Holiday weekend, he was again ridden by Danny Mullins and came through to lead at the final hurdle before racing clear to win by three and a half lengths from the Gordon Elliott-trained Mordor.

The 16/5 winner might bid to extend his winning run to three at Listowel next month. Charles Byrnes and Ray Barron combined to land the concluding bumper with the very well-supported Delta Force. Owned by the trainer’s son Cathal, the 11/8 favourite led at the furlong-pole and stayed on strongly to score by a length and threequarters from Denis Hogan’s 28/1 chance Bonnebosq.

Upcoming Fixtures

Wexford – Wednesday, August 7 (First Race 4.45pm)

Sligo – Wednesday, August 7 (First Race 5pm)

Sligo – Thursday, August 8 (First Race 5.05pm)

Leopardstown – Thursday, August 8 (First Race 5.22pm)

Wexford – Friday, August 9 (First Race 5.30pm)

Tipperary – Friday, August 9 (First Race 4.45pm)

Curragh – Saturday, August 10 (First Race 1.45pm)

Kilbeggan – Saturday, August 10 (First Race 5.30pm)

Downpatrick – Sunday, August 11 (First Race 2.18pm)