RACING/Galway report: Eklim proved that Kevin Prendergast hasn't forgotten the secret to McDonogh Handicap success when sweeping to victory in the second day highlight at Galway last night.
In the process he filled the second leg of a 615 to 1 treble for Prendergast and jockey Declan McDonogh. However, it was Eklim that provoked a rush to the record books.
Prendergast won just the second ever renewal of the McDonogh with Ryker 31 years ago, added to it with Mudarris in 1990 but looked to save the best for last. That isn't just because of last night's €78,650 first prize. There was a real degree of authority in the three-year-old's victory.
Eklim had most of the 17-strong field in front of him on the climb from the dip but once in the clear accelerated impressively to out-kick Fearn Royal by a length and a half. McDonogh was an appropriately named winning jockey and afterwards Prendergast had the air of a man who had witnessed just what he had expected to see. "He was only a length off Cache Creek (fourth) at the Curragh on ground that was too fast. He can't walk on fast ground, he has no action on it. But on that stuff he has different gears," he said.
"He was second to Yesterday in a Listed last season and had Snippets in third. On that form he had to have a chance in a handicap and I fancied him," Prendergast added.
He wasn't quite so bullish before that fillies maiden but if anything the newcomer Takrice was even more impressive and earned a crack at the Group One Moyglare in the process. McDonogh again arrived late to outpoint the favourite Summer Sunset to the tune of three lengths despite having being only third best in the betting.
"I thought she would run well but I'm pleasantly surprised she has done it so well," admitted Prendergast who had left the track by the time Blava competed the treble in the seven-furlong maiden.
The only surprise after the seven-furlong handicap was that doubts were ever entertained about Huxley landing the gamble of the meeting so far. The Paul Roche-trained horse was backed in to 2 to 1 from 5 to 1 but for much of the race Michael Kinane rode him as if on sightseeing tour.
Down the hill the sights included most of 17 runners but not for nothing is Kinane known as the master of this track. Yet again the champion timed it to perfection and returned with a "what's all the fuss" expression on his face.
It was left to Roche, saddling his fifth festival winner, to exclaim: "The man is a genius. That's three times he has told me to run and each time they've won. Sheer Tenby won the McDonogh and he told me he would love to ride this horse in Galway. Then he told me to run him over seven furlongs."
Maybe it was the Kinane magic that influenced the gamble on Bob What in the two-mile handicap but even the jockey couldn't help from the dip as the Pat Hughes favourite Blue Away sauntered away from the turn-in.
That only added to the earlier belts the bookies had taken including when the gambled on Sum Leader scored an easy success in the novice chase for Barry Geraghty.
The superlatives were also being thrown about after Clounties Hill's success in the maiden hurdle under an inspired Ruby Walsh.
"That was a fantastic ride. I didn't think the horse would come up the hill," said trainer Willie Mullins.
The bookmaker figures continued their upward surge last night with a turnover of a2,429,446 compared to a2,236,374 last year. The total included a450,127 on the third race alone.
However the Tote turnover of a1,018,586 was down from last year's corresponding figure of a1,070,228.
The crowd figure of 21,103 was also down slightly on the corresponding 2,002 figure of 22,286.
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