RACING:FOSTERS CROSS was the star turn as he made nearly all the running to claim the featured carlton/galwaycity Handicap for trainer Tom Mullins on the opening night of the Galway Festival.
In the colours of Corkman Pat O’Donovan, which will always be associated with Vintage Tipple’s famous Irish Oaks win for the late Paddy Mullins back in 2003, the nine-year-old was given an excellent ride from the front by Colin Motherway.
From an early stage Motherway sent the 10 to 1 chance into the lead and he was able to dictate a steady pace several lengths in advance of the field.
Heading towards the last couple of furlongs Fosters Cross was still clear and he had his rivals at full stretch at this stage before eventually coming home four lengths clear of the staying-on Cry For The Moon.
For Motherway (30), who has ridden some 200 point-to-point winners, this was a career highlight.
And Fosters Cross is not finished for the week. He will bid to become the first horse since Athy Spirit in 1990 to win both this race and Thursday’s Galway Hurdle in the same week.
“This race and then the Hurdle was the plan,” said a delighted Mullins.
“He’s been in long enough but he takes his racing so well he’ll run in the Hurdle.
“He’s a great horse to train and a real tough nut. Every time I give him a good break it takes him about six months to find his form afterwards, so he’ll have a little break after this week.”
Equally thrilled was the winning owner, a former Munster and Cork Constitution frontrow forward, who remarked: “The Oaks was a great day but this has been a great day too and we always felt that this horse had a good race in him.”
Dermot Weld had to wait until the third race of the evening to get off the mark, but the wait was worthwhile as the Rosewell House trainer’s Riviera Poet looked a juvenile of some potential in the seven-furlong maiden.
Pat Smullen’s mount found himself with several lengths to find on the odds-on favourite Learn entering the straight. He responded well, though, to join that rival inside the final furlong and then quickened in the style of a high-class colt to get on top late on.
“That could well have been the race of the week,” said Weld, whose winner carries the colours of Dr Ronan Lambe. “They finished 13 lengths clear of the third and they are two potentially very good colts.
“After his first run at the Curragh in May he was held up with sore shins and I felt that this race might just come a week too soon.
“You usually need a group horse to win this race and I think he is one.
“I had to tighten him to get him here today, so I won’t rush him back. We’ll look at the Goffs Irish National Stakes at the Curragh in September as his next race.”
Earlier, JP McManus’ colours were carried to victory by the John Kiely-trained and Mark Walsh-ridden Carlingford Lough. He produced a smart effort on just his third outing to take the handicap hurdle.
Saint Gervais made it a double for Kiely as he ran out a nine-lengths winner of the bumper under Derek O’Connor.
Paul Carberry made all the running aboard Virgil Earp in the opening novice hurdle for trainer and owner Noel Meade.
Tommy Stack and Wayne Lordan picked up the seven-furlong handicap with the consistent Good Shot Noreen, who is owned by Eimear Mulhern.
“It’s great to have a winner for Eimear,” the trainer said.
“Her late husband, John, was very good to me and one of his last winners was this filly’s half-sister Few Are Chosen, who he trained to win here a couple of years ago.”
Edmond Kent, who is in his first year with a restricted training licence, sent out the Danny Grant-ridden Lovers Peace to take the mile-and-a-half handicap.
The figures
Last night’s crowd of 17,570 was down 391 on last year.
The bookmakers turned over €1,464,826 which was €214,123 down on the corresponding day last year.
The Tote aggregate of €663,167 represented a decrease of €38,914 on 2010.
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