IF Carlsberg did Galway Festivals, they’d hardly even be able to draw up the sort of week that Co Wicklow-based trainer Peter Lawlor managed to pull off in 2025.
Still on a high from the clearcut success of Summer Snow on day two, there was further joy for the yard when the long-absent Murat (9/2) wasn’t for catching in the final race of the week, the Fr. Breen Memorial Bumper.
The six-year-old by Eliot, owned, bred and trained by Lawlor, won a bumper on his only other start for connections back in August 2024 and hadn’t been seen since. However, he made up for lost time under Finny Maguire to prove a length and three-quarters too good for 6/4 favourite Al Arrivee.
Lawlor said: “We decided to go forward because Finny felt there wouldn’t be much pace. He’s keen going and kind of hard on himself. He’s still green and won’t be a horse until next year, because he’s big and raw. Finny did a great job to get him home up the hill in front of one of Willie Mullins’ again.
“He was very awkward going around the bend - he has an engine, though. I knew he was going to stay galloping. He’s a smart horse. Simon [Munir] and Isaac [Souede] had him bought but that fell through, thanks be to God! You couldn’t round off the week any better than that. I’m going home tonight; I didn’t get a room until 4am here earlier in the week!”
Zanahiyr bounces back
Champion trainer Mullins looked to have an excellent chance, on paper, of winning the two-mile-six-furlong Kinlay Hostel Chase with 8/11 favourite Blood Destiny. Even with one of his four rivals, Must Be Obeyed, refusing to take part and Minella Sergeant appearing to go wrong between the final two fences, it wasn’t to be for the market leader, as Zanahiyr (9/4) outstayed his main rival from the front under a tactically-aware ride from Jack Kennedy.
Gordon Elliott was rounding off the week with his fifth winner, more than any other trainer at the meeting, while Kennedy, riding for Bective Stud, wrapped up the festival as leading National Hunt rider on four winners.
“It’s been a great week and I’m delighted for the horse,” Kennedy said of the four-length winner, who was notching his first win in over a year on what was his second start of the week (finished seventh in the Plate on Wednesday).
“He’s been a great horse, placed in Champion Hurdles and other top races, and it’s nice for him to get his head in front today. I was happy enough to tip away in front - I didn’t go mad - and it worked out well. He was brilliant at the last two in the dip and is better when you’re going on with him and not getting in too tight.”
Sexton’s Moment
One of the silkiest rides of the entire week came in the Lord Hemphill Memorial Handicap Chase, with Kevin Sexton riding his first winner for Gavin Cromwell aboard 7/1 shot Aspurofthemoment.
The From The Ground Up Syndicate’s six-year-old has been a revelation since joining Cromwell and was bringing up his fourth win in six starts for the yard. Runner-up Arctic Fly, sent off the 16/5 favourite, traded as short as 30/100 when hitting the front but Sexton, who has been riding out for the yard since last September, saved his best for last on the proven stayer by coolly cutting through the field late.
“He’s a grand horse and will probably be better when he steps up in trip,” said stable representative Troy Cullen.
“Hopefully he’ll keep on improving as the season goes on. They were going fast enough for him early on and, maybe being a stayer, they went a little too fast and the pace didn’t hold up. They stopped going up the hill. We were hopeful, but thought the trip might be a little too short.”
AT the end of a challenging week, a first festival winner of 2025 was more than deserved for Noel Meade, whose bargain buy Joltin showed a touch of class to win the seven-furlong Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden.
Peter Nolan Bloodstock’s €4,000 purchase from Redpender Stud at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale had made a promising debut when second at Leopardstown the previous month, and was sent off the 7/4 favourite to go one better here under Colin Keane.
After a festival full of near misses and bad fortune for the leading trainer, he finally got a break when this Elzaam two-year-old flashed home to win by a length and a half. He had traded at as big as 39/1 in-running before staying on past the consistent Lucia Molly.
“He had a lovely run on debut at Leopardstown and is a lovely scopey horse,” said Keane, with the winning trainer not on track due to attending Meath’s appearance in the All-Ireland Ladies’ Gaelic Football Final.
“He got a little bit lost in the dip when they quickened, but when we met the rising ground he came home very well. He showed a nice level of ability at home. He was a bit boisterous, so he got gelded and it was probably the crowning of him. I think he’s a nice horse going forward.”
Tilani off the mark
Dermot Weld doesn’t travel to Ballybrit with anything like the number of runners he once did, but from a total of six representatives on the week, he still emerged with a winner in the penultimate race of the meeting.
Tilani finished out strongly to justify 100/30 favouritism in the Village Salthill Handicap over a mile, notching his first win after a promising third on his previous outing at Leopardstown. The lightly raced three-year-old, bred by Aga Khan Farms, is owned by Michael Watt, who owned Galway legend Ansar in his early days, and denied Gavin Cromwell from having a double on the day through Flying Fortress finishing a half length behind in second.
“It worked out perfectly with a good draw [in stall three] for once this week and I got a lovely slip through,” said Hayes.
“The boss wanted me to play my cards late. I had to sit turning in and it worked out a treat. He was bought for here for the owner and it’s nice when it comes off.
“We learned plenty about him in his two runs at Leopardstown. I gave him a hare-brained ride one day when he was a bit keen and then the second day the ground was too quick for him. We knew coming here that we’d get some juice in the ground.”
LESS than 48 hours on from riding his first Galway Festival winner on Intense Approach, Alex Harvey doubled his Ballybrit tally thanks to a smart display from Ballystone in the three-mile Kenny Galway Peugeot Handicap Hurdle for John McConnell.
The same trainer-jockey partnership had combined to strike on day five and weren’t to be denied here with owner Derek Kierans’ 14/1 chance, who had been beaten at Hexham when last seen in June but showed a completely different side to his game against the Emmet Mullins-trained Chance Another One (upped 20lb for a recent Ballinrobe win). A length was the final margin between the pair, with the winner relishing the trip on his first start beyond two and a half miles under rules.
“He’s a lovely horse, very genuine,” said Harvey. “I got a lovely run around on the inside and it was just a matter of holding onto him and pressing the button.
“He put his head down on the run-in and galloped away to the line. He’s progressive and I can’t wait to see him over a fence. He wants a bit of nicer ground. The ground is just the slow side of good - bar the straight, which is borderline heavy.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and you dream about having a winner, so to have two in the week is unbelievable.”
Fortune favours
Tony Martin and the Breslin family are no strangers to success around Ballybrit and they didn’t leave the week empty-handed when Aurea Fortune came with a well-timed challenge to land the two-mile Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.
Debbie Breslin’s six-year-old had been 0-12 before this, sent off an easy-to-back 8/1 shot, but there was promise in what he showed three starts earlier when third at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
This was Jake Coen’s first time to ride Aurea Fortune and it proved the key winner that saw him ride out his claim, beating 85/40 favourite Ragmans Corner by a length and a half.
Martin said: “He missed the break unfortunately and he was always on the backfoot from there. You could see he was getting into it at the second last and he missed it, but it all worked out in the end.
“He ran over fences at Listowel last year, but was a bit weak. He jumps fences well. He’s in Debbie’s name and I think it’s her first runner and her first winner.”
SO often we see course specialists shine here and Princess Child hadn’t caught fire at all this season prior to her two visits to the west of Ireland during the week. With another stride she’d probably have won the Listed Corrib Stakes on Thursday, but the blessing in that was that she avoided a 7lb penalty in this assignment. She’s now up 9lb to a mark of 100.
Speaking of Galway regulars, Dunum lost little in defeat back in third in the Ahonoora, out to follow up his Mile success from Tuesday. He never had the same chance to relax into a rhythm with the presence of Gleneagle Bay close by and that might have been as a big a factor in him finishing third than the 7lb penalty he carried.
We’ve seen Noel Meade excel with bargain buys in the past and Joltin is now worth many, many multiples of the €4,000 that the Elzaam gelding cost as a yearling. It remains to be seen how deep a race this maiden was, but he looks smart.
Very little got involved from behind in the concluding bumper, though it would be unwise to underestimate just how good Murat might end up being. After a layoff of 344 days, he might have improvement to come for his in-form yard.
It’s possible that the extended two miles and six furlongs stretches Blood Destiny’s stamina out further than he ideally wants, and Zanahiyr was deserving of his victory on the back of the short turnaround. He’s not the force of old but can gain confidence from this.
Finally, it could be worth forgiving a few from what proved a messy Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle that opened the card. Some runners were squeezed up heading past the stands for the first time, and there were careless riding suspensions to come for Liam McKenna (eight days) and Sean Cleary-Farrell (two days).