Highlight of the day

It was an extremely tough moment for connections of Helvic Dream, but the level of suspense surrounding the Galway Hurdleinquiry will live long in the memory, as Noel Meade and Gordon Elliott waited outside the weighing room to hear the verdict.

Hats off to both men for being as frank and accessible to the media as they were during a tense time.

The Earls family and their friends celebrated in some style once the reversal of placings was announced - the type of excitement Galway arguably does better than anywhere else.

Ride of the day

Given the circumstances of how gutted he would have been immediately after losing the Galway Hurdle in the stewards’ room, Donagh Meyler showed he’s a character of real substance by dusting himself down to serve up a peach of a winning ride on Strong Link.

He’s been having a terrific season and, at the end of day four, he hadn’t been out of the money on any of his six rides at the festival - two winners, two seconds (including the Hurdle), a third and a fifth in the Plate on Sea Music. At the age of 29, he’ll have plenty more chances to win his first Galway Hurdle.

Performance of the day

Usually this is reserved for an equine display, but in this instance the combined training and riding exploits of Richard Fahey and Luke McAteer deserve strong mention with their 40/1 Listed Corrib Fillies Stakes winner Tropical Island. She was excellently placed to win a blacktype race given her overall profile, and rating of 94, while McAteer was equally on the top of his game from the front.

Market mover of the day

Helvic Dream would have brought up some decent bets in the Hurdle if keeping the race, having been backed down to 8/1 (from a morning price of 20/1). The John Murphy-trained Eagles Dream failed to catch fire on her second start of the week when supported down to 13/2 (from 33/1) in the handicap won by Glenroyal. Bumper moves for Gavin Cromwell’s Welonlyhavedone (8/1 to 7/2, having touched as short as 11/8), Emmet Mullins’ Poetic Glory (16/1 to 5/1 in the ring) and Declan Queally’s Kashchei (22/1 to 9/1 in the ring) failed to prosper. The smart money for Joseph O’Brien’s Which Wolf Wins in the nursery didn’t miss, though, winning as the 5/4 favourite (from 11/4 in the morning and 15/8 in the ring).

The same stable’s Mataarikiwas well-punted before flashing home for fourth in the Corrib, returning at 6/1 (from 25/1 in the morning and 10/1 in the ring).

In-running carnage

Westport Cove (SP 85/40) looked set to collect when hitting 2/17 in-running only to be gunned down late on. Princess Child (12/1) just failed in the Corrib when trading as low as 1/5. Cameletta Vega’s backers would have been sickened to get worn down by Strong Link. The winner, sent off 5/2, traded as high as 33/1 in-running, while the 15/8 runner-up hit an in-race low of 1/13.

Eye-catcher of the day

They didn’t appear to go a strong gallop in the concluding bumper and that meant the Declan Queally-trained Kashchei was going to face a very stiff task from well off the pace in rear. He made some noticeable late gains, however, and did well to finish sixth, beaten only seven and a half lengths. As per the Coursetracksectionals, nothing climbed the hill faster than this well-backed five-year-old in the final furlong. He might be a gradual improver for the stable to watch out for going forward.

Quote of the day

“It felt like the inquiry went on for an age, but the longer it went on, the more we felt we had a chance. It’s out of this world. We live 20 minutes out the road and have been coming in here since the age of eight, thumbing lifts and doing whatever we can to get here every day. It’s a magical place. To now have a Galway Hurdle winner… It’s incredible. There’s been so much well-wishing towards us over the last week, people shaking your hand and genuinely rooting for the horse.

All the local money was on too, which brings with it its own pressure. When the result was announced, as people say, I was walking on air - I couldn’t feel my legs.

An out-of-this-world feeling,” - Niall Earls tells Katie Young of Horse Racing Ireland about the special significance of winning the Galway Hurdle with his family-owned star Ndaawi.