GUINNESS GALWAY

HURDLE (GRADE A)

HIS first winner of the week may have taken longer to arrive than many expected but when Tony Martin got off the mark at this year’s meeting he did so in style as the Denis O’Regan-ridden Quick Jack claimed the Guinness Galway Hurdle for owner John Breslin.

Martin’s prowess at producing his runners in peak form for these high profile assignments was amply illustrated here as two of his charges had the outcome to themselves coming to the last in Ireland’s richest National Hunt race.

However, last year’s hero Thomas Edison crashed out when holding a fractional lead which left Quick Jack to take centre stage.

Victorious in the opening night feature at Galway in 2014, Quick Jack had run just three times since then. Either side of a third in the County Hurdle were narrow defeats in the English Cesarewitch and the Chester Cup and all this pointed to the six-year-old holding compelling claims.

Furthermore in 13 starts since March 2013 the 9/2 second favourite had finished no worse than third. For most of the race his supporters would have been looking on contentedly as Quick Jack was well-placed on the inner just behind the leading quartet.

Indeed he then enjoyed a charmed run through on the inside to dispute the lead with Hidden Cyclone coming to the second last where he made his only mistake.

Quick Jack easily recovered from that minor blip and moved to the head of the field on the run to the last.

At this stage his stablemate Thomas Edison had begun to move forward with some purpose and possibly the momentum had swung in the latter’s favour as he pressed for the lead at the last. Thomas Edison took off marginally in front but he crashed out and this left Quick Jack in splendid isolation. Max Dynamite, who was only 11th turning in, charged home on the run-in to go second but his effort still came up two and a quarter lengths short.

The Martin-trained Ted Veale followed up his fine third to Modem on Monday with another third while Hidden Cyclone completed the placings. Ruby Walsh reported afterwards that the unplaced favourite, Diakali, ran flat.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to win it again. The race couldn’t have been going better coming to the last and the luck was with Quick Jack and it wasn’t with Thomas Edison. I hope Thomas is okay, he’s come back a bit stiff and sore,” said Martin.

“He’s been in great form all year and came here off a great run in Chester and he was getting back on nice ground here which was a help to him. In his build up everything went right and we were very pleased with him and hopeful of a big run. All we needed was some luck and he had it.

“He’s a good horse who has been running consistently for some time. He’s not one that you can run too often and we wrap him up and mind him. Races like the Cesarewitch and the Greatwood Hurdle are there for him and that’s the sort of route that he might go down. He’s in at Sligo next week but he won’t be going there!,” added Martin.

Denis O’Regan was on board for Martin when the John Breslin-owned Living Next Door claimed the Paddy Power Chase at Christmas and the trainer added of the rider: “Denis is a very good rider and has been very lucky for John Breslin. He’s among the top five or six guys you go to and those guys don’t make mistakes which is why you use them.”

This victory for O’Regan came some 10 years after he claimed the Plate on Ansar and this triumph allowed him to achieve a long held ambition.

“I was lucky enough to get the ride and I sat on him during the week and he jumped and travelled and gave me a great feel at home. He did miss the second last but I didn’t want to get there too soon on him.

“These have been very lucky colours for me and it means everything to win this. I won the Plate here 10 years ago and I’ve always wanted to win the Hurdle,” declared the jockey. Meanwhile Barry Geraghty was philosophical after Thomas Edison’s last flight exit, commenting: “He certainly had every chance but whether he’d have won I don’t know. It was a great race for Tony (Martin), he produced them all in great shape”.

Willie Mullins expressed himself happy with the efforts of Max Dynamite and he will now revert to the flat for the Lonsdale Cup while the unplaced Wicklow Brave will head for the Ebor.