A COUPLE of the winners at Leopardstown had something in common, that of being the outstanding runner in their family for generations. The French-bred Galopin Des Champs (Timos) was one, putting in an awesome display over fences, while Galvin was another. There were others too.

The Grade 1 Savills Chase produced what was arguably the best finish of the meeting, and what emotion it also unleashed in the winning trainer, Gordon Elliott. One of the most consistent horses in training, Galvin is an eight-year-old son of Gold Well (Sadler’s Wells), and he has only three times finished out of the first two in 19 starts, winning a dozen times.

Biding his time

Few horses were more deserving of a Grade 1 win, and on his previous start Galvin had advertised his well-being when running second to Frodon in the Grade 1 Champion Chase at Down Royal. His two bumper wins and three successes over hurdles were all just a case of biding his time to run over fences, and he has really excelled over the larger obstacles.

A Grade 3 winner at Tipperary and Punchestown, Galvin provided Ian Ferguson, who purchased him as a three-year-old for €34,000 at the Derby Sale, with a 2021 Cheltenham Festival win when landing the Grade 2 National Hunt Chase. What an inspired purchase Galvin was for his owner Ronnie Bartlett, who has also enjoyed big race success with such as Simonsig and Rathvindon. Galvin was sold by his breeder, Gay O’Gara, from Castlefergus Stud in Co Clare.

Galvin is the third foal and only winner to date from Burren Moonshine, a multiple-winning daughter of Moonax (Caerleon). She too was bred by O’Gara and won a point-to-point, five hurdle races and a chase, being trained at different times by Donie Hassett and Peter Bowen. At stud she has only had five offspring since 2009, the most recent being a now two-year-old son of Soldier Of Fortune (Galileo).

Burren Beauty

Gay O’Gara also raced, but didn’t breed, Burren Moonshine’s dam Burren Beauty (Phardante). She was placed over hurdles, but did visit the winners’ enclosure as a point-to-pointer. Burren Beauty has a single winning sibling, Nawrik (Orchestra) who won three chases.

While Galvin’s first three dams have all produced a single winning offspring, his fourth dam, the two-year-old winner Souza Rose (Songedor), bred three. She was a half-sister to Abergwaun (Bounteous) and that mare gained her career best win in the 1973 Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, with Lester Piggott in the saddle.

Gold Well died after a single season at The Beeches Stud in Waterford, at the age of 12. He was an unraced full-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Montjeu, a sire whose influence on National Hunt racing and breeding has been immense.

Gold Well moved from Arctic Tack Stud in Wexford where he had been standing for seven seasons, and Galvin is a product of his only year standing in Waterford.

The first crop by Gold Well included the Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase winner Holywell, while Galvin has bookended that with another Grade 1 chasing success. Gold Well has a further major chase winner in General Principle, successful in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National.