Grade 1 entries for Down Royal

FRODON and Galvin are set for a rematch in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday, November 5th.

Less than a length separated the pair in last year’s edition, Frodon making all the running under Bryony Frost for a memorable success.

Galvin has been installed as 2/1 favourite by the sponsors for next month’s race, following his smooth success at Punchestown this week. Frodon (7/2) was well beaten on all three of his subsequent starts after Down Royal.

Other interesting entries for the three-mile contest include Bravemansgame, Conflated, Envoi Allen and Kemboy.

Death of John Mulholland

FORMER bookmaker John Mulholland died this week, aged 76. The Galway businessman inherited and expanded his family’s chain of betting shops across the county and he also had pitches at the Galway Races.

Between 2015 and 2019, he sold the betting shops to Paddy Power and BoyleSports. He once told the Connacht Tribune he was never happier than when working at Ballybrit.

“Standing on my pitch is like being on the stage. I get such a buzz from the crowd. I love the smell of the horses and seeing the jockeys and trainers.”

He was a city councillor for 24 years and served two terms as Galway mayor. He is survived by his wife Margaret and their children Alan, Lisa, Eddie and Aoife.

Twomey stable stars for sale

PEARLS Galore, La Petite Coco and Rosscarbery will all be offered for sale at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in Newmarket. All three are trained by Paddy Twomey, two of them Group 1 winners this year and the other one placed in Group 1 company. Twomey said: “They are all lovely fillies and we are lucky to have them. It is a balancing act, deciding whether to keep them or put them on the market, but we are all happy now that the decisions have been made.” Rosscarbery runs in the Group 1 Fillies & Mares at Ascot today.

Christophe Soumillon

compensates connections

CHRISTOPHE Soumillon has voluntarily paid €7,278 to the connections of the horse affected by the jockey’s interference with fellow rider Rossa Ryan in a Group 3 race at Saint-Cloud on September 30th. Soumillon received a two-month ban for his actions, which saw Ryan take a nasty-looking fall from the Ralph Beckett-trained Captain Wierzba. Fortunately Ryan was unhurt and Soumillon apologised for the offence.

On Thursday Beckett revealed that Soumillon had made good on his promise to cover expenses. When questioned about the refund, he said: “I don’t really want to comment, other than to say by sending his money to cover Captain Weirzba’s expenses to Saint-Cloud, Christophe kept his word and, as far as I am concerned, that draws a line under the whole episode.”