PUNCHESTOWN Festival Grade 1-winner Feronily was a high-profile runner on Galway’s Tuesday card, but owner J.P. McManus’ new acquisition had to settle for second in the three-runner Mongey Communications Chase, behind My Design.

Easy-to-back 1/2 favourite Feronily was held up in last, and while briefly bumped on landing by Frontal Assault after the second last, failed to peg back all-the-way winner My Design, under jockey Ray Barron.

The winner carries the colours of Fiona O’Connor and while winning trainer Declan Queally wasn’t present, jockey Barron reported: “I had three winners at the festival, so it is great to be back again.

“She has race-fitness on her side and was back up in trip from Listowel. She has won here in the past and track form means a lot here.

“I was chatting to Declan [Queally, trainer] beforehand and he said to break sharply and go a good, even gallop. At the back of the third-last, I started winding her up and she was very game up the hill.

“She is getting the hang of it or maybe I’m getting the hang of her. She is as tough as they come and I’m thankful to the owners for giving me the ride.”

J.P. one-two

Owner McManus registered a one-two in the 35-minutes later Race In Pink Raceday Beginners Chase as his Gavin Cromwell-trained Perceval Legallois (10/3) defeated Neveradullmomemt, which was ridden with exaggerated waiting tactics, comfortably by two and a half lengths.

It was Perceval Legallois’ first run since February and McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Mark (Walsh, jockey) said he was very good, he missed one but was happy in front. You could only be happy with the way he went around there. Even though he has won over three (miles) in the past, I’m not sure he wants that distance and I’d say he is sharp enough to come. We got today out of the way which was the big thing and you’d be pleased with the way he went around there. Neveradullmoment ran a race too – he was fit and well from the summer.”

Pats Choice sticks to his gunsfor Elliott double

TRAINER Gordon Elliott completed a double, beginning with the Jack Kennedy-partnered, Patricia Sloan-owned Pats Choice (5/2 joint-favourite) in the Guinness Handicap Chase.

The winner was made work hard by The Little Yank on the run-in, and afterwards Kennedy commented: “He is a consistent horse, probably has his own ideas about things, but stuck his head out and galloped to the line today. It is as soft as he wants the ground today, so it was a good win for him.

“When a horse passes him, he can down tools a bit, so I was keen not to let a horse pass him. In fairness to him, it is a long run-in and he kept pulling out more.”

Elliott’s De Capo landed the concluding Student Raceday on 30 October bumper for owner David L’Estrange and jockey Harry Swan. The Maxios four-year-old finished well to beat River Robe, and Swan later stated: “I’d say he definitely needed the run in Navan and is probably still a big baby. It worked out well, we went a nice gallop and he’ll improve again off that.

“He is a big staying chaser and for those type of horses it often takes a couple of runs. I’m delighted with him and he’ll probably go hurdling now – he might be a very nice horse.”

Local win

Racing began with the Tote Always SP Or Better Maiden Hurdle as Free Flowing (17/2) took full advantage of some poor jumping from 2/5 favourite Olympic Man, to score for local trainer Norman Lee.

Lee commented: “He is a fair bit of a horse, but I thought he’d be short (of work) today as he isn’t long in. We did all our work at home and he had one day out in the Curragh, but that was it.

“I thought he’d run a cracker and maybe be placed today, but he has stepped right up. He is coming to himself and it probably suited him running fresh.

“Tom [Harney, winning jockey] is with Ross O’Sullivan and I meet him at the Curragh to ride out when I don’t bring my own staff from the yard. He is a good lad who does what he is told – any of those lads deserve chances. He [Free Flowing] belongs to a good owner in Eddie Naughton and we have a lot of horses in at the moment.

“We decided during the summer that we were going to get busier rather than quieter and have 30 horses in – we’re going to bomb on.”

TRAINER Philip Rothwell was thankful to have sent just one runner to the fixture but his El Champo won the Ryans Cleaning Handicap Hurdle in different yellow colours than is customary for his owner Oliver Barden.

Rothwell explained: “The trainer came with his wife and left the colours in the office – I’m glad I have one runner and not five!”

He added: “I’ve been lucky buying ex-point to pointers – all at a low price and, when I went to see El Champo, I absolutely loved him. He will eventually jump a fence.

“He was flat at Listowel and I said 10 days ago that I wouldn’t run him for at least a month. However, Conor Owens, who rides him at home, has done a wonderful job with him and he said to me the other day to run him. He said he felt really well so credit to Conor.

“Coming here there was no pace in the race, so I said to Paddy [O’Hanlon, jockey] to go as steady as he could in front and see if he could get first-run. I think it was an opportunistic win more than anything else.”

Ivane collects

Trainer Ciaran Murphy and jockey Eoin Walsh combined to win the Galway Handicap Hurdle with Ivane (6/1), who gained a maiden success in determined fashion, beating Chainofconsequence by a half length.

Murphy reported: “He was a weak horse when we bought him and he had been disappointing. In hindsight, we mightn’t have given him enough time, but he has won his race now.

“He ran respectably at Perth [fourth] last week and, in fairness, to run on heavy ground, come off the boat and win here takes a bit of doing. He is a light-framed horse so we’ll see where we go now. His owners Kieran and Carrie Clarke are successful businesspeople and own a brilliant pub in Mullingar called Clarkes Bar. They are great owners and it’s lovely to have them as part of the team.”