GALWAY FESTIVAL DAY ONE REPORT:ADMIRAL BARRY finally hit the headlines with a vengeance at Galway last night when true love, it seems, paved the way for his 10 to 1 success in the opening day festival feature.
For a horse who chased home the subsequent Irish Derby winner Frozen Fire on his very first start as a two-year-old, Admiral Barry’s demotion down racing’s ranks has been as disappointing as it has been rapid.
It was only earlier this summer, and on his 17th attempt, that he won his first race at lowly Tramore, but a complete change of tack by trainer Eoin Griffin yielded victory in yesterday evening’s €75,000 carlton.ie/galwaycity handicap.
What is usually an intensely competitive struggle for the prestigious amateur riders’ prize looked like it was going silky-smooth for trainer Tom Hogan when the pace-setting Spinning Wings handed over the lead to her stable companion Mount Helicon coming down the hill.
The topweight put in a gallant effort trying to hold off Admiral Barry, who was the only one to launch a sustained challenge, but it was jockey Mikey Fogarty who got his resolute partner home by just over a length.
Such resolution hadn’t been obvious in eight attempts over hurdles, but Griffin has found an unusual key to Admiral Barry.
“He’s been such a disappointment and he hated hurdling so he was running out of time.
“But anything I had been doing with him, I stopped, and instead started doing the direct opposite. It seems to work,” the Kilkenny trainer said.
“We train him from a field and love is a great thing because he is in there with a mare and he seems to have got a new lease of life. He’s a different horse,” Griffin added.
“If he is fresh and well he could come out again in Friday’s premier handicap back here.”
The usual festival tactic of relying on Dermot Weld’s runner in the two-year-old maiden backfired dramatically as A Word Apart beat only two home, with Aidan O’Brien’s Robin Hood making all the running to beat Tashqeel, who didn’t help his chance by rearing in the stalls.
O’Brien’s teenage son Joseph made full use of his 7lb claim in a canny, front-running ride that provided him with an 18th career success and a first at the festival.
“That’s my first ride here at the festival and it’s great to get a winner,” O’Brien junior said.
“I knew my horse stayed very well, I walked the track and I was happy to bounce out and go myself.
“He was idling in front and when they came for me he quickened up, they were never really going to go by him and he did it well in the end.
“He keeps improving, he’ll hopefully stay further and be better on better ground.”
Davy Russell was also in front-running form as he made a perfect return from a fractured ankle on Kalellshan in the two-mile handicap hurdle. Total Excitement loomed as a danger over the last but Charles Byrnes’ 8 to 1 shot kept on the better.
“It was a fair battle, but our horse is a 130 over fences so he was well handicapped,” Byrnes said. “He’s in later in the week and you wouldn’t know, he might run again.”
Enjoy Your Life sent those who backed him from 14 to 1 into half those odds home happy after emerging best in a tight finish with Footprint for the seven-furlong handicap.
“He was mentally very fragile as a two-year-old but he always showed us a bit,” said his Curragh trainer Paul Deegan. “The ground had been a bit fast for him but the cheekpieces worked well there and hopefully he will be able to win again.”
Rainforest Magic was a beaten Weld favourite in the mile-and-a- half handicap as Wayne Lordan’s mount Notalossonya squeezed between rivals on the turn in to take victory by two lengths.
“She’s a game filly so I didn’t mind getting into a battle, and this trip for the first time was no problem. She’s progressive,” Lordan said.
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The opening day of the Galway festival bucked the attendances trend with a 619 increase on last year’s crowd figure bringing up a tally of 17,961 last night.
However betting figures were down with the Tote turnover of €702,081 down almost €84,000. Bookmaker turnover reached €1,678,949 compared to €1,748,693 in 2009.
