GALWAY FESTIVAL REPORT:THOSE TAKING the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' policy in regard to Dermot Weld's horses around Galway got the perfect festival start last night as Majestic Concorde's GPT Handicap victory was the centrepiece of a 486 to 1 four-timer for the legendary trainer.
Even by the standards of the Ballybrit King it was a hugely encouraging start to the week and the four-timer hurries Weld towards yet another momentous Galway landmark.
He now only has to saddle four more winners to reach the 200 winner tally at the festival during his long training career.
The total already includes four years when Weld notched 10 winners in a week and after last night's fireworks even that benchmark now may be under threat.
What is almost certain, however, is that Majestic Concorde will get the chance to add to it himself in Thursday's Guinness Galway Hurdle for which he is now as low as 5 to 1 favourite to scoop a €50,000 bonus.
"Provided he is okay, then he will run. He's fit and well and he's a good leaper but I would like to see a little ease in the ground on Thursday because he stays so well," said Weld.
What's encouraging for Weld's legion of supporters is that he knows how to bring off the double as Spanner won the GPT in 1975 before landing a division of the big hurdle. Only two other horses have managed the double - Try A Brandy (1988) and Athy Spirit (1990.)
Denis O'Regan will be on board Majestic Concorde on Thursday but the pro will do well to equal Robbie McNamara's effort last night as the 6ft 2in 19-year-old amateur rode an inspired race after securing a dream run up the inner coming down the hill.
"It was a peach of a ride. I couldn't have done it better myself. Robbie's a tall lad but he gets down very well and is very stylish, a bit like I used to be years ago," said Weld.
McNamara, a brother of the leading pro, Andrew, put up 1lb overweight but it made no difference as Majestic Concorde shot four lengths clear of Power Of Future and Arc Bleu.
"I told Robbie the rail is the shortest way around here and he delivered a beautiful ride. Few amateurs ride better than him," added Weld who was training a fifth GPT winner.
Earlier Weld landed the juvenile maiden for the 18th time as the odds-on Broad Meaning had to battle hard to repel Drumbeat by half a length under a powerful Pat Smullen drive.
"There's a Listed race at Tipperary in a few weeks or he might go to York for the Acomb," said the trainer. "It always takes a good two-year-old to win this and at the end I thought we were always holding the second."
Smullen was also on board Ghimaar who turned the mile and a half handicap into a procession - "he will make a lovely staying horse next year" - and the quartet of winners was rounded off by Battle In Hand who just got the better of a nodding finish with Abroad by a short head in the bumper.
There was an evocative family success in the seven-furlong handicap as Rory Cleary powered the 16 to 1 shot Miranda's Girl clear to win for his father, Tom. It is almost five years since another of Cleary's sons Sean was killed in a fall at this track.
Ruby Walsh's odds about ending the week as leading jump jockey got even shorter following Stage Manager's emphatic defeat of Little Eye in the two mile handicap hurdle.
The Weld runner was prominent throughout but had no answer when Walsh pounced on Tony Martin's topweight.
"I thought the weight might have stopped him because he's only a little horse. But he's got great heart and the man on board helped too," Martin said. "He's in again on Friday and Sunday and there's a chance he might run on the flat."
It wasn't such a good evening for the Irish Grand National winning jockey Paddy Flood who got off the 20 to 1 shot Hassanali to ride Nazadaq and then had to watch Jim Gorman's horse beat Dancera by two lengths.
Dancera's mistake at the final flight could have been crucial but Gorman, who was saddling a ninth winner of the year in a much-improved campaign for the Curragh handler, pointed to the good ground as being vital for the winner.
"He had very good form on good ground so we took a chance and waited for Galway to run him in a hurdle again," he said. "It's worked out great but I was a little worried when Paddy schooled him last Friday - and then got off him!"
