Curtain comes down on Galway season

The curtain came down on racing at Galway for 2011 over the weekend where John Kiely’s 4/1 shot Sweeps Hill looked good when landing Saturday’s Grade 3 €30,000 Faber Audiovisuals Ballybrit Novice Chase.
Ground conditions for this two-day autumn fixture were testing following the heavy rain of late but that didn’t deter JP McManus’ chaser who handled conditions with aplomb.
David Casey, who only returned to race-riding recently following yet another enforced spell on the sidelines, was on board Sweeps Hill and he had the son of Montjeu poised on the heels of the leaders as the field headed downhill into the dip.
Once into the home straight, Casey unleashed Sweeps Hill and the seven-year-old swept to the front a furlong out before staying on powerfully up the final hill to beat front-running Regal D’Estruval by five and a half lengths.
Dungarvan-based Kiely was full of praise for his latest winner.
“This is a very nice horse,” he said. “He has been slightly disappointing up to now but today was a nice pot to win. He jumped brilliantly in today’s race and while the ground was heavy, it was loose and that probably suited him.”
Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan has his string in great shape at present and his dual point-to-point winner, Best Served Cold (8/1), underlined his potential when upsetting some better fancied rivals to land the two and a half-mile Barna Waste Novice Hurdle.
Davy Russell was on board the Gigginstown House Stud runner who found a nice gear in the home straight to beat Just For Joe – trained in Gort by Hannah Lee for her husband Joe – by a length-and-three-quarters.
The winner, who attracted support at 20/1 in the morning, has a big future according to his trainer. “This horse is crying out for fences and will stay much further in time. It’s terrific for Michael O’Leary (winning owner) and he is having a great run with his horses at the moment.”
Sunday’s card at Ballybrit featured the Dara Cassidy Memorial Handicap Chase and the Russell-O’Leary combination were also on the mark here as top-weight Tharawaat ploughed through the mud to register a game success.
Trained in Meath by Gordon Elliott, Tharawaat handled what were barely raceable conditions better than most when, having been prominent from an early stage, he went on before two out before staying on really well under his welter burden of 11-10 to beat Indifference Curve by seven lengths.
Winning trainer Elliott was on duty at the Holycross point-to-point where his 4/5 favourite Nedzer’s Return was beaten by Send For Paddy in the open lightweight but Russell reported that it, “was a great effort when you consider that Tharawaat was giving weight away to all his rivals. He jumped and travelled and relished the conditions”.
Russell, who is on fire at present, had earlier initiated a double when steering 11/8 favourite Leave Him Alone to victory in the opening two-mile maiden hurdle.
Trained in Cork by former amateur jockey Kevin O’Sullivan, Leave Him Alone tackled Tynaghs Trooper at the final flight and quickly asserted when forging clear to beat that rival by three lengths.
The maroon and white Gigginstown House colours also got a successful airing in the WB Gavin Solicitors Beginners’ Chase where Last Instalment made a winning debut over the larger obstacles.
A very impressive winner of his point-to-point at Lemonfield last year, Last Instalment is an exciting prospect. he did it well here when, having been prominent throughout, he quickened up impressively under Brian O’Connell close home to beat Alpha Ridge by three lengths.
Interestingly, Davy Russell opted to ride well-backed 6/4 favourite Fists Of Fury (who also carries O’Leary’s silks) in this two and three-quarter mile contest but Charles Byrnes’ runner could only manage a distant third.
Speaking about the winner, his trainer Philip Fenton enthused, “This is a lovely horse. He’s a very a natural jumper of fences. He has great respect for them and even if he gets in tight, he can organise himself. The Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown (Nov 20) will be his next outing.”

UK whip row rumbles on
The recent changes to the whip rules across the water have been dominating the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late.
Now some Irish jockeys’ have joined the debate with the news that Ruby Walsh looks set to curtail his visits to Britain following his controversial suspension at Aintree last Saturday. 
Walsh was riding Edgardo Sol for Paul Nicholls at the Merseyside track on Saturday when, after what appeared a brilliant winning ride, the Kildare jockey was hit with a five-day ban having been found to have hit his mount nine times, one more than the allotted amount under the new rule.
A fuming Walsh, who it is reported was close to refusing to ride in the following race due to the ban, declared, “What I did was instinctive and I was even counting in my head. I counted eight but rules are rules. The rule is wrong, that’s the way I feel about it.
“The rules are well regulated in Ireland. They are discretionary and a bit of common sense is used. That’s the bit that’s missing in England. Common sense seems to have gone out the window,” concluded the multiple Irish champion. 
The Kildare rider has opted not to travel to Britain this week having missed out on a planned trip to Chepstow on Tuesday, while the 32-year-old looks set to pick and choose carefully what he rides in the UK in the future, while the present rules exist.
He has since decided to appeal his ban which, if allowed stand, will see him miss out on the JNwine.com, Chase at Down Royal early next month, and this hearing is due to be heard quite soon.
Walsh’s weigh room colleague Barry Geraghty has leapt to his defence, declaring that he, too, is frustrated by what is seen by many as an overreaction on the part of the British Horseracing Authority.
“I thought Ruby gave Edguardo Sol a brilliant ride and to get suspended for that is flying in the face of what we are trying to do, said Geraghty. 
“We all want to win races but not at any cost. If you can’t ask the horse for the effort he needs to win, then you are reduced to a passenger,” declared the Meath rider.