First Galway Festival win for Cork trainer Kevin Coleman
Thatwilldoso and Rory Cleary (yellow) win the McDonogh Capital Investments Handicap. Picture: Healy Racing
Inishannon native Kevin Coleman is a trainer going places and he registered his first win as a trainer at the Galway Festival with Thatwilldoso who claimed the concluding McDonogh Capital Investments Handicap.
Coleman enjoyed his greatest ever success as a jockey when he combined with fellow Cork man Liam Burke and Sir Frederick to win the Galway Plate back in 2007. Coleman has been operating out of Tipperary since he took out a license in 2018.
"She was in very good form coming here but with the 'Galway factor' we didn't know, and then I saw her dropping back through the field, but she obviously came around them again," Coleman said.
”They all give them good rides when they win but it was a very good ride and he is a very good rider around here.
"I never come here (to Galway) and this is only my third runner as a trainer here. It is a place I wouldn't come to unless you have a chance and we knew she had a chance, so this is great.
"I would say my last winner here was on Sir Frederick in the Plate all those years ago."
The summer racing moved on to Cork earlier in the week and there was a great local success when Sean Allen’s Cappa Hill emerged victorious under a very positive ride from another Cork man Darragh O’Keeffe.
It was terrific to see a small trainer like Allen come out on top and he put his winner firmly in the shop window.
“We got his wind done after the last day, which seems to have worked the oracle. If anyone wants to buy him, he is for sale and he should win again," Allen said.
"He'll jump a fence and has been very consistent.
”I'm a farmer but we have ten horses so it is an expensive hobby. We're in Araglin and Darragh, who rides, is my brother and Johnny Allen (leading Australian Flat jockey) is my cousin."
Field Of Gold who looked like a real superstar earlier in the summer will bypass York’s Juddmonte International Stakes as he continues his recovery from the setback sustained when suffering a shock defeat at Goodwood last week.
John and Thady Gosden’s Irish 2,000 Guineas and Royal Ascot hero was discovered to be lame after tasting defeat for just the second time this season in the Sussex Stakes and although there are encouraging signs in his recuperation, a step up to 10 furlongs on the Knavesmire has been ruled out by his team.
Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon saying: “The horse is doing well and was back sound, which is good. He’s got a little bit of swelling in his fetlock but John and Thady are much happier with him so the plan is to do the X-ray on Wednesday – they’ve just pushed it back a day, as the longer you can leave it, the clearer the picture is. York though is definitely not going to happen at this stage.”
The Juddmonte star holds entries in both the Prix du Moulin and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at a mile later in the campaign, while he could yet test the waters up in distance in Leopardstown’s Irish Champion Stakes on September 13.
Finally, there was plenty of controversy last week when the placings were reversed in the Galway Hurdle and the race was awarded to the Gordon Elliot trained Ndaawi.
It was certainly decision that divided opinion among racing professionals with Noel Meade confirming that he has lodged an appeal against the demotion of Helvic Dream from first place in last week’s big race.
Meade’s eight-year-old was first past the post, getting the better of Ndaawi by a head, only for the stewards to reverse the placings, ruling interference between the pair had affected the result.
Speaking at Sligo on Wednesday, Meade said: “We put an appeal in yesterday and it’s up on Tuesday, so we’ll see what happens.
"Despite what everyone seems to think, every video I look at seems to suggest that Jack (Kennedy, on Ndaawi) got every chance to win the race and didn’t go through with it as much as anything else.
"He was leaning on my lad as much as my lad was leaning on him."
App?
