DANIEL KING CONFIRMED the impression he is a star in the making when becoming the first jockey in 42 years to add the Guinness Galway Hurdle to his Galway Plate success as Putapoundinthejar gave Tony Martin another win in the feature.
The late Joe Byrne was the last jockey to pick up the two Galway Festival highlights in the same week, landing the double on Master Player and Tara Lee in 1984.
Just 24 hours after a strong ride to get King Alexander home for trainer Willie Mullins, King enjoyed an armchair ride on 10-1 shot Putapoundinthejar to land the second €270,000 race of the week.
Martin, landing his fifth Galway Hurdle, has compared King to a “young Ruby Walsh” and there seems little doubt the 21-year-old from Kilbrin in County Cork is destined for the top.
“I didn’t get to see all the race but everywhere I did see, he was travelling so well,” said Martin.
“He was where you wanted him to be at all stages and for a lad of his age, he is some talent. I haven’t seen a lot with his talent in a lot of years.”
King said: “As I said yesterday it’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s dream stuff, really. Coming here this week, I had a few nice rides and I was hopeful, but I had never ridden a winner at the Galway Festival before.
“To get two of the biggest pots of the week, it’s class. It means everything. He jumped savage all the way round, didn’t miss a beat and took me into the race so easily. It was just a matter of getting a gap and a gap opened up lovely. It was plain sailing from there.”
Earlier on the mixed card, trainer Joe Murphy ended a winless drought of over nine months when Pivotal Attack landed the Listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.
The Fethard trainer, who sprung a 33-1 shock with Cercene in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, had not trained a winner since October.
But Pivotal Attack (3-1) opened what Murphy now hopes will be the floodgates when ending the winning streak of the prolific Meriden under Gary Carroll to repeat her Galway Festival success over course and distance 12 months ago.
“This is a big relief as sometimes you are left wondering, am I praying to the right Gods?” said Murphy. “We had been placed in premier handicaps and group races, but have had no winner. It is like going to the mart and not getting any money for a calf.
“Hopefully this will turn the corner. In racing, you live with it and celebrate the good days. They’ll eventually come back to form and my owners are forgiving as well, and have stayed loyal.”
Eoin McCarthy’s Shadow Paddy (5-2 favourite) continued his upward progress over fences when landing the Grade Three Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase under Gary Noonan.
“I was under pressure today as I thought it was our race to lose which, for an outfit of our size, is pressure,” said the trainer.
“The race didn’t go to plan as he was going too well and then drifted wide, but once he knuckled down he settled it quickly.”
Meanwhile, Diamond Necklace lived up to her billing when extending her unbeaten record with a dominant display in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
Having rounded off a perfect juvenile campaign with victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp, Aidan O’Brien’s filly has returned to France to secure back-to-back Classic wins this year, in the French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks.
She was the 4-6 favourite to make it six from six as she faced her elders for the first time and while Friendly Soul did her best to shake her off, Ryan Moore always looked ultra-confident in the saddle aboard Diamond Necklace and she pulled two and three-quarter lengths clear with the minimum of fuss.
An impressed Moore said: “That’s the best she’s felt, she’s improving with her racing. Aidan said she was up in her weight a bit today so she’s obviously thriving.
“She’s classy, it was very easy really. She travelled smoothly and quickened up well, she’s a little bit idle in front still, but she’s a proper racing machine.
“She gives you a classy feel, every time I’ve ridden her she’s travelled with loads of pace, loads of enthusiasm and she has a turn of foot; that’s what her father (St Mark’s Basilica) had, a real good turn of foot and that’s what’s evident with her.”
O’Brien was delighted to see Diamond Necklace enhance her unbeaten record and said: “She’s lovely and she’s progressing and she was heavier today, but Rachel (Richardson, work rider) was confident that was just strength she was building rather than just being heavy and it was the way she went through the line.
“There’s a lot of people around her who help her and she’s a lovely filly. This was a mile and a quarter against older fillies and we didn’t know what was going to happen. We put in a lot of pace as we didn’t want a Mickey Mouse race and she has options now.
“You can see her quality the way she travels through a race and Ryan was hoping they would lead him longer and he just had to go on as her stride was getting broken. She is a great cruiser and she has a lot of quality and is progressing great so I’m over the moon.”
Diamond Necklace was shortened to 8-1 from 14s for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by Paddy Power, but O’Brien is yet to commit on stretching her stamina any further than the 10 furlongs, with the star filly holding a multitude of options for later in the season.
He added: “Constitution River is the boss and everyone has to fall into line behind him. At the moment he is going to York and we’re looking forward to that.
“She could stay at a mile and a quarter and go to the race at Leopardstown (Irish Champion Stakes), or France for an Arc trial, she has all those races open to her and she does handle soft ground as well as she handles fast ground.
“The Arc is possibility and she could be a Breeders’ Cup filly, it will depend how far we ask her to go. Her next run will tell us where she is going to go and she has a long stride on her and loves nice ground and a fast track, she has a lot of options.”
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Rising star Daniel King makes history as he completes big Galway double
DANIEL KING CONFIRMED the impression he is a star in the making when becoming the first jockey in 42 years to add the Guinness Galway Hurdle to his Galway Plate success as Putapoundinthejar gave Tony Martin another win in the feature.
The late Joe Byrne was the last jockey to pick up the two Galway Festival highlights in the same week, landing the double on Master Player and Tara Lee in 1984.
Just 24 hours after a strong ride to get King Alexander home for trainer Willie Mullins, King enjoyed an armchair ride on 10-1 shot Putapoundinthejar to land the second €270,000 race of the week.
Martin, landing his fifth Galway Hurdle, has compared King to a “young Ruby Walsh” and there seems little doubt the 21-year-old from Kilbrin in County Cork is destined for the top.
“I didn’t get to see all the race but everywhere I did see, he was travelling so well,” said Martin.
“He was where you wanted him to be at all stages and for a lad of his age, he is some talent. I haven’t seen a lot with his talent in a lot of years.”
King said: “As I said yesterday it’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s dream stuff, really. Coming here this week, I had a few nice rides and I was hopeful, but I had never ridden a winner at the Galway Festival before.
“To get two of the biggest pots of the week, it’s class. It means everything. He jumped savage all the way round, didn’t miss a beat and took me into the race so easily. It was just a matter of getting a gap and a gap opened up lovely. It was plain sailing from there.”
Earlier on the mixed card, trainer Joe Murphy ended a winless drought of over nine months when Pivotal Attack landed the Listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.
The Fethard trainer, who sprung a 33-1 shock with Cercene in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, had not trained a winner since October.
But Pivotal Attack (3-1) opened what Murphy now hopes will be the floodgates when ending the winning streak of the prolific Meriden under Gary Carroll to repeat her Galway Festival success over course and distance 12 months ago.
“This is a big relief as sometimes you are left wondering, am I praying to the right Gods?” said Murphy. “We had been placed in premier handicaps and group races, but have had no winner. It is like going to the mart and not getting any money for a calf.
“Hopefully this will turn the corner. In racing, you live with it and celebrate the good days. They’ll eventually come back to form and my owners are forgiving as well, and have stayed loyal.”
Eoin McCarthy’s Shadow Paddy (5-2 favourite) continued his upward progress over fences when landing the Grade Three Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase under Gary Noonan.
“I was under pressure today as I thought it was our race to lose which, for an outfit of our size, is pressure,” said the trainer.
“The race didn’t go to plan as he was going too well and then drifted wide, but once he knuckled down he settled it quickly.”
Meanwhile, Diamond Necklace lived up to her billing when extending her unbeaten record with a dominant display in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
Having rounded off a perfect juvenile campaign with victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp, Aidan O’Brien’s filly has returned to France to secure back-to-back Classic wins this year, in the French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks.
She was the 4-6 favourite to make it six from six as she faced her elders for the first time and while Friendly Soul did her best to shake her off, Ryan Moore always looked ultra-confident in the saddle aboard Diamond Necklace and she pulled two and three-quarter lengths clear with the minimum of fuss.
An impressed Moore said: “That’s the best she’s felt, she’s improving with her racing. Aidan said she was up in her weight a bit today so she’s obviously thriving.
“She’s classy, it was very easy really. She travelled smoothly and quickened up well, she’s a little bit idle in front still, but she’s a proper racing machine.
“She gives you a classy feel, every time I’ve ridden her she’s travelled with loads of pace, loads of enthusiasm and she has a turn of foot; that’s what her father (St Mark’s Basilica) had, a real good turn of foot and that’s what’s evident with her.”
O’Brien was delighted to see Diamond Necklace enhance her unbeaten record and said: “She’s lovely and she’s progressing and she was heavier today, but Rachel (Richardson, work rider) was confident that was just strength she was building rather than just being heavy and it was the way she went through the line.
“There’s a lot of people around her who help her and she’s a lovely filly. This was a mile and a quarter against older fillies and we didn’t know what was going to happen. We put in a lot of pace as we didn’t want a Mickey Mouse race and she has options now.
“You can see her quality the way she travels through a race and Ryan was hoping they would lead him longer and he just had to go on as her stride was getting broken. She is a great cruiser and she has a lot of quality and is progressing great so I’m over the moon.”
Diamond Necklace was shortened to 8-1 from 14s for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by Paddy Power, but O’Brien is yet to commit on stretching her stamina any further than the 10 furlongs, with the star filly holding a multitude of options for later in the season.
He added: “Constitution River is the boss and everyone has to fall into line behind him. At the moment he is going to York and we’re looking forward to that.
“She could stay at a mile and a quarter and go to the race at Leopardstown (Irish Champion Stakes), or France for an Arc trial, she has all those races open to her and she does handle soft ground as well as she handles fast ground.
“The Arc is possibility and she could be a Breeders’ Cup filly, it will depend how far we ask her to go. Her next run will tell us where she is going to go and she has a long stride on her and loves nice ground and a fast track, she has a lot of options.”
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