Weld and Walsh in a league of their own.

RUBY Walsh and Paul Nicholls, already long established as National Hunt racing’s most formidable jockey/ trainer partnership, plundered another big race when the heavily backed market leader Oslot easily justified punters’ confidence in the William Hill Galway Plate at Ballybrit on Wednesday.The ante post favourite since the original entries were revealed over six weeks ago, Oslot became the first cross-channel raider to capture the showpiece event of the summer festival since the Peter Hobbs trained Amlah caused a turn up ten years ago.But there was to be no relief for the layers on this occasion as the unexposed Oslot belied his inexperience – it was the six-year-old’s first run in a handicap – to land the €240,000 event after cruising into the lead on the approach to the two fences in the dip.A couple of spring-heeled leaps consolidated Oslot’s advantage and thoughBrave Right, backed from 16’s into half that price, momentarily looked a danger when giving chase on meeting the rising ground, the Andy Stewart owned raider was never going to be caught. Walsh and Oslot had four lengths to spare at the line despite the Charlie Swan trained Oodachee battling bravely all the way up the hill as Ansar, twice a Plate hero in the past, defied his veteran status to nick third spot from a tiring Brave Right.With Green Mile, a faller at the first fence in the dip on the opening circuit, the only major casualty, there can be no questioning the superiority of Oslot, hammered from early morning odds of 11/2 into a starting price of 11/4, in giving Nicholls his first Galway festival victory.Successful jockey Walsh couldn’t hide his admiration for his second Plate winner – he steered Moscow Express to glory in 1999. “He jumped super all the way around and really pinged the second last. He's only six and there is more improvement to come.”There was a significant milestone achieved in the William Hill Irish Sports Book Maiden as the King of Ballybrit, Dermot Weld, saddled his 200th festival winner when the Emmet Mullin partnered Lady Alica showed plenty of resolution in wearing down Zarinava. It was Weld’s.....