Local trainers Murphy and Gilligan hit the jackpot at Ballybrit’s final meeting
TWO in-form local trainers rounded off Galway’s racing season in style to the joy of punters at the weekend’s October Bank Holiday Festival.
The Craughwell yard of Paul Gilligan and the Clarinbridge stable of Barry Murphy both came up trumps at the final meeting of the year at Ballybrit with their respective well-backed market leaders, Rock On Barney and Pakens Rock.
A decent field lined up for the Sanserv Rated Novice Chase on Saturday’s card – the opening session of the three-day meeting – but the quality of Pakens Rock’s rivals still didn’t prevent the seven-year-old continuing his love affair with the track.
The most popular Galway horse in training and carrying the colours of former St Thomas’ hurler Ray Healy, Pakens Rock was chalking up his fourth success at Ballybrit by bravely making all in the testing conditions.
Sent off the well-backed 3/1 favourite, Philip Enright’s mount may have jumped a couple of obstacles slowly, including the last, but Pakens Rock again thrived on the track’s unique undulations in quickly following up his Beginners Chase win at Galway earlier in the month.
The Noel Meade trained Brace Yourself was always the winners’ closest pursuer and briefly looked a big threat coming round the home turn, but Pakens Rick stayed on resolutely to take the spoils by two lengths.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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