DERMOT WELD GOT his Galway FEstival off to a flier at Ballybrit today by taking the first race of the meeting, the Radissonhotelgalway.com & Galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle, with Train Of Thought.
With Ruby Walsh on board, the four-year-old looked comfortable on his hurdling debut.
“He jumps well and he got a typical Ruby Walsh ride — that is why he’s a champion jockey by giving rides like that on a horse he’d never seen before. He knew my horses usually jump pretty good so we discussed tactics beforehand.
“He’ll come back here for a handicap on Sunday on the Flat providing the ground stays decent, it’s beautiful at the moment.”
Ruby Walsh said afterwards: “It’s nice to get on Mr Weld’s horses around here. For a first-timer he jumped extremely well, travelled really well and when I wanted him to pick up going to the second-last, he really did.
“The ground is good — from a jumping point of view you wouldn’t mind a shower or two of rain but for the meeting in general, it should be lovely. I ride Blackstairmountain in the Galway Plate — he’ll love the ground. Willie (Mullins) has Drive Time and Blazing Tempo in the Galway Hurdle so we’ll see what the weather does before we make our mind’s up.”
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