My Stable: Donn McClean with his eyecatchers from the 2020 Galway Festival

Trusted Ally (Michael O’Callaghan)

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It seems like a long time now since Blue For You ran out a game winner of the seven-furlong juveniles’ maiden that opened the 2020 Galway Festival, a race in which Trusted Ally didn’t have a lot of luck in-running.

Michael O’Callaghan’s colt was smartly away and took up a nice early position under Leigh Roche along the inside, just behind the leader. He travelled well down the hill and into the home straight, but the gap on the inside at the top of the home straight closed on him, and his rider had to take him back and come around. He had no chance of winning after that, but there was a lot to like about the manner in which he re-gathered his momentum and kept on again to take fourth place.

This was just Trusted Ally’s second run. On his debut, he stayed on well to finish a close-up third behind Giorgio Vasari and Alex D at Limerick last month over six and a half furlongs. Out of a sister to St Leger winner Mastery, he should be winning his maiden soon before stepping up in class, and he could improve for a step up in trip.

Mt Leinster (Willie Mullins)

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Mt Leinster ran better in the Galway Hurdle on Thursday than the bare form of his run suggests.

He was fairly badly hampered at the second flight when Felix Desjy fell in front of him, and it appeared to take him a couple of hurdles before he regained his confidence at his obstacles. As well as that, they didn’t go a great gallop, it was a Galway Hurdle in which it was an advantage to be prominent, and Willie Mullins’ horse was no better than 13th as they started down the hill.

The first five home occupied the first five positions at that point. As well as that, every one of them was either on the inside or one off the inside. Mt Leinster had to go wide on the run down the hill to make his ground. He moved into sixth place as they ran to the home turn, but he had done a lot of running to get to that point, and he just kept on from there to retain that position.

Winner of the qualified riders’ maiden on the flat over a mile and a half on Monday evening, the Beat Hollow gelding is obviously in good form these days. He is only six and he has raced just five times over hurdles, so he has the potential to go beyond his handicap rating of 142.

Diamond Hill (Willie Mullins)

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Diamond Hill did well to finish fourth in the Guinness Handicap Hurdle Friday. Weak in the market beforehand, she was settled at the back of the field by Danny Mullins early on behind no more than a moderate pace. Her jumping wasn't overly fluent, she got in tight to one or two, but she still travelled well down the hill and into contention. She made a significant error at the second last flight though, just when she needed a good jump with the hill looming, and her winning chance ended there. Her two stable companions Great White Shark and My Sister Sarah got away from their rivals, but Diamond Hill still stayed on up the hill to take fourth place.

It was a fine run by Willie Mullins' mare on her first run since last November. She is owned by the Mee family, who love to have winners at Galway, so you have to think that Galway was her target, and she has shown an affinity for the track in the past, but she was probably only third best of the Willie Mullins horses on jockey bookings. It was a big run though on her first attempt at this distance. Rated 98 on the flat, this was only her sixth run over hurdles, so she has the potential to progress beyond her handicap rating of 125.

Emperor Of The Sun (Donnacha O’Brien)

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Emperor Of The Sun ran a fine race to finish second to Princess Zoe in the 12-furlong premier handicap on Saturday.

He had been slowly away in the past, but he wasn’t that slow here, and Gavin Ryan rode him along in order that he could adopt a prominent early position. He disputed second place with Memorabilis behind leader Pearl Warrior before, responding well to pressure, he hit the front as they rounded the home turn. Princess Zoe was quickly out after him, and he couldn’t repel the challenge of Tony Mullins’ highly progressive mare, but he only went down by a half a length to her, and the pair of them pulled five and a half lengths clear of another talented horse in Lynwood Gold.

This was another nice step forward by Donnacha O’Brien’s horse, in his first-time hood. He had shaped promisingly in both his runs this season before Saturday, all the while leaving the impression that stamina was his forte, so it was no surprise that he put up a career-best on Saturday in the stiffest test that he has undertaken to date, a mile and a half at a stiff track on soft ground.

It was a big run by a three-year-old in a field of good older horses. This was just his sixth run, so he should continue to progress, and he could improve further for a step up to a mile and six furlongs.

Fourhometwo (Johnny Murtagh)

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Fourhometwo was impressive in winning the seven-furlong juveniles’ maiden on Sunday. Johnny Murtagh’s colt travelled well through his race along the inside and just behind the front rank. Angled off the rail by Shane Kelly on the run to the home turn, he had to go four horses wide, but he continued his forward momentum. He hit the front at the furlong marker and stayed on strongly all the way to the line to win by almost three lengths from Dame Dandy, who was in turn almost two lengths clear of the remainder.

This is the race that Alpine Star won last year, when she beat Santiago into second place. While it is unlikely that there is a Coronation Stakes or an Irish Derby winner lurking this year, it still looked like a good maiden beforehand, it was run at a solid pace, and Fourhometwo ran out an impressive winner. The Ajaya colt had shaped really encouragingly on his racecourse debut at Gowran Park in July, when he got to within a half a length of the regally-bred Southern Cape, who had already had a run, coming clear of the rest of the field. This was a nice step forward from that, and it was interesting that his rider Shane Kelly said afterwards that he would be even better back on better ground.

He doesn’t hold any lofty entries at present, but he should continue to progress, and it will be interesting to see him now stepping up in grade. His sire was a sprinter, a Gimcrack Stakes winner, but his dam won over a mile and a half, and he saw out this stiff seven furlongs well, so he could improve again for a step up to a mile.

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