Jockey Barry Geraghty won his first Guinness Galway Hurdle when powering Tigris River to a narrow victory in Thursday's €300,000 festival centrepiece.
It was also a first success in Ireland’s richest hurdles race for the winner’s trainer, Joseph O’Brien, emulating his father Aidan who won it with Toast The Spreece 20 years previously.
It was just a couple of years after that when Geraghty tried for the first time to win the Galway Hurdle. Among his dozen other previous attempts at the race he finished runner up, fell at the last and turned down the winning ride on Missunited in 2013.
For a rider acclaimed among the finest ever produced by this country, with multiple Gold Cups, Champion Hurdles, Champion Chases and a Grand National under his belt, his failure to win either of the Galway festival’s feature events had become a nagging itch – tiny in the overall picture but still demanding a scratch.
The broken arm he picked up at Easter was far from a scratch but Geraghty made it back in time for this week’s action. The previous day’s Plate eluded him but the 5-1 shot Tigris River came up the hill like a lion to overhaul a luckless Swamp Fox by a neck, making it 14th time lucky for his rider. Airlie Beach was five lengths further back in third.
“It’s great to finally do it. This is a great festival but both the Plate and the Hurdle are massive and along with the Irish National they’re the big ones of the year,” said the former dual-champion jockey who will be 38 next month.
“I said to Barry Browne (Swamp Fox’s jockey) pulling up that you’ll have 20 years to win one of these as that’s how long I’ve been trying!” Geraghty added.
An hour after his father landed a 13th Group One of the year with Winter’s odds-on victory in Goodwood’s Nassau Stakes, 24-year-old O’Brien officially secured the biggest National Hunt prize of his burgeoning career.
He won last year’s Group One Moyglare on the flat with Intricately, months after ending a short but stellar riding career and getting his licence.
“Barry gave him a great ride. The horse was flat out the whole way. I’m delighted as the preparation went perfect. I didn’t think he’d get there but there’s no stronger man in the saddle than Barry,” O’Brien said.
Tigris River was fifth in the race in 2016 and owner JP McManus, winning the race for a second time, said: “Joseph has done a great job looking after this horse since last year when he didn’t get the clearest of runs. He’s very dedicated – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”
Further proof of that had come earlier with Tesseract also coming out best by a neck with a Beginners Chase victory under the trainer's cousin, JJ Slevin.
O'Brien's tally for the week so far is four winners, two shy of Willie Mullins although the Leading Trainer award is judged on a points basis taking into account placed efforts too.
Mullins landed the Grade 3 chase with his well-backed second-string Rathvinden who proved five lengths too good for Potters Point. Ruby Walsh on another of the 7-2 co-favourites, Townshed, could finish only fourth.
“Rathvinden worked really well during the week and Ruby mentioned he might ride Rathvinden. I just said it would be difficult to get off Townshend. So it’s my fault!” Mullins said.
Aidan O'Brien's 'Lucky 13' day wasn't confined to Goodwood. Just prior to the Nassau, Music Box made her 13th start of 2017 a winning one at Galway.
The filly made headlines on her very first start back in March when picking up a lengthy ban under ‘Non Trier’ rules. She has appeared less than straightforward at times during a busy campaign since then but proved a convincing winner of the Listed Corrib Stakes under the trainer’s son, Donnacha.
“I got a nice position and she stayed on nicely,” the rider said. “She had some good runs and could progress further.”
Camlann and Pat Smullen started well backed 2-1 favourites for the mile and a half handicap but were foiled in the closing stages by the first-reserve Andratx, scoring at 8-1 under Conor Hoban.
