Latest news with #ConnachtHotel(Q.R.)Handicap
Irish Daily Mirror
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Winning trainer Emmet Mullins celebrates with Supermac's after Galway victory
Emmet Mullins capped off his emotional Galway Races victory with a pitstop in Supermac's after an epic day at Ballybrit. Mullins teamed up with Alan O'Sullivan, the brother of tragic jockey Michael O'Sullivan to win the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap. And after an energy-packed day that climaxed with the emotional victory, Mullins stopped off for a bite to eat at fast food chain Supermac's, a franchise synonymous with Galway. The race, which is for amateurs only, sparked the imagination of the crowd and pulled at the heartstrings as O'Sullivan raced to victory on the JP McManus-owned Filey Bay. 'It's unbelievable, my goal at the start of the year was to be good enough that someone might want me for this. He was looking down on me, I think,' said O'Sullivan. 'When I wanted the gaps, they came for me, I got a dream run. I probably went the brave man's route, but I thought it's what Mikey would have done. I had loads of horse, if I got any gap at all I had the horse to take it. 'I got a dream run and he galloped all the way to the line.' Mullins described the win as 'magic'. 'It was meant to be and I'm a bit lost for words. It's just magic. 'It was Michael's saddle that Alan was using today. Michael rode a few times for me here and I think we hit the crossbar twice, so Alan steadied the ship. 'It's been a long enough road with the horse. We had him last season and I sent him home twice as I just wasn't happy. Thankfully with JP the patience has paid off. 'Alan was keen to ride him, and I was keen to claim off him as well. For 7lb claimers you don't need to look any further than Alan.'
RTÉ News
28-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Emotional win for Alan O'Sullivan in opening feature at Galway Races
Filey Bay justified market support in recording an emotional victory in the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap at Galway. The feature event on the first evening of the week-long festival at Ballybrit is restricted to amateur riders and it was Alan O'Sullivan – brother of the late Michael O'Sullivan, who tragically died in February following injuries suffered in a fall at Thurles – who shone in the saddle. O'Sullivan had to weave a path to get a run on the JP McManus-owned gelding and when he did he fairly shot clear aboard Emmet Mullins' 7-1 chance, with the winning jockey looking to the skies as he passed the line four and three-quarter lengths ahead of Mon Coeur. Filey Bay is a 7-1 winner of the Connacht Hotel Handicap for Emmet Mullins 📺 Watch The Galway Races live on @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer #GalwayRaces — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 28, 2025 "He's looking down on me since the day he left us," O'Sullivan told RTÉ Sport. "I have so much confidence now, knowing that he's looking down on me. "To do this for him, I think he would be proud." He added: "It's unbelievable, my goal at the start of the year was to be good enough that someone might want me for this. "When I wanted the gaps, they came for me, I got a dream run. I probably went the brave man's route, but I thought it's what Mikey would have done. I had loads of horse, if I got any gap at all I had the horse to take it. "I got a dream run and he galloped all the way to the line." Jockey Alan O'Sullivan felt his late brother Michael "would be proud" after he piloted Filey Bay to the feature Connacht Hotel Handicap 📺 Watch The Galway Races live on @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer now #GalwayRaces — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 28, 2025 Mullins said: "It was meant to be and I'm a bit lost for words. It's just magic. "It was Michael's saddle that Alan was using today. Michael rode a few times for me here and I think we hit the crossbar twice, so Alan steadied the ship. "It's been a long enough road with the horse. We had him last season and I sent him home twice as I just wasn't happy. Thankfully with JP the patience has paid off. "Alan was keen to ride him, and I was keen to claim off him as well. For 7lb claimers you don't need to look any further than Alan." Davy Crockett lived up to his regal breeding with a comprehensive victory in the Galway Bay Hotel & The Galmont Hotel Novice Hurdle. The Willie Mullins-trained four-year-old is a son of dual Derby hero Camelot out of Champion Hurdle-winning mare Annie Power, making him a half-brother to dual Grade One victor Mystical Power, who landed this Galway Festival curtain-raiser two years ago. Easy winner of a Punchestown bumper on his debut in early June, the 1-2 favourite to make a successful transition to the jumping game raised brief concerns for his supporters two out, but knuckled down well for Mark Walsh in the straight to beat Mick Collins by two and a half lengths. Mullins said: "I was very happy with how efficient his jumping was except, for the mistake at the second-last. For a horse having his first run over hurdles and just the second run of his career, I was very pleased with him. "We'll just keep going down the novice hurdle route and hopefully he might make into a Royal Bond horse. He could go to Listowel before then." JP McManus reacts to Davy Crockett winning the opening race and pays tribute to 'amazing trainer 'Edward O'Grady' who saddled his 1978 Galway Plate winner Shining Flame, purchased from Wexford hurling legend Nicky Rackard 📺 Watch #GalwayRaces live on @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer now — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 28, 2025 Mullins also paid tribute to training great Edward O'Grady, who died on Sunday at the age of 75. He added: "Edward was someone that back in the day we looked up to. He was the foremost trainer going to Cheltenham – when no one (from Ireland) was having runners or winners in Cheltenham, he was having one or two of them every year. "People forget how difficult it was for Irish trainers to bring horses across and win and Edward had fantastic horses. He had a great Galway connection of course with Golden Cygnet, owned by Ray Rooney who was chairman here in Galway. "He'll be sorely missed in Irish racing." Constitution River confirmed the promise of his debut run to land the Eventus Irish EBF (C & G) Maiden with real authority. Contrary To Law attempted to keep tabs on Aidan O'Brien's runner up front, but he was shrugged off with some ease, as were the rest, as the imposing Wootton Bassett colt powered to a three-and-three-quarter-length triumph under Wayne Lordan, as odds of 1-5 suggested he would. A €400,000 purchase as a yearling, the winner – who is out of a sister to the top-class racemare Wonderful Tonight – just missed out to the Charlie Appleby-trained Distant Storm at the Newmarket July meeting, when the pair were nicely clear of the third. O'Brien's representative Chris Armstrong said: "He had a very good run in a nice maiden in Newmarket and with normal improvement coming here you'd think he'd put up a good display. "He was very green and Wayne said he was looking at the camera on his inside, but he went to the line with plenty still left in him. The experience around here will do him the world of good. "He's a colt with a touch of class and is one to look forward to going into the second half of the season. I suppose he puts himself into the Futurity mix with the rest of them and the lads will divide them up and see where they go."
