Glorious Galway

Glorious Galway did well to finish fourth in the Porterstown Handicap Chase, given that he was 5lb out of the handicap, and that he led from flagfall in a race in which the hold-up horses came to the fore.

The first three home all raced in rear from early, and all three were delivered late. Even jumping the fourth last fence, eventual winner Killer Miller was 10th and runner Mon Lino was eighth, while third-placed Ah Littleluck was still only sixth. Glorious Galway was still in front at that point, apparently jumping and travelling well. He lasted in the lead until the run to the second last fence, when he was swamped by the hold-up horses. The first three came away from him from that point as he tired, but he still kept on well enough to take fourth place.

It was a fine run by Declan McNamara’s horse. He didn’t manage to win in four attempts in point-to-points, but he won a hunter chase at Limerick last Christmas – a race in which Wrong Direction fell at the second last fence when going well – and he ran a cracker in the Cork National on his last run before his Fairyhouse run. The handicapper raised him by 3lb for that run to a mark of 115, but he was 5lb out of the handicap at Fairyhouse, so he raced off an effective mark of 120. The handicapper left him on his old mark of 115 after this run, and he dropped him by 1lb after he finished fifth in a handicap chase at Navan last Sunday. That run probably came up quickly enough after his Porterstown Chase exertions though, just two weeks later, so you can allow him that. His best runs have been after breaks of four weeks. There could be a nice staying handicap chase in him now off his new mark after he’s freshened up again. He is only seven, and he has raced just eight times under Rules, so he has plenty of scope for progression now.

Fairyhouse, 1^st December 2019