Sports
Kelly presents Percy in top shape to land Galway prize
THE renaissance of local trainer Pat Kelly continued at Ballybrit on Sunday when the Craughwell-based handler turned out the promising Presenting Percy to land the Corrib Oil Maiden Hurdle.
Having saddled his first ever winner at the Cheltenham National Hunt festival last March when Mall Dini landed the Pertemps Hurdle, Kelly struck at his local track on the first day of the Galway October meeting with the well-backed 9/4 chance.
A bumper winner at Balinrobe last April, Presenting Percy was a never dangerous fourth on his debut over hurdles at the new Galway early October meeting, but that experience stood the five-year in good stead on his return to Ballybrit.
Approaching the last, Presenting Percy was travelling the best against the front-running Ceide Feils and market leader Canelie, and though jockey Sean Flanagan had to keep his mount honest, the outcome was never really in doubt as Kelly’s charge had two lengths to spare at the line.
Carrying the colours of Philip Reynolds, who also owns Mall Dini, Presenting Percy’s next target is far from certain. “You know me, I could go for a handicap with him,” said a contented Kelly afterwards. “He was more settled today and I think this is a horse going places.”
Having trained Natalies Fancy and No Tag to both win the Guinness Galway Hurdle over a four-year period in the nineties, Kelly gets a real kick of having success at his local track. “Galway has been good to me over the years and there’s nothing to beat winning here,” he added.
Kelly was the only local trainer to hit the jackpot at the Galway October meeting, but Steve Mahon’s He Rock’s was arguably unlucky despite only finishing fifth in Monday’s feature, the Ennis Lifts Handicap Chase.
Badly interfered when stable-mate Aranhill Chief fell on the first circuit, the hat-trick seeking seven-year-old temporarily lost his confidence by throwing in a couple of sketchy leaps, but had got back into contention heading into the dip for the final time only for his earlier exertions to take their toll.
Instead, victory went to the well supported Hash Brown – not surprisingly, a particularly popular result among the big student attendance – which was given Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan only his second winner in the past 12 months.
Hash Brown, rated just two pounds higher compared to when landing the same race in 2015, had a comfortable four and a half lengths margin over Dromea with Fergus Hanley’s patiently ridden The Black Russian completing the placings in the €25,000 event.
It was the second leg of a treble for Barry Geraghty, who would have achieved a notable four-timer on the day only for the heavily-backed Oathkeeper being caught on the line by bottom weight and the consistent She’s A Star in the Barna Recycling Novice Hurdle.
Geraghty had initiated his hat-trick when Kalopsia emerged a somewhat fortunate winner of the opening mares maiden hurdle after the challenging and better travelling Lettre De Cachet made a jolting error at the final flight in losing valuable momentum.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
