Gilligan and Harangue pull off audacious treble of hurdle wins in just eight days

THREE wins in eight days under three different jockeys at three different racecourses – two in England and one in Ireland. Perhaps, a feat for the equine record books!

‘Have horse will travel’ is an old racing maxim and Galway trainer Paul Gilligan certainly took it to heart in plotting an amazing hat-trick for Harangue between last Tuesday week in Worcester and Tuesday night in Sligo.

Those victories in handicap hurdles bookended a similar triumph at Southwell last Sunday evening as Harangue made light of a hectic schedule, mandatory penalties and some serious travelling in completing his unique treble.

Craughwell-based Gilligan, a former Cheltenham festival hero with Berties Dream, began his audacious sequence of wins in Worcester in the English Midlands as Harangue made a mockery of starting odds of 33/1 in skating clear of his rivals under Tom O’Brien.

Gilligan may have been slightly surprised by the five-year-old’s almost effortless success, but he was more confident about the raid on Southwell five days later. With champion jockey Tony McCoy in the plate, Harangue comfortably held off the challenge of main market rival Burns Night at the considerably more cramped price of 11/8 favourite.

Despite those exertions, Gilligan was already eying up a trip to Sligo last Tuesday provided Harangue was showing few signs of travel fatigue or running two races in six days. The horse pulled out fresh and it was off to Yeats County.

Sent off the well supported market leader at 2/1 in the Sligo Champion Handicap Hurdle, Harangue’s latest jockey, Andrew Lynch, steered his willing mount home, two and three quarter lengths clear of the field, increasing the margin towards the line after having to be rousted along approaching the last.

Naturally, Harangue was a tired horse after his latest triumph but, as Gilligan says, “he was entitled to be.” It’s been a hectic few days for the trainer too. The yard has gone through lean times for much of 2013, but Harangue’s notable hat-trick has put the Craughwell handler on the racing map again.

“He’s a tough horse and he will be getting a bit of a rest now. His owner Sean Conroy likes Listowel so we will probably head off there for their big festival next month. The horses are running well again and I am glad to have three winners in one week,” added Gilligan.

Just 30 minutes before Harangue completed his winning streak off a revised handicap of 99 in Sligo, another Galway trainer, Carnmore’s Fergus Hanley, saw his 8/1 chance Black Russian finally get off the mark with an easy pillar to post 11 lengths victory in the Kilcawley Construction Maiden Hurdle.

It completed a productive 24 hours for Galway trainers as the previous evening in Roscommon, Craughwell’s Pauline Gavin turned out The Lady Granuaile to land the mares handicap hurdle on the card at odds of 20/1.