Harringtons’ hit the jackpot with well supported Modem

A big gamble was landed when bottom weight Modem gave the mother and daughter combination of Jessica and Kate Harrington the perfect start to the week-long Galway summer festival at Ballybrit on Monday evening.

Available at 12/1 in the morning and backed from sevens into 5/1 second favourite on course, the five-year-old justified that strong support when gaining a hard fought victory in the €80,000 Connacht Hotel Amateur Handicap

Kate Harrington always had Modem close to the pace and launched her challenge around the final bend after Wood Breizh and Katie Walsh had kicked for home. The combination hit the front just inside the final furlong and had enough in reserve to hold off the challenges of Awesome Star and well backed favourite Ted Veale, which was bidding to give Tony Martin a third consecutive win in the race.

Though there was a sting in the tail for the winning rider when she picked up a 10-day whip ban for not giving her mount sufficient time to recover, it couldn’t deflate Harrington’s joy at landing this big prize for amateur riders.

“I can’t believe I’ve won. I’m nearly speechless. It was the plan to jump out and get a position near the rail and it all went according to plan. As soon as I pushed the button he went. Modem wasn’t doing a tap in front and I had to keep him up to his job,” she added.

The first evening of the Galway festival tends to be a rewarding one for Ballybrit specialist Dermot Weld and he didn’t disappoint the yard’s followers with a short-priced double which was initiated by True Solitaire in the Claregalway Hotel Maiden.

The value of racecourse experience was underlined as the well backed debutant Unicorn from the Aidan O’Brien stable ran very green and was never a threat to True Solitaire, which broke well and had four and a lengths to spare at the line from rank outsider The Moore Factor.

Weld and champion jockey Pat Smullen completed the double when 9/4 market leader Harasava, following up his win in Sligo last month, displayed plenty of grit in battling back to get the better of a titanic tussle with Torcedor in the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap.

On drying ground, local jockey Leigh Roche pulled off the biggest surprise on the card when 16/1 chance Romiac, wearing blinkers for the first time, overcame a wide draw to land the Clayton Hotel Handicap with almost ridicoulus ease from off the pace.

The irony of Roche’s win was that he was foiling a significant punt on Tadaany, representing the Tuam jockey’s retaining Weld stable. “We took our time out wide, but the blinkers and step up in trip made all the difference, It’s great to have a Galway winner so early in the week.” said Roche.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.