O’Brien heads to Galway October meeting with stable stars Valours Minion and Abarta

LOCAL trainer Val O’Brien is preparing a big assault on Galway’s final race meeting of the year with stable stars Abarta and Valours Minion over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Athenry-based O’Brien, who is enjoying his best campaign in years, is hoping his in-form challengers can put the seal on their respective seasons by each visiting the winners’ enclosure for a remarkable fifth time in 2015.

Abarta, successful in the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Steeplechase at the Galway September meeting, is due to return to Ballybrit on Sunday for the Renvyle Handicap Chase, with O’Brien hoping the ground rides no worse than yielding.

Since that success, the nine-year-old finished a close-up fourth at Punchestown last week, but O’Brien points out that they didn’t go a great gallop in that race and says Abarta has an ‘outside chance’ of collecting again at Ballybrit.

Even more remarkable has been the Galway trainer’s exploits with the 12-year-old Valours Minion which had never won a race until springing a 10/1 surprise in a handicap chase at Killarney in August of last year.

Seven victories later, Valours Minon is now rated 47lbs higher and showed his current well being when coming up trumps in a competitive handicap chase under Mark Walsh in Navan at the end of last month.

The veteran is being targeted at the Ennis Lifts Handicap Chase on Monday, the feature race of the card, and O’Brien expects that the Galway meeting will also mark the end of Valours Minion’s season.

“As like Abarta, I hope the ground rides on the yielding side or better. He won twice at the track last year which is always an advantage around Galway. He’s rising in the weights but showed he could handle that in Navan the last day.” said O’Brien.

Among Valours Minion’s potential rivals will be the Steve Mahon trained Aranhill Chief which was only half a length behind his Galway rival in that race at Navan after an untidy jump at the final obstacle. Rogue Angel, winner of the Kerry National in Listowel, is the highest rated entry for the race.

The highlight of Sunday’s racing is the Faber Audiovisuals Handicap Hurdle with Mahon’s Kilcolgan based yard set to be represented by Afacat which was successful at the Galway September meeting in a similar contest.

Track manager Michael Moloney reported on Wednesday that the ground is currently good, good to yielding in places. “We’ve had a few showers and the forecast is a bit broken. As it stands, Sunday should be dry with possibly some rain on Monday.

“The track is in great condition and we are in a good position as trainers have been looking forward to some easing in the ground given the dry weather of the past few weeks,” added Moloney.

Admission for both days is €15 with the action kicking off on Sunday at 1.30pm, with Monday’s card commencing at 1.25pm. The Kilkenny Group are sponsoring a Best Dressed competition on Bank Holiday Monday which is also a Students’ Raceday in support of NUIG Volunteer Services Abroad.