Mullins: Zarak The Brave could be a Champion Hurdle horse
Full replay: Zarak The Brave strikes in thrilling Guinness Galway Hurdle
The aptly-named Zarak The Brave (9-2) showed real resolve on handicap debut as the four-year-old denied race specialist Jesse Evans in a thrilling finale to the hugely valuable Guinness Galway Hurdle, the day-four highlight and Galway Festival feature.
A smart juvenile hurdler last season, some thought he may lack the required experience for such a test but he found plenty for pressure to deny last year’s runner-up, meaning Noel Meade’s Jesse Evans has now been placed in the race three times.
Zarak The Brave (9-2) held on to score by a head from Jesse Evans after first fending off My Mate Mozzie, with the Gavin Cromwell runner ultimately finishing three-quarters of a length further back in third.
Trainer Willie Mullins was saddling his fifth winner of the iconic contest since 2016 and his third big-race victory in the last four years.
Mullins salutes his "brave" winner
Mullins was impressed with his four-year-old in the big race
The champion trainer said: “Only one four-year-old that I’m aware of (Perugino Diamond in 2000) has won the race before and it says something about how tough the horse is. Paul was fantastic on him and had him out in the right position the whole way around,” said Mullins.
“There was no point in winning another small winners’ race with him so you look at iconic races like this when you have horses like this.
“I wasn’t too far away from Noel Meade in the stand and thought my horse was beaten so it is tough on Noel whose horse was second last year and fourth in 2021.
“Paul thought he was beaten but when he changed his whip and hit him one little smack the horse got down and galloped again. That just shows how brave he is.
“He looked a really decent horse when he won his maiden hurdle but got colic last winter and I had to put him by for the season. But it is all worthwhile now and he is obviously a graded horse. His previous form with Lossiemouth looks huge now.”
Paul Townend talks to Fran Berry on his secons Galway Hurdle triumph - 15 years after his first
He added: “We are delighted today came off and his owners are here today – Isaac (Souede) came from Alaska to be here and Simon (Munir) came from the south of France.
“He is a lightly-race four year old and the Morgiana Hurdle is a possibility now along with the Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas in November. There is every possibility he could be a Champion Hurdle horse and he is going along those lines.”
Mullins lands day-four treble
Hercule Du Seuil produced a slick round of jumping under Mark Walsh to justify 8-11 odds-on favouritism for Mullins in the Grade Three Guinness Open Gate Brewery Novice Chase.
Mullins said: “I thought it was a great performance because it’s not long since he raced down at Killarney and he loves racing on flat tracks.
“Mark even thought before the race that he was dead in himself and thinks the horse is settling and learning to relax. That will help him see out longer trips and have more at the end of his races.
“We’ll run him in any two to two-and-a-quarter-mile races we can find.”
Mullins secured the three-timer when I Will Be Baie (4-7 favourite) won the finale under Patrick Mullins.
O'Brien and McMonagle land Listed prize
Miramis strikes to land the feature Flat race
Joseph O’Brien’s Miramis (12-1) was given a superb, ground-saving ride by Dylan Browne McMonagle to take the seven-furlong Listed Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes.
McMonagle said: “She is a lovely straightforward filly, she jumped well from the gates, got a lovely position and relaxed well.
“The main aim today was to get black type and it was a career-best today.”
