Weld has the Ansar at Galway
Dermot Weld’s Ansar improved an already impressive track record when landing back-to-back victories in the Hewlett-Packard Galway Plate at the famous festival this afternoon.
With six previous wins at the course, Ansar bounded away from his rivals to win the €200,000 chase by an easy seven lengths.
The nine-year-old was saddled with joint top-weight of 12st after scoring by a length 12 months ago, but the hefty burden failed to prevent an even more impressive repeat performance.
Denis O’Regan hit the front aboard the 10-1 chance jumping the second-last fence and the pair scooted clear rounding the home turn to give Weld his fourth Galway Plate success.
“I was concerned that he wouldn’t carry that weight, but he got a lovely ride from Denis,” said Weld. “He’s a super ‘leper’ and has a tremendous spring to him.
“He is the Galway Hurdle tomorrow and I’ll have to speak to the owners, but it’s unlikely that he will run.
“He’s a very sound horse and we’ll probably aim him at the big chase in Japan in April (the Nakayama Jump). The fast ground will suit him – it’s a big possibility.”
O’Regan, speaking on BBC Sport, added: “Originally I was going to ride Mutakarrim with Ansar going for the Hurdle tomorrow, but at the last minute Mr Weld decide to run him in the Plate so I switched to take 3lb off him.
“Everything worked out well. I didn’t want to be too far away as I thought he was the class horse in the race.
“I jumped him off up there and he was foot perfect all the way.
“In the middle of the race there was a loose horse who nearly brought out the lad who was making the running. He was bothering me a bit then because I was keeping to the inner all the way.
“I thought I was going too soon, but I was going too well and I jumped the last pretty well.”
As Ansar, who is 10-1 with Cashmans for the hat-trick next year, surged clear down the run-in, Ursumman (14-1) kept on for second ahead of Light On The Broom (25-1) and Junior Fontaine, who took third and fourth respectively.
Warrens Castle, sent off the 11-2 favourite, had to settle for fifth for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, with the British raiders failing to get involved.
Jim Goldie’s Kid’z’Play was handy through the first circuit before dropping away, while Richard Fahey’s Ball O Malt and the Alan Jones-trained Totheroadyouvgone were never dangerous.
