Prince Rudi rules at Galway
Prince Rudi rolled back the years to land the feature race on the sixth day of the Galway Festival.
Trained in Co Kildare by Stephen Nolan, the 12-year-old gelding pocketed just shy of 30,000 euro in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle with a really brave effort under 3lb claimer Ian McCarthy.
The 20-1 outsider tracked game pacemaker Flatfoot Boogie for a long way before the latter’s challenge petered out along the run-in.
Several horses were still in contention after the final flight, but Prince Rudi was in a particularly belligerent mood and kept the onrushing Shanpallas (6-1) at bay by half a length.
Give Me A Break (6-1) finished third.
McCarthy said: ``You need a tough stayer for this race.
“Stephen said to just get a lead and it turned into a test of stamina. He’s a horse with an awful lot of problems so it’s credit to him (Nolan) the way he’s handled the horse and chosen his races.”
Nolan said: “He pays his way, he’s a super horse.
“I was glad the rain came at the right time. He won well and Ian knows him inside out so it was a good team effort.
“We were thinking of Kerry National but he probably needs another win over fences to get in.
“If the ground went too heavy I might give him break, but the plan next year would be the Irish National.”
