FEUD GETS THE PARTY ROLLING

Karl Hedley savours the Galway Festival action and picks out the summer highlights at Ballybrit

- Karl Hedley

The Galway Festival was the centrepiece of the Irish summer and a few eye-catchers from that meeting could well pay to follow going forward with the ground starting to turn as we reach the twilight of summer and into the onset of early autumn.

The opening race of the meeting went to the impeccably bred Feud. He added to his Listowel maiden last month when justifying good support in the Novice Hurdle over two miles.

The Richard O'Brien-trained gelding headed the front-running Macinamillion just before the final flight and kept on well on the run-in to beat Mordor by three and a half lengths. Pigeon House could find no extra a further six and a half lengths back in third.

The winner was bred to win a classic being a Dubawi half-brother to this year's Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Fallen Angel and was purchased for 46,000gns at the Newmarket Horses-In-Training Sale last October having won a Haydock handicap for Ralph Beckett.

O'Brien said, "I was saying to Danny afterwards that it's quite intriguing going forward as to what way he can go because that was quite impressive. The nerves beforehand, it wouldn't matter if it was a bumper in Ballinrobe I'd be under pressure. The last 48 hours have been hell but we're here and we're through it.

"I loved the way he did it and I loved the way he jumped. He was a bit awkward and made a few mistakes in Listowel. I thought that might be still in him a bit but he was very clever.

"He jumped some of them beautifully and the ones he didn't he just kicked them out of the way and never missed a beat. He's a very interesting horse going forward.

"I'm delighted for the lads, it's important to emphasise the importance of them to me. I've never got a chance to buy a horse like this. We'll explore his ceiling over hurdles and if it's a case that he comes back to being a lovely dual-purpose horse we'll see. I'm not thinking about that, we'll go home and make a plan.