Jack Kennedy joined the list of Galway festival winners when partnering the Gordon Elliott-trained Lightkeeper to land the two-mile five-furlong maiden hurdle on Wednesday. In the colours of the Barstools Prophets Syndicate, a group of friends that includes Eliott’s father Pat, the 11/1 chance led over the final hurdle and raced clear to beat the Emmet Mullins-trained 11/2 shot Arctic Gale by two and three-parts of a length with Willie Mullins’ 5/4 favourite My Great Mate a neck away in third place.
The champion jockey notched up a second success as the as the smart Ashdale Bob won the Grade 3 novice chase at Galway for trainer Jessica Harrington on Thursday. After going close with a couple of runners on the Flat earlier in the week, the County Kildare trainer got off the mark for the Festival as the Diarmuid Horgan-owned the nine-year-old battled well in the straight to hold off Willie Mullins’ Saylavee by half a length at odds of 13/8 favourite.
Kennedy notched up back-to-back winners on the final day of the Festival on Sunday to emerge as the week’s leading National Hunt jockey. He gave County Kildare trainer Mark Fahey his second winner of the week as Flicker Of Hope scored a cosy success in the three-mile handicap hurdle. The well-supported 100/30 joint-favourite skipped clear after the final hurdle to win by all of six lengths from the Ray Hackett-trained 12/1 chance Littlebiggie. It was just as easy for Gordon Elliott’s Hurricane Georgie which gave Kennedy his fourth success of the week in the two and three-quarter-mile conditions’ chase. Owned by Pioneer Racing, the seven-year-old readily saw off two higher-rated Willie Mullins-trained rivals for her sixth career success. At odds of 4/1, she beat the 9/2 chance Easy Game by four and a half lengths with 11/8 favourite Janidil two and a quarter lengths further back in third place. In all, 30 different trainers and 39 different jockeys had winners across the seven days.
Upcoming Fixtures
Roscommon – Tuesday. August 6 (First Race 5pm)
Wexford – Wednesday, August 7 (First Race 4.45pm)
Sligo – Wednesday, August 7 (First Race 5pm)
Sligo – Thursday, August 8 (First Race 5.05pm)
Leopardstown – Thursday, August 8 (First Race 5.22pm)
Wexford – Friday, August 9 (First Race 5.30pm)
Tipperary – Friday, August 9 (First Race 4.45pm)
Curragh – Saturday, August 10 (First Race 1.45pm)
Kilbeggan – Saturday, August 10 (First Race 5.30pm)
Downpatrick – Sunday, August 11 (First Race 2.18pm)
