John McIntyre

TWELVE months ago, the Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes saw the John Oxx trained Alifya defy monsoon-like conditions to capture the feature event of the Galway Autumn festival before the final two races on the card were abandoned due to a flooded track.

But there was no such prospect of the weather halting the action at this year’s Autumn meeting as the only sign of water at Ballybrit last Saturday, Sunday and Monday was when staff watered the track to ensure the going remained good to firm, good in places.

Charlie Swan’s progressive Rajik is a proven top of the ground performer and the five-year-old completed a notable hat-trick when wearing down long-time leader, Address Unknown, close home in the listed Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes on Monday.

The winner of the Guinness Handicap at the summer festival, Rajik had made light of a step up in class when landing the Ballycullen Stakes at the Curragh earlier this month, victories which ensured Declan McDonagh’s mount had to concede weight all-round on his return to Galway.

That prospect didn’t deter punters who backed Rajik into 9/4 joint favourite and though Address Unknown got the run of the race and was once touted for better things, Dermot Weld’s contender was unable to hold off Swan’s stable star with Syann staying on best of all for third.

The rest of the card was the Johnny Murtagh show as the champion jockey completed a treble, including the strongly supported Treasure Beach which came from well off the pace to foil the long-time leader Suntan in the final 50 yards in the Premier Nursery Handicap.

Murtagh had used different tactics in making every yard of the running to successfully exploit Prospectorous’ proven stamina in the Trappers Inn Handicap, coming home a never threatened two lengths clear of Boynagh Joy. The treble was rounded off in the concluding Henderson Hypnosis Handicap as 1/3 chance Clearwater Bay powered clear in the straight.

Promising young Galway claimer, Leigh Roche, continues to make a good impression and the young Tuam jockey brought 20/1 chance Alajan with a sustained run on the outside to collar Wee Giant in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap.

Top weight Silver Crown, which had become unsettled in the stalls at Roscommon two weeks ago, was on her best behavior in the opening James P. Cunningham Electrical Handicap as she stuck doggedly to the task in wearing down Snap Alam, while Dermot Weld’s only success of the meeting came when market drifter Manacor comfortably took the honours in the Donnelly’s of Barna Race. Monday’s attendance was just over 1,500.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.