There was a special win for Lombardstown’s Alan O’Sullivan on the opening day of this week’s 156th Galway Racing Festival.
A little over five months after losing his Cheltenham Festival-winning older brother Michael to a tragic fall at Thurles, Alan guided home Filey Bay to poignantly land the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap. It was easily the biggest victory of the 21-year-old’s amateur career.
The winner was returned at odds of 7/1 (from 20s) in the colours of Limerick’s JP McManus of Martinstown. He was trained by Emmet Mullins.
“My goal at the start of the year was to be good enough that someone might want me for this (race). He was looking down on me, I think,” said Alan.
“I probably went the brave man’s route, but I thought it’s what Mikey would have done. I got a dream run and he galloped all the way to the line.”
In an emotional personal moment, Alan added: “He [Michael] is looking down on me since the day he left us. It feels wrong to say it, but I just have so much confidence now, knowing that he is looking down on me, and to do this for him, I think he’d be proud.”
Emmet added: “It was meant to be and I’m a bit lost for words. It’s just magic”
He revealed: “It was Michael’s saddle that Alan was using today. Michael rode a few times for me here and I think we hit the crossbar twice, so Alan steadied the ship.
“It’s been a long enough road with the horse. We had him last season and I sent him home twice as I just wasn’t happy. Thankfully, with JP the patience has paid off.
“Alan was keen to ride him, and I was keen to claim off him as well. For 7lb claimers you don’t need to look any further than Alan,” he said.