Galileo gelding Venezia delights O'Grady

Venezia stayed on best of all to take the spoils in the two mile beginners' chase at Clonmel at 7/2.

The seven-year-old gelding was fully fifth jumping the penultimate fence but Phillip Enright guided him almost on terms at the last.

He powered home on the run-in to put Imperial Way (6/1) to the sword by half a length. Magna Cartor was a length away in third at 14/1.

Edward O'Grady said: "It is lovely for him to win and for a horse with only three runs over hurdles he jumps well.

"He needed all the assistance and luck he got but won nicely in the end. He needed a couple of great jumps at the last two fences and he got them.

"He loves the ground and that makes a big difference to him. He can probably do everything (chase, hurdle and flat) but when and where I don't know and I'm not in a hurry with him either. He'll have to go handicap chasing as he wouldn't be good enough for a novice chase.

"He is the first Galileo I've been lucky enough to train and he's a lovely horse and I'm lucky to have him."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes