McNamara trains first Galway festival winner

Robbie McNamara returned to the winners’ enclosure as a trainer at Galway today as the festival’s former Leading Jockey won the Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden with 9/1 chance Cascavelle

Ridden by fellow Limerick man Bill Lee, the son of Shamardal improved to lead before the home turn and in the end stayed on stoutly for a half length over High Altitude to give McNamara his first training winner at the famed festival.

McNamara, who revelled around Galway in his riding days when stable amateur jockey to Dermot Weld, purchased Cascavelle for former boss Weld for E30,000 at public auction last November, received a warm reception on entering the winners' enclosure.

He later reported “if this week hadn’t been Galway, he wouldn’t have been running for another three weeks. We’ve always thought an awful lot of him and he makes fairly light work of beating some ok handicappers at home and I’d say he’s only 85% fit.

"I knew he was a fair bit short but I knew he’d take a lot of beating. Everything he does is very very easy and he has plenty class and will stay a bit further as well.

“He is one to look forward to; he’s in my colours so if anybody else wants to take him I’ll gladly ship him on but only to stay in the yard.”

He added “a few of the times I rode winners here in the past, I was a bit hazy coming back in (due to dehydration) but I’ll remember this one and it was nice!

“The horses have been running well but I was looking, and I was on the cold trainers list before today but the horses have been running really well and 15 of my 16 horses in the yard have been placed. Hopefully this is the start of more now.

“I probably preferred riding winners more, as I was in more control but I enjoy the daily life of being a trainer more. The buzz of riding a winner is a bit better but training winners is very enjoyable also and I’ll enjoy that for a lot longer than riding a winner.”

Additional information from Gary Carson