Four Clean Aces (right) and Paul Townend © Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend are certainly no strangers to feature race success at Galway and they teamed up to collect the main prize of the afternoon at Ballybrit as Four Clean Aces landed the W.B. Gavin & Co Handicap Hurdle.
The 3/1 chance travelled well to lead after the penultimate flight in this near 2m6f event, but needed to be driven right out by Townend to hold off the challenge of Zeeband by half a length. Iceberg Theory was a further six lengths back in third, while 2/1 favourite Hgranca De Thaix could find no extra in the straight finishing fourth.
Townend said, "She missed the last and while I thought stepping up so far in trip that it would cost me around here, but she found plenty at the back of the last and was tough. She had travelled so well throughout the race.
"She surprised me how well she handled the soft ground at Listowel and the step up in trip has brought about the improvement.
"It is yielding ground out there, there is no depth to it, and it looks worse than it is. She is not a winter mare but is fine on that and the step up in trip was the main thing today."
Quotes by Tom Weekes
