Foster Cross will bid to become the first horse since Athy Spirit in 1990 to complete the big Festival double of the opening night feature and Thursday's Guinness Galway Hurdle after taking the carlton.ie/galwaycity (Q.R.) Handicap in tremendous style.

The dual purpose nine-year-old gelding, 16/1 this morning but supported down to a starting price of 10/1, made virtually all under Colin Motherway and was still full of running approaching the straight.

Sporting the colours of Corkman Patrick O'Donovan, who enjoyed his finest hour as an owner eight years ago when Vintage Tipple won the Darley Irish Oaks trained by Tom Mullins' late father Paddy, he kept up the gallop in the straight to beat Cry For The Moon (12/1) by four lengths. Table Mountain (20/1) was just a head away in third, with Eagle's Pass (16/1) completing the placings three and a half lengths further back in fourth.

Winning trainer Tom Mullins said, “He will definitely go for the “Hurdle” on Thursday. He never leaves a nut after a race, so hopefully he will be okay after this. He's a great old horse to train, although winter ground is not his ground. He's been buzzing all week, and Colin said he was buzzing all the way down to the start. He was well due a big pot.” Fosters Cross is currently due to carry just 10st in the Guinness Galway Hurdle, and Paddy Power appear to have taken a big chance by leaving him unchanged at 25/1.

Alan Magee