Askeaton jockey Áine O’Connor grabbed the headlines on day four of the Galway Racing Festival, when guiding home Brave Crogha in the concluding bumper at astonishing odds of 200/1. It was quickly confirmed that those odds were the biggest priced winner ever at the famed western venue. Under Áine, the five-year-old came from off the pace to launch his challenge in the closing stages.
The French-bred gelding collared front-runner Sporting Glance in the closing stages to record a three-and-a-quarter length win.
It was an eighth career start for Brave Crogha, who had been beaten a total of 86 lengths in a Ballinrobe bumper on his last outing.
“He was giving me trouble as he was hanging and three days ago, I contacted a physio and he had the horse done in an hour. We did a bit of work then and I thought this was a different horse,” explained owner/trainer Iggy Madden, a local haulage contractor, told irishracing.com.
“We came in four hours before today’s race to get him settled so it was all about planning, although I didn’t get up to back him! I had a Galway Festival winner with Cairdiul in the past and with having my own yard, you keep tipping away with it.
He concluded: “I thought he was a proper horse and I kind of knew he was coming back together because he had been there or thereabouts. I told Áine not to move on him coming down the hill, see how you get home and you saw how he got home!”
The winner’s prize was €17,000.
Askeaton native Áine now lives in Kildare. She works for Equuip which is the education and training department of Horse Racing Ireland.
Her sister Ciara is an assistant trainer and the wife of leading UK handler Harry Fry, Dorset.