Galway Races 2015: Jonathan Burke's turn to shine again

29 July 2015; Jockey Jonathan Burke admires thetote.com Galway Plate 2015 after winning the thetote.com Galway Plate on Shanahan's Turn. Galway Racing Festival, Ballybrit, Galway. Picture credit: Cody Glenn / SPORTSFILE

Niall Cronin

ALELCHI INOIS was sent off the 7/2 favourite for yesterday’s Tote Galway Plate as many believed his novice form over fences suggested he had the potential to progress into another Grade One performer like the previous two winners of the Plate - Carlingford Lough and Road To Riches - but it was another Grade Two winning novice that triumphed in the Galway sun as Shanahan’s Turn ran out a very convincing winner for Henry de Bromhead, Jonathan Burke and the Potts family.

Always prominent in the race, Shanahan’s Turn started to put some daylight five fences from home and showed absolutely no sign of stopping up the hill as he powered home to a five-and-a-half length success from The Paparrazi Kid in second and De Bromhead’s more fancied stable companion Sadler’s Risk was back in third.

Alderwood ran his usual game race and finish fourth and the best of the JP McManus horses with Shanpallas back in fifth and the race favourite in sixth.

It was another red letter day in the career of youngster Jonathan Burke who is barely a year in the professional ranks and less than a year in the job as Alan and Ann Potts’ retained rider.

There is no doubt the unlucky horse in the race was Rule The World who appeared to clip heels and slipped up strides from the last fence and he could well have posed a big threat to the eventual outcome of the race as he still looked to have plenty left under Davy Russell.

Despite his odds of 16/1 and what bookmakers BoyleSports described as a “dream result” the winning trainer wasn’t overly surprised by the win.

“I hoped if he came back to his autumn form that he had a squeak but he was disappointing recently,” De Bromhead admitted afterwards.

“It was a brilliant ride from Johnny, and I’m delighted for the Potts. Ann is in hospital at the moment so hopefully it will be a good tonic for her.”

Burke commented: “It brings back fond memories of my father (Liam) winning the race with Sir Frederick in 2007. Galway has been very good to us down the years but this is brilliant.”

As for future plans for the winner De Bromhead suggested: “He could go for the race Europe won the last few years at Gowran and hopefully he can develop into a Grade 1 horse.”

Willie Mullins and Dermot Weld both notched up a winner on the day with Mullins denying the 28-time leading trainer with Thomas Hobson in the opening race, while Weld, for the second year in a row, teamed up with Finny Maguire to win the amateur maiden this time with Time To Inspire.

Ger Lyons had a few hard luck stories in the Galway

Mile here on Tuesday night but Sacrificial’s class came to the top despite top weight in the three-year-old handicap yesterday.

A career over hurdles may lie ahead of Boherbuoy who

went one better than her previous two starts to take the concluding maiden for David Wachman and JP McManus with Weld’s 4/7 favourite New Agenda only managing to finish fourth.