Collins backs Cobden to get tune out of Jazzy Matty
The versatile six-year-old won the Fred Winter for Gordon Elliott before changing hands for €50,000 in February 2024, winning minor races at Wexford and Sligo for new connections before landing the Grand Annual back at Cheltenham in March.
He arrives fresh, having had a break since Punchestown, and with regular riders Jordan Gainford and Danny Gilligan required by Elliott, Cobden steps in.
"We've given him a break since Punchestown, he's in good form and we're looking forward to running him," said Meath trainer Collins.
"He's versatile, he runs over hurdles and fences, he gets this trip (two miles and six furlongs) and it looks like he should get his favoured good ground, which is a help.
"When I knew that Danny and Jordan weren't going to be available, his regular jockeys, I just thought Harry Cobden would suit him as he's a good horseman with plenty of experience in those big handicaps.
"He's a horse who thrives in big fields, they suit him. I do think he's a better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else, mind. Hopefully Galway is a little bit similar with it's undulations and always on the turn with a stiff finish.
"We're going there hopeful, he's in good form so if he runs his race, I think he'll be bang there."
Gilligan rides Western Fold, with Gainford on Shecouldbeanything. Elliott's other runners are Three Card Brag, Zanahiyr, Down Memory Lane, Chemical Energy and Duffle Coat.
Joseph O'Brien's favourite Nurburgring won the Galway Hurdle 12 months ago and will aim to emulate Dermot Weld's Ansar by winning both feature races, while Noel Meade's Jesse Evans, twice runner-up in the Hurdle, aims to go one better in the Plate.
Watch the Galway Races on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5pm and on Thursday from 2pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
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RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Shock and sadness at Thurles Racecourse closure
Members of the horse racing community in Tipperary have been expressing their shock and sadness at the news that Thurles Racecourse is to close with immediate effect. The Molony family cited ever increasing industry demands as a reason for their decision and thanked their "extended racecourse family" for their support over the years. In a statement, Horse Racing Ireland said they will meet the family to discuss their position and consider their options. Thurles Racecourse is Ireland's only privately-owned track and is considered a cornerstone of National Hunt Racing in the industry. It has been in the hands of the Molony family since the early 1900s. But today Riona Molony said she and her four daughters had kept the show on the road for ten years since the passing of husband and father Pierce. In a statement, the family said it was a privilege and an honour to run Thurles Racecourse but the cost of doing business was a major factor in their decision. Nearby at the Horse and Jockey Hotel, news of the closure was still being processed. Marye Blundell is a former horse trainer. "I think it's terribly sad. It was so well run, and a credit to Pierce's family for the way they ran it. The ground was always right, you know. "I don't think they ever had to cancel a race meeting. I mean, that's a terrific achievement in my eyes." Marye then turned on her heel before adding: "Now, I don't want to say anymore. I've said enough. "I think the Molony family are brilliant people. And I just hope the track survives and stays open in the future." A young Anthony McCoy rode the first of his 4,358 winners at Thurles on 26 March 1992 when he won on Legal Steps for Jim Bolger. Rachael Blackmore enjoyed her first winner there on 10 February 2011 when she won on Stowaway Pearl for Shark Hanlon before going on to take the sport by storm. Over the years many Cheltenham Festival winners have also won and raced at the track, including two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle, Champion Chase winner Newmill and Gold Cup hero Sizing John. Today in Tipperary, former National Hunt jockey Charlie Swan, best known for his three Champion Hurdles wins with the horse Istabraq, said Thurles Racecourse had been very good to him and his family. "Yeah, I mean, Thurles Racecourse was a very lucky track for me. I rode a lot of winners there. I'm sort of shocked to hear that it's closing down. "It's a great track, you know, especially in the winter, when the ground is heavy everywhere else. The ground is always nice in Thurles and the Molony family, they've run it so well you know, all these years, and it'll be very, very sadly missed. "It was one track that always brought a crowd, everybody loved to go to Thurles. It's very sad." Charlie said he lives just 30 minutes away and hopes that racing will continue there. "Of course, I would, you know it's always been a great track to me and my family. So, yeah, I'd love to see it stay open." Tom Egan is the proprietor of the Horse and Jockey Hotel. "It's been going for hundreds of years. It's part of Thurles, it's part of this area, part of this hotel. We'll sadly miss the course, and we have all the memories of the course over the years. "They're all the good times and looking out on cold winter days and looking over to the Devil's Bit mountain." Tom shook his head sadly and wiped his eye. "Ah 'tis a nostalgic place. It was such a homely track. I think this became homely because of the family running it. "Everybody felt part of it all, and it's just a real sad occasion." Tom Egan said that ongoing regulations were a big part of the decision by the Molony family to close. "Family businesses can't afford a lot of the regulations that have been brought in now. The Molony family did an awful lot of work in the last five or six years since Pierce died. "Pierce is dead over ten years, and they put in a great effort there. And they did up the parade ring, did up all the stable yards, did up all the course, put in post and railings and the place is looking absolutely magnificent. "But then people wanted them do more and more and more. And really, it's just, it's just without help, it's virtually impossible. "Obviously, we'd love to see the track going on, but it's a complete decision of the Molony family. "They own it, you know. And I wouldn't like them to be forced into anything. It's their place and that should be respected." Thurles Racecourse is licensed to race until the end of this year with 11 prominent fixtures in the 2025/26 racing calendar but those meetings will not now go ahead Riona Molony said the family had made their decision and they looked forward now to relaxing and being spectators. In a statement, Horse Racing Ireland said it had invited the family to a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss their position and consider options.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Ruby Walsh warns Thurles Racecourse ‘can't be lost forever' and urges Horse Racing Ireland to ‘stand up and be counted'
RUBY WALSH believes the impact on horse-racing from Thurles' closure will be "felt for some time". The privately-owned track in Tipperary - which hosted its first meeting in 1732 - has 2 Thurles Racecourse has closed with immediate effect Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 2 Ruby Walsh has reacted to the closure Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Riona Molony, whose family have owned the venue since the early 1900s, said rising costs were one of the reasons they had decided to pull the plug. Former jockey Ruby Walsh reacted to the shock news in his And he believes the impact on National Hunt Racing will be felt for some time. He wrote: "I doubt too many in the Irish racing world expected to wake up Friday morning after the drama of Thursday's Galway Hurdle to the news that Thurles race course was closing down." Read More on Ruby Walsh "This family-run enterprise has reached a crossroads, and the Molony ladies want a change. "Fair play to them, because the biggest calls are always the hardest to make, and like anyone in any walk of life, they have to do what is right for them." The 12-time Irish champion jockey warned that it won't be as simple as moving the fixtures set for Thurles to other race courses due to its adaptability to winter conditions. And he called for Horse Racing Ireland to "stand up and be counted" by facilitating a takeover of the track. Most read in Sport He continued: "The Molonys' statement does read like they are retiring from the business, but the course is still there, and perhaps another interested party can take over. "That might be something HRI can look into, but either way, Thurles on Thursday without Riona directing the show, Kate as her First Lieutenant, Trish and Helen running the coffee docks, and Anne-Marie making sure everyone else was busy, just won't be the same. Gordon Elliott and Noel Meade in surreal live RTE moment as they react to controversial Galway Hurdle ruling "It has a fabric, a core of local supporters, and an essential role to play in National Hunt racing. "It can't be lost forever, so the HRI board must stand up and be counted. "They are spending millions on the other side of the county on an all-weather track for a decreasing population of horses, so perhaps they could do something to help save a track that already exists, has the fixtures and the stock to fill the demand." Jockey The Cheltenham Festival-winning rider - who was O'Sullivan never recovered from a coma and In touching scenes at Cheltenham the following month, O'Sullivan's beloved horse Marine Nationale, who gave him his first Festival winner, 'HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE' In a statement, Riona Molony said: "It has been an honour and a privilege for our family to have run Thurles Racecourse, and I am officially announcing our retirement today. "We are very proud of the immense contribution our family has made to racing and we are most grateful to our extended racecourse family, our dedicated staff, generous sponsors, loyal patrons and the wider racing community for all your support. "Horseracing is part of the fabric of our family, and we have been very fortunate to have made so many great friends within the industry over the years. "My family and I look forward to going racing with you again, as spectators. "Since my beloved husband Pierce passed away in 2015, with the help of our four daughters Patricia, Helen, Ann Marie and Kate and our wonderful staff, we've managed to keep the show on the road and I know he would be very proud of us for that. "The girls all have their own families, careers and lives to live. "Ever increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business has also been a major factor. "We're going to enjoy this time together and relax now the decision is made and the news is out before we consider our options."
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Ruby Walsh: Fallout for National Hunt racing will be keenly felt if Thurles isn't saved
I doubt too many in the Irish racing world expected to wake up Friday morning after the drama of Thursday's Galway Hurdle to the news that Thurles race course was closing down. It is the third track to close its doors in my lifetime, but Tralee closed in a property-play move, and so did the Phoenix Park. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month
