Galway Races drama: Incredible scenes as Noel Meade loses race live on RTE
Helvic Dream, trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Donagh Meyler, passed the post first in a thrilling renewal of the €270,000 Ladies Day feature.
It looked like bridging a 43-year gap for veteran Meade from his first success in the race with Pinch Hitter in 1982 at a venue where he's been hugely successful over the years.
Helvic Dream (8-1) battled hard to defeat the Gordon Elliott-trained Ndaawi and Jack Kennedy by a head but the drama was only beginning as the raceday stewards called an immediate inquiry into possible interference between Meyler and Kennedy in the closing stages.
During a long inquiry that lasted 10 minutes, where both jockeys were spoken to, both Noel Meade and Gordon Elliott stood side by side waiting to be interviewed by RTE presenter Brian Gleeson.
Meade and Elliott are close friends as well as rivals and have spent the summer months following the Meath football teams' spike in fortunes.
As Gleeson began to interview the pair on the possible outcome, the result was announced over the course's PA system. Donagh Meyler on Helvic Dream (right) crosses the line first ahead of Jack Kennedy on Ndaawi in The Guinness Galway Hurdle Handicap (Grade C) only for the result to be reversed after a stewards inquiry (Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)
And to everyone's astonishment the placings were reversed, meaning 13-2 shot Ndaawi was awarded the race and the €162,000 first prize for his owners Easyfix, who make the hurdles for Galway.
A stunned Meade held out a congratulatory hand to his friend Elliott in what made for a moment of astonishing live television. He later confirmed he would appeal the stewards' decision.
A delighted Elliott, winning the famous race for the first time, was magnanimous in victory and said: "Jack said as soon as he came in and before they called the stewards' inquiry that he thought we'd get it. He said the other leant on top of him for the last 50 yards and intimidated him all the way to the line.
"I'm delighted I won the race, but Noel and I are very good friends. It's just not the same when you win it in a stewards' inquiry. Rules are rules though, and if they're broken, the result deserves to be changed."
Incredibly it was the second day in succession Meade had finished runner-up to Elliott. In Wednesday's Galway Plate his Jesse Evans was beaten by Elliott's Western Fold, the third time Jesse Evans has finished second in a big race at Galway.
Elliott added: "We have won most of the big handicaps so this is the race I wanted to win, although it is not a nice way to win.
"It is unbelievable to win the two big races here this week and the horses have all run well, I can't believe it." On future plans for Ndaawi, the trainer added: "There is a 150,000 Flat race in America for him in October now."
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