Wesley Joyce enjoys biggest career success as Major crowns the day

A sixth winner for young rider Wesley Joyce proved his biggest as he steered Crowns Major to a two-length success in the feature €100,000 Galway Shopping Centre Handicap, continuing a good week for trainer Emmet Mullins.

Joyce's 7lb claim negated the horse being 6lb out of the handicap, and having gone close in a 2m handicap here on Tuesday, this was the perfect race to go one better as the Japanese-bred stayed on strongly inside the last to beat front-runner Longbourn.

"That feels very good, a big jackpot," said a smiling rider. "He jumped very smart. I let the leaders go on because I thought they were going a bit quick.

"I gave him a breather and he picked them up late on. He's a nice horse. I'm a 7lb claimer and to win a race like this has to be very good for my career."

Th winner was bought by his trainer as a yearling on a trip to Japan three years ago and, as he said himself, it turned out to be a lucrative foray.

He said: "That was a brilliant performance, especially from Wesley. To come here in a big handicap like that, he was very cool on him."

He added: "The drop in trip was a worry, but they went so slow in the 2m handicap the other night, and he was so keen, it might as well have been over 1m4f.

"That's a great pot to get with a horse like that. The experience of Tuesday stood to him, that was his first handicap that night, and going forward it was always the plan to target big handicaps like this."

A second for Whearty
Another apprentice to enjoy a big day was 10lb claimer Robert Whearty, who rode his second winner when landing the concluding 1m4f handicap on 25-1 shot Dazzling Darren for Gavin Cromwell and owner Darren Cahill.

Whearty is proving himself to be a good rider at the summer festivals. His previous winner had come on the David Dunne-trained Pretty Little Liar at Bellewstown a month ago.

Slattery loses claim
A 95th victory for Andy Slattery meant he rode out his 3lb claim in the first of the mile handicaps on the card after making most of the running on consistent mare Dedillon for his father Andy.

It was a fine tactical ride as the rider kept enough in reserve to draw clear inside the last half-furlong to see off High Altitude by a length-and-a-quarter.

"It's grand to have a winner in Galway," said the trainer. "She's a great filly to have. She was running for the 20th time when winning in Dundalk and that's her third win now. We'll step her up in class off a light weight and see how we get on."

Results, replays and analysis

For all our exclusive free bet offers and must-have daily promotions click the free bets button or go to racingpost.com/freebets