Hipop De Loire now 7-2 favourite for the Ebor after wide margin win in his York prep at Galway

Willie Mullins said he had some unfinished business in the Sky Bet Ebor with Hipop De Loire, who was slashed to 7-2 favourite (from 5) with Paddy Power following an 11-length win in the opening 2m6f maiden hurdle.

Hipop De Loire had a whole host of doors slammed shut in his face in last year's Ebor but somehow managed to stay on into a never-nearer fifth under Colin Keane and revenge is now on the agenda.

Mullins said: "His Ebor run was a hell of a run last year. Hopefully we can go back this year, get a bit more daylight and keep out of trouble. We'll be heading back there now.

"He was electric there for a horse having his second run over hurdles, coming from Poland. The only jumping he did was in our place. He was so confident in himself, just skimming the tops of the hurdles. I’d say Paul’s [Townend] heart was in his mouth. You like a handicapper doing that but not a horse first time out over hurdles. He really enjoyed himself, he was loving it."

It is the Ebor next but it would not be a huge surprise to see Hipop De Loire rocking up in some hot novice hurdles over the winter.

Sky Bet Ebor Handicap, York, August 23
Paddy Power: 7-2 Hipop De Loire, 8 Ethical Diamond, 10 French Master, 12 French Duke, Plage De Havre, 16 Nurburgring, Oneforthegutter, 20 bar.

Needle delivers

The Nap Racing Syndicate, led by Athlone man Paul Browne, went seven years without a winner before the Harry Rogers-trained Cleopatra's Needle scored at Navan in May last year and she did them another massive favour when landing the €30,000 2m½f mares' handicap hurdle at 22-1.

Cleopatra's Needle: stayed on best to win for the Nap Racing SyndicateCredit: Patrick McCann

Browne said: "We've been lucky here at Galway, Remarkable Lady won a race for us in 2017, but we went a long time without a winner and a lot of people might have given up. We kept going though and we've now had five or six winners in the last 18 months – it's magic. You need to just persevere in this game."

Kauto stars for Queally

It was a big night for the syndicates as Bal Kauto sneaked in as a reserve to win the 2m6f handicap hurdle.

Owned by the Man About Dog Syndicate, run by Watergrasshill native John O'Mahony, Bal Kauto was backed at all rates down to 7-1.

Winning jockey Declan Queally said: "It's a big day and these are the meetings you need to be having winners at. I got a dream run around. He's a funny horse, when he takes a grab he races with you and he gives everything. You have to keep him in a coma like a Flat horse.”

Teed to perfection

In the concluding 2m1f Flat handicap, the Mee family got off the mark for the week at the festival they target so forcefully when Emmet Mullins' Teed Up came over the top in the shadow of the post to thwart the Joseph O'Brien-trained favourite Shoda and her stable-mate Light Up The Dark.

Course specialist Teed Up nearly came down when seeking to launch begin his challenge from the inside turning in, but Ronan Whelan kept the partnership together and got the 7-1 shot back on an even keel in time to swoop by Shoda by half a length to record his sixth course win, four of which have come at the summer festival. Moreover, he could yet vie to add to that haul on Saturday.

However, there was a sting in the tail for Whelan, who received a ten-day careless riding ban for his role in the scrimmaging on the home turn when he was trying to extricate himself off the inside into a position to challenge.

Attendance on the third day of the meeting came to 15,461, a drop on the corresponding 2024 figure of 16,023.

Read more from Galway:

'Days like this are what you dream of' - Danny Gilligan and Gordon Elliott team up for more Galway Plate gold with Western Fold

Explosive Cheltenham winner Puturhandstogether out to boost an emerging Galway Hurdle trend - but is this British raider a danger?

A confident Conor Fennelly fires in a 7-1 winner and still has a 4pt tip among his fancies on Galway Hurdle day