Murtagh gets winner on first day of Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown

Johnny Murtagh loves training a winner at the Irish Champions Festival and seven-pound claimer Rory Mulligan delivered top weight Rahmi with a withering run down the outside to land the €90,000 first prize on offer in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sovereign Handicap for owner Richard McNally and his Curragh-based conditioner at Leopardstown today.

The six-year-old was one of four contestants for Murtagh, who steered Timarida to victory in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes 29 years ago and saddles Zahrann, one of the leading prospects in this evening’s renewal.

Despite a significant drift in the market to 14/1,Rahmi was a one-and-a-quarter-length victor over Michael Dods’ Glenfinnan (17/2), with Tribal Nation (6/1) the same distance back in third for Joseph O’Brien.

“He had a little bit of a hold-up earlier in the year,” Murtagh explained. 

“We ran him in Cork when he was 80% so I was very happy with the way he ran. Niall McCullagh rode him and said he would come on a ton.

“This has been the plan for a while but top weight in these handicaps is always difficult but in fairness to Rory, he rode him during the week and said, ‘This horse is flying.’ 

“The 16 draw wasn’t ideal but for this horse it doesn’t matter. He loves to wing down the outside and you could see from a furlong down he was going to get there.

“It’s nice to get one on the board early. Champions Weekend is a big weekend.”