One Cool Poet could have made it four at Galway says trainer Matthew Smith

One win in five years and then three wins in six days. In fact, trainer Matthew Smith is convinced One Cool Poet would have made it four in seven days had he been entered for a race at Galway on Sunday.

Everything clicked for One Cool Poet at Ballybrit and Smith says the history-maker, who became the first horse to win three Flat races in the same week at Galway, was raring to go again on Sunday morning and was somewhat disappointed not to be escorted onto the horsebox.

"I know by [looking at] him this morning that, if he was to run again today, he would win again," Smith said. "I know he would. I could see it in his eyes. You often see horses who ran the day before and they would be a bit quiet in themselves but this fella wanted to bull me out of the way and he had eaten up all of his feed. He was mad to go again."

So, how can a seemingly exposed seven-year-old win only once in 29 outings and then win three on the bounce?

"It is a confidence thing, it definitely is," Smith added. "This horse has always had the ability but he didn't know how to get his head in front. I could see after he won the first day at Galway on Tuesday he was more confident in himself and he improved for the second day. It was the same story after he won for the second time, he improved again and his best run of all was on the Saturday.

"If he ran on Sunday, you would see an even better performance again. It has just been an unbelievable week and I am absolutely thrilled for his owners, Ollie Ryan, Paul Devery, John Flanagan and Shay Gillen. They are all great supporters of mine and we have had a dream week."

Billy Lee is now three from three on One Cool Poet and believes the horse is something of a Galway specialist.

The jockey said: "He is just the sort of horse you need around there. He has the turn of foot to get himself out of trouble and that's what he showed again. He's a very versatile horse."

One Cool Poet can continue on the Flat, try to exploit a hurdle mark of 102 and try to win a beginners' chase, something he went very close to doing at Tipperary last month when only collared on the line.

Smith continued: "I was talking to Billy and he feels he deserves a crack at some of the good premier handicaps so we will have to have a look and see what suits. I thought he jumped very well over fences at Tipperary and he could go back over hurdles too. He is so versatile and a great horse to have around the place. He would work alongside the best horses I've ever had, that's for sure."

One Cool Poet In Numbers

€30,141 - the amount of prize-money he won in six days
1,557 - the number of days between his first and second wins
66 - his rating at the start of the week
17 - the number of jockeys unable to win on him
6 - the amount of times he has finished second
2 - the number of jockeys who have won on him

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