'It's an extraordinary achievement' - owner-rider David Dunsdon comes out of retirement to give Willie Mullins 50-1 winner

There was a shock winner of the valuable Connacht Hotel Handicap for amateur riders as the Willie Mullins-trained Sirius arrived late on the scene under owner-rider David Dunsdon, who recently came out of retirement, to sweep past the entire field to become the longest-priced winner in the race's 65-year history at 50-1.

Previously a winner in France, the five-year-old failed to land a blow on her stable debut at the Curragh last month but stepped forward considerably on that effort when paired up with her owner for the first time on or off the track. Dunsdon, an amateur rider in the true Corinthian spirit, had previously ridden two winners for Mullins in his own colours before taking a four-year sabbatical from race-riding and returning in 2022. This was his first win of any description in more than five years.

Having sat dead last for much of the contest, Dunsdon began to make rapid ground as the field turned for home and came with a withering run to blast past the front-running Baltic Bird to score by three and a half lengths, with stablemate Spasiba a length and a half back in third.

The 42-year-old became the third British-born rider to win the race, and the first since Peter Scudamore won on Pigeon's Nest for Jim Bolger in 1979, while William Piggott-Brown was also successful in 1962 on board Dan Moore's Bahrain.

A visibly emotional Dunsdon said: "I always think of this as the Melbourne Cup for amateur jockeys – a handicap over around two miles. I don't ride over jumps now and just to ride in this was a dream.

"I never rode in the race before, and even being British it was a race I always wanted to win. I didn't ride for four years; had a family and came out of retirement, and this really was the dream."

Mullins, who was winning the race for the fifth time, was full of praise for the winning rider. He said: "David asked me to look out for a horse for him to ride in this race, and it has worked out. I thought David had retired, but he has come back and has been riding out with Gary Moore to stay fit.

"She won easy and had some nice form in France. We were trying to get ready for this race last year but she got injured. She might run again here on Friday evening [1m4f Galway Guinness Handicap].

"He had never sat on her before. He was supposed to come and ride her out but never did, so it's tremendous. David was a champion Fegentri rider and keeps himself very fit. It's an extraordinary achievement for him. The start didn't go well as he probably wanted to be in the first four, but he never panicked and had the nerve to sit there."

Feud wins argument

Feud put in a smart display to land the opening 2m½f novice hurdle for Richard O'Brien to maintain his unbeaten record over jumps, leaving his trainer eyeing Graded targets for the four-year-old.

The half-brother to Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel struck once on the Flat with Ralph Beckett, but relished the switch to hurdles when careering away to score by six and a half lengths at Listowel last month, and backed that up with another commanding performance here under Danny Mullins.

Feud and Danny Mullins win the opening race at the Galway festival for trainer Richard O'BrienCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The 16-5 shot got in tight to a couple of hurdles, but a good jump at the second-last saw him take the lead on the turn for home, where he kept up the gallop to score comfortably by three and a half lengths.

O'Brien said: "I loved the way he did it. He made a few mistakes at Listowel and I thought that might still be in him a bit, but he was very clever. He jumped some of them beautifully, and the ones he didn't he just kicked out of the way.

"I'm delighted for the lads [owners Lough Hyne Partnership], and it's important to emphasise their importance to me – I'd never get a chance to buy a horse like this."

Mystical Power landed this race a year ago before going on to become a dual Grade 1 winner, and O'Brien is hoping Feud can make his mark at a similar level.

The trainer added: "We'll explore his ceiling over hurdles, and if it's a case of him becoming a lovely dual-purpose horse, we'll see. I'm excited about him. Beforehand I said we’ll either go to Listowel for the Lartigue or the Royal Bond, so the dream has come true, for now."

Son shines for Smiths

Son Of Hypnos bolted up in the 2m½f handicap hurdle to mark a special day for the Smith family as trainer Kevin saddled the winner for his father (also Kevin), while the seven-year-old was ridden by his nephew James.

After moving into the lead after the second-last, the 16-1 shot jumped the final flight still on the bridle before extending away to score by ten lengths from Clonbury Bridge.

The winning trainer said: "We've had an eye on Galway for a while and it's great when it works out. It's my first festival winner.

"It's fantastic for James to ride a winner here as he's been coming since he was a child."

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