“It wasn’t a shock that Vastonea won last year" Halpin | Galway Races | Irish Sun
DID you know who Gary Halpin was when you put your fiver on Vastonea in last year’s Topaz Mile Handicap?No? That’s okay. You weren’t alone.
A few weeks earlier the then 20-year-old from Blanchardstown in Dublin had put himself in the limelight with a win on the international apprentice jockey circuit in Chantilly, France.
He and Gary Phillips, a fellow Dublin native, had represented Ireland’s jockey school, RACE, and filled the first two placings.
So he was on the radar, but that was only the eighth win of his career with Kevin Prendergast and his mount Vastonea, though winner of the €120,000 race in 2012, appeared the Curragh trainer’s second string - Maskoon being sent off the well-backed 5-1 favourite.
Regardless, Vastonea won by almost four lengths at 12-1, kickstarting Halpin’s career and bringing him right around to tonight where he rides the grey in his bid for a record three Topaz Mile wins.
"It was great to win last year,” he said. “It's the highlight on the Flat at Galway and I couldn’t have been more thankful to the boss and the owners and to my agent Kevin O’Ryan for giving me the opportunity.
“I had said at the end of last year that I really wanted to win a big Flat handicap in 2014 because I knew that’s what I needed to take my career to the next level and it was brilliant to do it on him.”
He became the second horse in the race’s history to win it for a second time, emulating Pinch Hitter, who took the race in 1981 and again in 1982. Though his record is perhaps more impressive given this will be his fourth consecutive year in the line up - and he has yet to finish out of the first three.
His course form is outstanding at a track that is heavily-weighted towards course specialist, but the opposition boasts five from the Ger Lyons team that finished second last year with Piri Wango, and beat Vastonea into third the previous year with Brendan Bracken.
“It wasn’t a shock that Vastonea won last year,” says Halpin. “And he’s in the same sort of form. I haven’t ridden him at home in the last couple of weeks, but Johnny Sullivan, the lad that looks after him, thinks he’s in the form of his life and he knows him better than anyone.
“I think he has a good chance. He has a good draw and a light weight, even though he’s 2 lb higher than he was last year, whereas Brendan Bracken has a big weight and a wide draw.
“I definitely think we have more positives/ Brendan Bracken is going to have to come around us to win.”
Halpin also rides Beau Satchel in the 7f Caulfield Industrial Athlone Handicap tonight, his first ride for trainer Ado McGuinness and a lasting legacy from the recognition his big win gave him.
When you’re not someone’s number one jockey, it’s hard to gauge what will come your way, so Halpin cannot say what the rest of the week will bring. But he is not short of support, and he knows it.
"Galway is a funny sort of place,” he explains. “You have to take it day by day. I have had plenty of support through the season from the boss [Kevin Prendergast], Harry Rogers, Andy Slattery and John Oxx and I’ll just be grateful for any opportunities they can give me.
“It was nice to get one ride for Mr McGuinness, who I’ve never ridden for. I think he’s an under-rated trainer sometimes. When he gets a good horse he can perform with them, he’s done very well with the veteran Bubbly Bellini for example.
“So I’m looking forward to riding for him at Galway and hopefully continuing to do so in the future."
