RUBY WALSH was out of luck in the big race at Galway yesterday but his earlier victory on Dual Gales had champion trainer Willie Mullins reaching for superlatives to describe his jockey.

Walsh got the better of a thrilling duel up the straight with his old-rival Tony McCoy on the favourite Glenstal Abbey to edge home by half a length in the novice hurdle. But if the finish was all about power, then plenty more strength had already been required in the earlier stages of the race.

“This horse pulls so hard from start to finish and if Ruby had let him go for a second the race would have been gone. It just shows how strong Ruby is. That was not easy and I thought it was a great ride. He only let him go after the last,” said Mullins.

Pre-race fears about switching Dual Gales from flat tracks to Galway’s undulations also proved unfounded and his trainer added: “He had a wind operation last year and it really seems to have worked. We will look at Killarney and Listowel for him next.”

Fit The Cove may have been the oldest runner in yesterday’s Guinness Time Handicap but the nine-year-old rolled back father-time to such effect that he gained a third Galway victory a full five years after the first.

It was an eighth career victory in total for the Harry Rogers- trained horse but since it was almost two and a half seasons since the last of them Fit The Cove didn’t have too many supporters and started a 12 to 1 shot.

Danny Mullins has more recent winning form around Ballybrit though and the 17-year-old apprentice star powered his veteran partner half a length ahead of the favourite Separate Ways despite getting headed a furlong out.

“Danny was very good on him,” admitted Rogers afterwards. “But the horse loves it around here. He disappointed us badly at the Curragh on Sunday and it was only a bit of luck that we gave him another chance.

“Really we ran him because it was here. We tried hurdling with him but he kept disappointing us so I think we may leave things well enough alone there and mind him.”

Whatever Next’s chances in the Beginners Chase didn’t look promising when Davy Russell had to use his whip to get him to the front just after the start.

However, the Michael O’Leary -owned horse warmed to his task to such effect that he ran out a 14 to 1 winner although the runner-up Corrick Bridge closed the gap to two lengths at the line despite a third last fence mistake that originally looked to have put him completely out of contention.

“I had to be aggressive on him but he jumped well. The ground was very holding,” said Russell afterwards.

Favourite backers, however, got it right in the novice chase as Montero continued his impressive progress over fences with a third win on the bounce for trainer Dessie Hughes.

“He stays well and the hill, and the other horse (Joe Soap) going off and making it a good pace suited us. I thought he was very good today,” Hughes said.

Favourite backers took another hit on the afternoon, however, in the mile and a half handicap as No One Tells Me couldn’t get the better of Articilitis whose trainer Des McDonogh was foiling his son Declan on the runner-up.