Jody Townend, younger sister of Ireland’s champion jump jockey Paul Townend, was the star of the show on the first night of the Galway festival.
She landed the Connacht Hotel Amateur Riders Handicap on Great White Shark, only nine months after suffering serious back injuries.
The 21-year-old brought the Willie Mullins-trained mare, a well-supported 8-1 shot, on the outside from well off the pace to land the feature race by a length and three-quarters.
