It was deja vu at Galway last night as Ado McGuinness landed his third successive Colm Quinn BMW Mile at Galway, but the 50/1 victory of Sirjack Thomas (50/1) was not the biggest talking point as a messy controversy reigned at Ballybrit.

The fallout from the earlier two-year-old fillies’ maiden was all that was on anyone’s lips as Jessica Harrington was left facing a hefty fine when her winner, 4/1 shot Alizarine, was disqualified due to a case of mistaken identity.

A Stewards’ Enquiry revealed that the Shane Foley-ridden winner was not juvenile debutante Alizarine (4/1), but three-year-old stablemate Aurora Princess which was set to run later in the card with “human error” blamed for the mix-up.

The blunder was clocked by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s (IHRB) veterinary officer when the winner’s microchip was scanned after the conclusion of the second race before Alizarine was disqualified as she could not be positively identified.

Harrington, who described the bay fillies as “nearly identical”, held her hands up for the mistake which saw Aidan O’Brien’s runner-up Twinkle (5/4 favourite) handed victory as shades of a similar incident at Newmarket last October played out.

O’Brien was handed a £4,000 fine by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) when his two runners in the 2020 Group One Fillies’ Mile wore the wrong saddle cloths and Harrington is likely to be hit with a similar punishment.

“All runners are microchipped on arrival and when the winner (Alizarine) arrived back, it was then microchipped by the IHRB prior to the winner alright being called and the horse couldn’t be positively identified,” an IHRB spokesperson said.

“Mrs Harrington didn’t saddle those runners herself and she accepts full responsibility that the wrong filly ran in the race. It’s human error and it’s unfortunate for all concerned.”

McGuinness was the star on the track as the “ecstatic” Dublin trainer walked away with the €100,000 contest once again when Sirjack Thomas, one of his six runners, provided Mikey Sheehy with the biggest winner of his fledgling riding career.

The Lusk handler only learned of Sirjack Thomas’s place in the feature late on Monday night before enlisting Kilkenny pilot Sheehy and the 18-year-old used his 5lb claim to perfection to bag his first Festival winner in sensational fashion.

“It is just unbelievable to win it three years in a row. I threw plenty of bullets at it, that’s what you have to do sometimes,” a delighted McGuinness said while also hailing the efforts of stablemate Saltonstall (16/1) as he came home sixth when attempting an extraordinary hat-trick.

Sirjack Thomas will turn out again this weekend while the winning rider soaked up his moment in the sun after an 11th-hour call from “the master at Galway”.

“It’s unbelievable. Sure I didn’t even know I was riding him until last night. I thought I was coming here with two rides and two lively chances but I didn’t know I was going to be riding in the big race and to oblige and get the job done really makes it that bit sweeter,” the Graiguenamanagh youngster said.

“On the big days like this when your name goes forward and you get the leg up, it’s great for the publicity and getting your name out there for other trainers, none better than Ado. He is definitely the master at Galway, it’s starting to look that way now.”

Punters rejoiced following the opening maiden as Emilie Gray (5/6 favourite) obliged in scintillating fashion for Dermot Weld and Colin Keane, but Gary Carroll won the riding honours for the day with a 65/1 double.

The Listed Corrib Fillies & Mares Stakes went the way of Galtee Mist (11/1) – which Carroll described as “like riding a motorbike” – as Joe Murphy’s mare flew home by three-and-a-half lengths to continue her remarkable rise through the ranks.

Carroll completed the brace when kicking Tom Gibney’s Imposing Supreme (9/2 favourite) home by two-and-a-half lengths in the first division of the handicap, while Izzy Clifton rode her first Galway winner on Denis Hogan’s Plum Perfect (12/1) in the second.

Sheila Lavery was also smiling having watched a powerful steer from Chris Hayes as Moddy Poddle (9/2) scored handicap victory, while Matthew Smith’s No Thanks (4/1) built on his third on Monday to land the last under Declan McDonogh.