Busman John on superb run
Three wins in past month
JOHN KEHOE of Tuskar View in Wexford town has long had an interest in horses as an owner and a punter, but he has had a real purple patch in the past month in his association with up and coming Curragh trainer, Michael D. O’Callaghan, sharing three wins from two horses.
It began on the Friday of the Galway Festival with Intrepid Prince, owned by MDOC Intrepid Syndicate, formed by trainer Michael O’Callaghan, with John holding a 25% share.
He won the €15,000 Arthur Guinness one-mile handicap under Leigh Roche, two lengths ahead of a Dermot Weld-trained favourite. Trading at 25 and 20/1 in the morning, he was returned at 7/1 for a nice touch.
Intrepid Prince was turned out again at Naas three days later and this time he was well fancied and he won a seven-furlong handicap snugly, under Roche again, at 8/11.
Two weeks later on August 17, Intrepid Prince went for the hat-trick at Killarney having taken a big hike in the weights. He was ‘soft’ in the betting, but he ran very well; he was only headed in the final hundred yards and held on for second.
The Kehoe run continued at the top-class Curragh meeting on the weekend before last when De Boss Man (9/2), trained by O’Callaghan in the colours of John and his wife, Nancy, won the six-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF maiden. He kept finding under a determined Colin Keane and held out by half a length from the Godolphin-owned Ice Canyon.
The bay colt by Dandyman was bought by O’Callaghan at the May breeze-up sales in Gowran and John took on a half share of the horse. It is named De Boss Man as a tribute to John’s dad, and he was delighted to lead in a winner in his yellow and black colours to the famous winners’ enclosure at the Curragh.
De Boss Man was upped to Group 3 class at the Curragh on Sunday in the Round Tower Stakes and he finished a very creditable third, just pipped by stablemate Holy Cat for second, both behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained Intelligence Cross.
De Boss Man was backed in from 22/1 in the morning to 10/1 at the off and it’s safe to assume some good each way money was made.
John said to have a winner at the Galway Festival and the Curragh within a month was the stuff of dreams. He and his wife, Nancy, have run the Fleetline Coaches operation in Wexford town for many years and they are hoping to drive on to more racing success also.
Colm Murphy made the long drive from Killena to Ballinrobe pay off on Tuesday evening when Mikey Fogarty (from Cleariestown) steered Killiney Court to a clearcut victory in the two miles three furlongs chase. Murphy seems to like the Mayo track as he had a nice winner there a couple of meetings ago with Sharlanda.
Seán Flanagan earned warm praise from his boss Noel Meade for his winning ride on 2/1f Dodgybingo at Down Royal on Friday evening. ‘Seán got on very well with him and he’s a lovely horseman,’ was Meade’s assessment.
Mikey Fogarty also earned praise for a great ride to win a blanket finish to the SHS Group handicap hurdle on board Silverpockets (12/1), trained in Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, by Bob Murphy who recalled it was eleven years since he had been at Down Royal and he won that time as well!
In Britain, Taghmon flat jockey Pat McDonald continues to produce the winners, with five more during the week bringing his seasonal total to 57, and a place in the top 20 in the jockeys’ championship over there.
His winners came on Scruffy McGuffy(7/1) on Monday at Thirsk; Bold Spirit on Wednesday at Catterick; London Grammer (6/5f) on Friday at Thirsk, and Hilary J (9/2) on Saturday at Beverley, where he also won on Age of Elegance (11/4) on Sunday.
Pat Dobbs from Enniscorthy rode a good finish in the first at Newmarket on Saturday to get up by a neck on Shafoo Shememi for his boss, Richard Hannon, beating an odds-on favourite.
Over the jumps, Tom O’Brien from Adamstown won a novice chase at Sedgefield on Thursday evening on the fancied No Ceiling (10/11) for Ian Williams to maintain a top ten place in the early stages of the season.
Racing this week is at Gowran Park on Wednesday, Kilbeggan on Friday, Navan on Saturday, Dundalk on Sunday, and Galway next Monday (September 5).