A BERRY GOOD DAY!
Abbey Magic records thrilling victory
THERE WAS some exciting racing and a reasonable turn-out at Bettyville on Sunday in overcast but balmy conditions for the Casey Concrete (Gorey)- sponsored card that featured local wins by trainer John Berry, rider Jamie Codd and a very happy group of owners from Coolgreany.
Blackwater-based Berry had a thrilling victory in the Casey Tarmacadam mares’ hurdle when his Abbey Magic (8/1) held on by a nose under a great drive by Donagh Meyler (Kilkenny) to pip Jaime Sommers, with the favourite Billy’s Hope in third.
Berry, a former point-to-point champion jockey, actually completed a double on the day as he also had a point winner in Meath, and his second runner at Wexford, Give Us A hand, finished third in the Casey Concrete Gorey Handicap Hurdle under J.P. Berry at a massive 50/1.
That one was won by 5/2 favourite, Cloudy Morning, ridden by Barry Browne for Declan Queally (Waterford).
Jamie Codd had a couple of luckless rides in Meath before dashing down to Wexford for the last two races. It paid off as he had a winner and a second. In the concluding mares’ bumper he had an armchair ride on the Gordon Elliott-trained Gigginstown hotshot, Threeswallowsnick (4/6).
There are great Wexford links to this horse as he gave handler Ivan Walker from Bunclody his first two point-to-point wins last season, and he was then owned by Enniscorthy publican, Nick Doyle.
Even though he finished second, Codd’s ride in the preceding €25,000 feature, the Casey Precast Handicap Chase, was outstanding.
He was second on 14/1 outsider, Abolitionist, for Elle Marie Holden, beaten half a length by the Pat Coffey (Nenagh)-trained Definite Soldier.
Not only had Codd’s horse been off the track for 14 months, he was also giving 25 pounds to the winner and to get as close as he did was little short of a miracle.
It was joy unconfined, however, for the winning owners, the Mythens and the Kinsellas from the Coolgreany area.
Jonathan Moore (Adamstown) was back home after his impressive Charlie Hall Chase success in Wetherby the previous day with two rides for Paul Nolan and one for Colin Bowe, but did not have a winner. Closest was a third place in the opening Casey Concrete Blocks maiden hurdle on Paul Nolan’s Cresus de Grissay, who looks like it might have a race in him.
That race was won by champion Ruby Walsh on his father’s Artesone (4/1), and Walsh completed a double on odds-on shot Call it Magic (4/7), trained by his brotherin-law, Ross O’Sullivan, in Kildare.
Gordon Elliott also completed a double with 12/1 outsider, Bull Ride, under Keith Donoghue in the Casey Cattle Slats maiden hurdle.
Overall, it was a good day’s racing. The Tote aggregate was nearly €97,000, €8,000 up on last year. We will have the details of Monday’s meeting next week.
Seán Flanagan (Palace East, Clonroche) and Mikey Fogarty (Cleariestown) were riding in Galway on Sunday and had a winner each - Flanagan beat an odds-on favourite on Presenting Percy (9/4) in the opener, and Fogarty scored in the next with a very confident, front-running ride on Killiney Court (9/2), a former inmate with Colm Murphy.