Ruby claims treble
Codd keeps the local flag flying high
THE TWO-DAY Wexford Festival meeting was completed at Bettyville on bank holiday Monday, and a good day’s racing was highlighted by a local winner for William Codd from Mayglass and a short-priced treble by champion jockey, Ruby Walsh, bringing his weekend Wexford tally to five.
Run off in excellent conditions, racing was enjoyed by a reasonable crowd in ideal weather and there was some keen competition for the almost €100,000 on offer. Some well-known people were remembered in the race sponsorships, including the late M.W. Hickey of Garryrichard and the late Jim Whitty of Whitford House.
There was an all-Wexford finish to the €14,500 Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle, and victory went to the William Codd-trained mare, Tellthemnuttin (5/1), ridden by Chris Timmons (Dublin), owned by the Heads or Harps syndicate, and bred by Billy Devereux.
She stayed on well to win by two lengths from Liz Doyle’s Whitber’s Choice, followed in by Colin Bowe’s Tawseef and Paul Nolan’s favourite, Summerhill Lewis, ridden by Jonathan Moore.
Codd was delighted with Tellthemnuttin’s second win from two runs at his local track. ‘She is just an absolute superstar for the syndicate, they’ve had so much fun with her. She’s as tough as old boots,’ he said with a broad smile.
This completed a weekend double for the Codd yard as he had won a point-to-point at Maralin in Co. Armagh on Saturday with Flabello under Jimmy Scallan from Tomhaggard, riding his first-ever winner.
Jimmy, known as ‘Paddy’ to all in the yard, does not really have a racing background but has been under the wing of Willie and his champion jockey brother, Jamie, for the past three years, and all were delighted with this initial success. Hopefully, it will be the first of many.
There was some controversy recently when Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud (he of Ryanair fame), removed 60 horses from the Willie Mullins yard in a dispute over fees and spread them around some other stables, including Gordon Elliott and Henry De Bromhead.
Willie has not been running many horses in recent weeks (just 17 jumpers in October) and it is ironic that his regular jockey, Ruby Walsh, has been picking up winners for the Mullins rivals.
The Walsh hot-shot hat-trick at Wexford included two for Elliott - Senibel Island (4/5f) in the opening Peter Nolan Bloodstock maiden hurdle, and Ball D’arc (4/7f) in the €12,000 Jim Whitty Memorial Beginners’ Chase. And his third for was De Bromhead - Burndown (4/5f) in the Paddy and Chrissie Donohoe Memorial Maiden Hurdle.
The feature of the day, and one of the year’s highlights at Bettyville, was the listed €28,500 M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase, and clear victory went to the Peter Fahey-trained Bay of Freedom (8/1), ridden in just his second run over fences by Kevin Sexton.
The Audrey McGrath Memorial Novice hurdle went to Shark Hanlon’s Magna Cartor (4/1), and it was a feather in the cap of Rachael Blackmore that she pushed Ruby Walsh into second on favourite, Bobarlee, his only ride for Willie Mullins on the day.
There was a controversial finish to the day in the Garryrichard Stud bumper - Nina Carberry seemed to have it in safe keeping when well clear on the odds-on favourite, Gleeson’s Tip. However, the horse idled in front and she didn’t appear to be pushing too hard and she was collared on the line by surging 20/1 outsider, Play the Part, giving young Archie Macauley from Blessington his first winner on the track.
There was some surprise that the stewards did not enquire into the riding of the beaten favourite.
The day’s betting on the Tote was €74,000, nearly €6,000 down on last year. Racing concludes for the season at Bettyville on Tuesday, November 22.