James hits 150 mark
Some lesser lights share in the glory
THIS WEEK’S racing produced red letter days for several Wexford men, especially jockey Rob James who rode his 150th career winner and for handlers Billy Gahan from Monageer and Cormac Farrell from Bunclody who were rewarded for their persistence with rare winners, to illustrate there is still some romance in the game and a place for the ‘small man’ among the heavy hitters.
With time running out, and the ground improving at last, there was a big turn-out of runners at all meetings last week, with many races divided.
Barry O’Neill still leads Derek O’Connor in the riders’ title race by 49 to 43 with just eight possible racing days left for them. Donnchadh Doyle leads the trainers’ race by 26 to 23 from Colin Bowe.
James passed his milestone at Dawstown in Cork on Bank Holiday Monday, six years after his first win in the 2011-’12 season.
That win was on debutant Stream Lady (out of Curtain Time) in the five-year-old mares’ maiden, for the Bookeys Stream Syndicate, trainer Gahan’s first runner of this season.
It was his fourth career winner from 39 runners since the 2011-’12 season. Well done on a handsome twelve-length success, from Jimmy O’Rourke on Illuminated Beauty.
The two four-year-old geldings’ maidens came back to Wexford. Harley Dunne won Division 1 on Run Wild Fred, a son of Shantou, sent out by the in-form James Doyle (Monageer) for the Baltimore Stables.
He held off Barry O’Neill on Colin Bowe’s Easyrun De Vassy by a head.
O’Neill and Bowe did take Division 2 in fine style on a Goldwell gelding, Lock’s Corner, from James and stablemate Bbold. This one looks a good prospect and is for sale.
They were second in the 17-runner five-year-old geldings’ maiden, beaten only a head on Pogue after a mistake at the last.
There was a turn-out of over 90 runners here.
There was another rare winner at Loughanmore, Co. Antrim, on Saturday, this time for Cormac Farrell from Ballypreacus, Bunclody, who had his third success in a ten-year career spanning just 59 runners and his first win since the 2009-’10 season.
Thunderstruck, a €10,000 debutant son of Fame and Glory, did the honours under Seán O’Keeffe, by a length from Luke Murphy (Inch) on Denis Murphy’s Maypole Class in the first four-year-old maiden.
This turned into a ten-race card with 115 runners, 40 competing in three divisions of the four-year-old maiden.
Michael and Caitríona Goff from Duncormick took Division 2 with Tribesmans Glory (out of Jeremy) under Shane Fitzgerald.
A good ride from Rob James saw him get up Donnchadh Doyle’s Diomede Des Mottes (by Kapgarde) in the five- and six-year-old geldings’ maiden by half a length. Jimmy O’Rourke was second in Division 2 on Denis Murphy’s Chasing Highs.
In the five-year-old plus maiden, Rob James was second on Colin Bowe’s Go Millie Go, behind Derek O’Connor on his brother’s Getaway Honey, first leg of a double. Barry O’Neill limited the damage by winning the last on Brian Hamilton’s Some Response.
There were 93 runners in eight races at Bartlemy in Cork on Sunday, and Kieran Roche (Adamstown) had his first winner of the season’s six runners in Division 1 of the four-year-old mares’ maiden with James Walsh steering home Michael Kenny’s Silver Forever (a son of Jeremy, bred by the trainer’s wife). Wexford connections filled the first four places.
Luke Murphy (Inch) won Division 2 on Colin Motherway’s (Cork) Subway Surf, catching Barry O’Neill on Colin Bowe’s Takingitallin in the final yards.
Ivan Walker from Bunclody had his second win of the season from just two runners with debutant mare, Leverock Lass, under Ciarán Fennessy, seeing off the favourite.
Ivan has just four horses but does well and had a big hit with Threeswallowsnick a couple of years ago for Enniscorthy publican, Nick Doyle.
This weekend there is racing at Necarne, Co. Fermanagh, on Friday and Saturday, and at Oldcastle Co. Meath, and Dromahane in Cork on Sunday.