Nolan’s lucky break
Heavens open at Bettyville meeting
THE GOOD luck with the weather enjoyed by Wexford races this year ran out for the final evening meeting on Friday when the heavens opened and a downpour drenched the course for over an hour, making things miserable for everyone, especially those involved in the Monart Spa Most Stylish Lady competition.
Everybody was forced to seek cover, including some of the bookies, but the show had to go on and the jockeys, grooms and horses had the parade ring almost to themselves as the racing continued without interruption.
It was a great pity as there was a very good attendance for the generously sponsored meeting, the last jumps action before this week’s extravaganza at Galway.
As is often the case at Bettyville, the Wexford flag was kept flying by trainer Paul Nolan from David- stown who had the only locally connected winner of the night in the three-mile Maggie May’s Pub handicap hurdle.
This was Lady of the Sea (7/1), his only runner on the card, owned and bred by Jim Mernagh, and ridden by Bryan Cooper.
They were lucky on this occasion as the Robbie McNamara-trained Epsilon Indi and Danny Mullins were clear when coming down at the last.
Lady of the Sea kept on to win from the well-backed Something Sweet (13/2).
‘Sure she was lucky. She had hit the crossbar a bit, and sure we’ll take the lucky ones,’ said James Nolan, Paul’s brother.
Robbie McNamara got quick compensation when winning the next race, The Ferrybank Opel Beginners’ Chase, with Matin D’anjou (5/2), and this time Bryan Cooper was a hero for him as he made all but rode the second circuit with a slipped saddle and sat tight to hold off Rachael Blackmore on red-hot favourite, Judgement Day (4/6), by a head.
McNamara’s riding career ended at Wexford in April, 2015, when he was left in a wheelchair after a dreadful fall, so it was nice to see him having better fortune this time. A member of a famous racing family, the way he has come to terms with his new life and his success as a trainer has been an inspiration.
The closest to another Wexford winner was Seán Flanagan’s second on Grey Mountain Mist (12/1) for Eamon Sheehy (Kilkenny) in the Opel 182 Handicap Chase, beaten half a length by Danny Mullins on the well-backed Da Baba Elephant (10/1 in the morning into 7/2 sp).
The horse was brought all the way from Armagh by trainer, Ronan McNally, who thought the rain had ruined his chances.
The opening Liam Leacy Plumbing and Heating maiden hurdle was a romp for Play the Part (3/1), ridden by Cathal Landers for Curragh-based Willie Roper. Play the Part had previously won a bumper at Wexford.
The Parkrun handicap hurdle went to Robin on the Hill (9/1), ridden by Mark Enright for Nenagh trainer Aidan Fogarty, whose father, Joe, owns and bred the horse.
The feature of the night, the €15,000 Adare Manor handicap chase, was easily won by Show and Go (8/1), ridden by Dylan Robinson for Waterford trainer Henry De Bromhead.
There was a very impressive winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF mares’ bumper, with Shush (1/1) sloshing through the ground for Patrick Mullins and his father, Willie, to score by six and a half lengths.
The next meeting at Wexford is on Saturday afternoon, September 8.