Stumble ends National gamble
A MAJOR gamble on Seán Doyle’s Crosshue Boy came a cropper early in the £215k Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday when the horse stumbled and fell at the seventh fence under Seán Flanagan who had gone over for just that one ride.
Trained at Ballindaggin, Doyle’s charge went off at 7/1 having traded at 33/1 a week earlier. The horse had won a race on the same card a year earlier and had been prepared specially for the National, which was won by Takingrisks (25/1).
Daryl Jacob came second in the £40k opening chase on 28/1 shot, Vosne Romanee for Dr. Newland.
He waited around for four hours to ride Chess Player (11/4) in the concluding bumper for Ben Pauling and seemed to have it won when going ahead a couple of furlongs out, but December Second (16/1) swept past in the closing stages.
Flanagan had better luck the previous evening at Ballinrobe when scoring easily on Cenotice (4/1)for Noel Meade in a maiden hurdle, and Jamie Codd cruised home in a four-year-old bumper on Bioverdia (2/1f) for Gordon Elliott.
Flanagan and Meade also combined to win an 18-runner maiden hurdle at Limerick on Thursday on Cosmos Moon (4/1), and the jockey was second on Jimmy Mangan’s Ballybrowney Walk (1/1) in a mares’ chase.
Pat Cloke from Bree had a winner at Tramore on Sunday with his eleven-yearold Bellgrove, the 10/1 outsider of the field, under Danny Mullins in a handicap chase by a clearcut eight lengths. The horse had won at the same track last August.
Liz Doyle’s Chinup was a well beaten second in a handicap hurdle.
On a strong flat card at Naas on Saturday, Adan O’Brien recorded a treble, including first and second in the €60k Group 3 Gladness Stakes with Magical (1/1) and Flag of Honour (12/1).
Ryan Moore won with Monarch of Egypt (9/10) in the €25k two-year-old sprint, and Donnacha O’Brien steered home South Pacific (1/1) by a head from Moore on Barbados (15/8) in a three-year-old maiden.
Aidan and Donnacha had a short-priced double at Dundalk on Sunday – Empire State (4/6) and Ferretti (2/5).