Quick-fire treble for O’Neill at Lingstown
BARRY O’NEILL rode the first three winners at the Killinick Harriers meeting at well-attended Lingstown on Sunday, two of them for Colin Bowe, adding to a double for them both in Limerick the previous day, making it another great weekend for the champions who are well on the way to retaining their titles.
At Lingstown, the Tattersalls Ireland four-year-old maiden saw a tight finish between the ‘big guns’. O’Neill and Bowe got home by a head with Gerri Colombe (Saddler Maker) from Jamie Codd on his home track aboard Denis Murphy’s Lakota Warrior. Benny Walsh trained and rode Rajsalad to be third.
O’Neill combined with Liam Kenny (Craanford) to win the Padge Berry and Moortown Stud five-year-old mares’ maiden by three lengths with Brown Bullet (Arcadio), from Rob James on Pierce Power’s (Fethard) Without Conviction.
The O’Neill treble came in the Slaney Food five-year-old geldings’ maiden by three lengths on Bowe’s Sunset West (Westerner), owned and bred by Maurice O’Brien, from James on Donnchadh Doyle’s Lostcityofgold, a head in front of Codd on Denis Murphy’s Grange Road.
There were 13 runners in the Hearne Line Marking Open over the iconic Lingstown banks, and Derek O’Connor ended the Wexford domination on Stand Up and Fight for JP McManus and trainer Enda Bolger.
He was six lengths clear of Tiernan Power-Roche on Michael Murphy’s (Redbridge Stables) Better B Quick.
The Rostoonstown Stud Winners of Two very nearly provided a home victor as Vincent and Jimmy Devereux’s Mr. Mantilla, ridden by Shane O’Rourke, was pipped by a head by Mikey O’Sullivan on Paul Cashman’s (Cork) Movethechains.
A successful day’s sport ended with ten runners contesting the Ire Wel Pallets and INHS older horses’ maiden, with Derek O’Connor completing a good weekend in the south-east when winning with Black Samurai for Seán Aherne, from Philip Rothwell’s Icy Inferno and Codd on Denis Murphy’s The New Kid.
At Tortulla in Clonmel, Ellen Doyle’s Baltimore Stables had a runaway winner of the four-yearold geldings’ maiden with Hollow Games (Beat Hollow) under John O’Neill, with Peter Kavanagh second on Colin Bowe’s Tim Pat.
At Lismore in Waterford, Liam Kenny completed an across the card double in the four-year-old maiden with Galon De Vauzelle, ridden by his son, James, and owned by well-known rider, Harley Dunne.
He was a bit lucky as Pat Doyle’s Petibonome was first past the post but had taken a wrong course and was disqualified.
Ivan Walker (Bunclody) was second in the Mares’ Winner of One, with Drumderry Ask beaten by a neck by Paul Power’s Awesome Lady. There was little other Wexford interest.
There was a strong Wexford representation at Ballycahane in
Limerick on Saturday.
O’Neill and Bowe struck in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden with debutant Chosen Port (Well Chosen) but were made to battle hard by Shane O’Rourke on John P. Berry’s Western Zara, and they followed up in the older mares’ maiden with another debutant, The Dabber (Aizavosky), surviving a mistake at the last fence.
James had three lengths in hand in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden on Killer Kane, a first-timeout winner for Donnchadh Doyle and the Monbeg Syndicate.
Jamie Codd was second on Fabrique En France, with O’Neill third on Bold Pimpernel for Warren Ewing.
Shane Fitzgerald and Michael Goff were beaten a length in a good looking four-year-old geldings’ maiden, with Patroclus going down to Derek O’Connor on Docpickme for Ellemarie Holden.
O’Connor headed for Gowran and won the famous Tetratema Hunter Chase on Sam Curling’s five-time winner, Aloneamongmillions, from fellow-traveller Rob James on David Christie’s Some Man.
A few made the long trip from Wexford to Tyrella in Co. Down and
Wexford dominated the four-yearold auction maiden.
Victory went to Denis Murphy with debutant Greenrock Abbey (El Salvador), ridden by Luke Murphy (Inch), from Jack Hendrick (Mayglass) on Cormac Doyle’s Monkstreet and James Kenny on Colin Bowe’s Bolamore Bridge.
Hendrick got quick compensation in the five- and six-yearold geldings’ maiden on Doyle’s Oscar Elite (Oscar) from Jordan Gainford (Caim) on Here We Have It for Warren Ewing.
The Wexford challenge at Bandon was confined to the five-yearold geldings’ maiden, with Pierce Power (The Hook) getting second with Bally Body, perhaps disappointing after such a long journey.
After all that, Barry O’Neill is making a procession of it as he heads for his fourth successive riders’ championship; he is on 40 winners, with Jamie Codd second on 22 and Rob James third on 17. Trainer Colin Bowe is also well clear on 27 winners, with Denis Murphy second on 18.
Next weekend they race at Loughbrickland, Co. Down, on Saturday, and on Sunday at Ballyarthur in Cork, Belclare in Galway, and Ballyraggett in Kilkenny.