Wexford riders warm up with five winners

IT WAS quite a busy week’s racing in Ireland, and Wexford riders warmed up for Cheltenham with five winners.

Biggest, and most impressive, winner was probably the Jonathan Moore/Gavin Cromwell combination which had a 28-length success at Thurles on Thursday with Bay Ambition (4/1) in the €18,000 handicap hurdle.

There was a hard-earned Wexford double at Clonmel on Wednesday. Seán O’Keeffe won a three-mile handicap chase by a head in a driving finish on Jimmy Mangan’s Misty Adage, from Tiernan Power-Roche on Gordon Doyle’s Lacken Bridge, which was nabbed on the line.

Jamie Codd followed up on their win of the previous week when he won the Qualified Riders’ handicap hurdle by an even tighter short head on Jim Dreaper’s Shopping Around (10/3), just holding on from favourite, Shantou (2/1).

O’Keeffe added to his tally at Gowran on Saturday aboard Lady McCabe (7/2), giving Cork trainer Martin Fitzgerald his first winner for almost seven years.

At Navan on Tuesday, J.J. Slevin combined once more with Joseph O’Brien to win a two-mile maiden hurdle by seven lengths on Scarlet and Dove for Gigginstown.

Seán Flanagan rode Beacon Edge (7/4) on his comeback race at Naas on Sunday and was second in a listed novice hurdle, beaten just a neck by Davy Russell on Cedarwood Rose (7/2).

All roads lead to Cheltenham now after his month-long absence with a facial injury.

On the flat, New Ross apprentice, Donagh O’Connor, has hit a winning streak at Dundalk after returning from a serious injury suffered last year. He had a terrific double on Friday evening.

He drove Kinch up to win by a head and head for Johnny Levins in a tough finish. ‘It was a brilliant ride by Donagh,’ Levins commented.

Earlier he had a more comfortable two lengths to spare on Happaugue (5/6f) for John McConnell, and the previous week he scored on Cautious Approach (16/1) for Richard O’Brien from Limerick.

Pat Dobbs had a double at Jebal Ali in the United Arab Emirates for trainer Doug Watson (15/8 and 9/4), but was out of luck at Meydan on Friday.