Inspired O’Neill has weekend to savour
CHAMPION JOCKEY Barry O’Neill continued his inspired start to the season with six winners over two days at the weekend, including a four-timer at the Shillelagh Hunt meeting at Fairwood, Tinahely, on Sunday, three of them trained by Colin Bowe.
Jamie Codd also had a treble in Westmeath on Sunday, his first wins of the season, and prominent rider, Rob James, had his first winner as a trainer at the same venue.
O’Neill and Bowe won the fouryear-old maiden with Routine Excellence (by Getaway) by a length and a half from J.J. Walsh on Donnchadh Doyle’s Acunrisque.
They followed up immediately in the five-year-old mares’ maiden with debutant, Milans Edge (by Milan), five lengths clear of ‘Paddy’ Scallan on Seán Doyle’s Well Cliché.
O’Neill made it three in the Open race on Mighty Stowaway for Gordon Elliott and son of former Taoiseach, Philip Reynolds, coming home alone.
And the four-timer was completed in the older geldings’ maiden on Bowe’s Houston Texas (by Dylan Thomas), second in both previous outings, getting up on the line to edge out Local Road for ‘Paddy’ Scallan and Seán Doyle.
The five-year-old geldings’ maiden went for ‘export’ to Paul Cashman from Fermoy whose Golden Rock pipped Donnchadh Doyle’s Easter in Milan under Calvin Nugent by half a length.
And the Mares’ Winner of One went to Bandon in Cork as Jason O’Reilly’s Sofias Castle beat Pat Doyle’s (Courtown) Landy Mangan.
O’Neill began the weekend with a double at Portrush, Co. Derry, on Saturday, both trained by David Christie.
He won the Open race on Winged Leader, six lengths clear of Jamie Codd on former US Grand National winner, Jury Duty. He took the concluding older geldings’ maiden by four lengths on Ask D’Man.
The South Westmeath Hunt raced at Umma House, and Wexford dominated the opening fouryear-old mares’ maiden, with the experienced Codd winning the first race at the venue near Moate on Denis Murphy’s debutant, Get a Tonic (Getaway).
Second was Bonbon Balko under Rob James for Donnchadh Doyle, and third was Ask Blossomfort for Shane Fitzgerald and Michael Goff.
Codd doubled up immediately on Percy Warner in the four-yearold geldings’ maiden for Gordon Elliott and completed his treble on Heather Rocco in the five- and six-year-old geldings’ maiden for John Neilan (Galway), from Rob James on Donnchadh Doyle’s Wall of Fame.
Rob James opened his training account in Division 2 of the fouryear-old geldings’ maiden with My Bad Lucy (Kayf Tara), ridden by Brian Lawless (Delgany), coming in eight lengths clear.
Jordan Gainford had three seconds at the meeting, two for Warren Ewing and one for Ivan Walker (Bunclody).
The Doyle brothers, Donnchadh (four) and Seán (two), had six seconds over the two Sunday meetings; a change of luck can’t be too far away.
The Island Hunt race next Saturday at Ballycrystal, Bunclody, and not at Courtown, with the first off at 1 p.m., and they also race at Loughanmore, Co. Antrim.
On Sunday the venues for racing are Dromahane, Co. Cork, and Tattersalls Farm (Meath and Tara Hunts).