Trainer Doyle hits century milestone
DONNACHADH DOYLE of Ballindaggin reached a significant landmark at the North Kilkenny Hunt meeting at Ballyragget on Sunday when he trained his one hundredth winner in the Open Race in just his seventh season.
Another graduate of the Colin Bowe academy, he has really made his mark as part of the Monbeg operation. He was joint champion trainer with Bowe two seasons ago, and this ninth win has him in contention again.
And to make it even sweeter, Art of Logistics was ridden by his 17-year-old brother, Gearóid, his fifth winner in his first season. Second was Ashleigh Murphy’s (Duncormick) Better Be Quick and third was William Codd’s The Amarillo Kid under J.W. Hendrick.
Conor Murphy from Ramsgrange repeated the Tinahely victory of So Influential (Luso-How Influential) for his father, Laurence, and trainer Mark Clifford, and this one may re-appear at Monksgrange in the Bree Hunt meeting next Sunday.
There was an unusual outcome in race three when none of the five runners completed the course - two fell, one unseated and the other one was brought down!
It was a great day for Rob James at the South Westmeath Hunt meeting at The Pigeons, near Athlone, where he scored a fine treble. His first win was a thriller in the five-year-old maiden on Colin Bowe’s Cockle Bay (Milan-Theredanthegreen), getting home by a short head after a prolonged battle with Boland’s Mill.
James followed up in the Confined Hunt winners’ race on Didarro for Brian Dillon, with Jimmy O’Rourke second on Tradman for local, Thomas Cleary.
His third win came in the Open race on redhot favourite Sprintingforgold (Goldwell-Annie Be Quick) for James W. Doyle (Monageer) and the Monbeg Syndicate.
Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown foiled the Wexford big guns in the four-year-old maiden, with Valdieu beating Denis Murphy’s Ataguiseamix under Jamie Codd and Present From Dubai under Rob James for Donnchadh Doyle.
Jamie Codd rode the first three races without a win and then drove from Athlone to Navan to sluice up in the bumper for Elliott on Minellafordollars.
Racing began at Maralin, Co. Down on Saturday and there was an impressive win in the four-year-old maiden for Michael Goff (Clondaw, Ferns) with Fullasthesea (Champs Elysee-Pentatonic) under stable jockey Shane Fitzgerald for Francis Fenlon.
This was Goff’s sixth of the season and consolidated Fitzgerald’s place at the head of the novice riders’ table on nine winners.
Second here was Barry O’Neill on Colin Bowe’s Overworkdunderpaid, one of four seconds for him on the card.
O’Neill also had a blank on Sunday but his pain may be eased by the fact that rival Derek O’Connor only managed one winner in two meetings and Jamie Codd did not score.
The Bree Hunt are racing next Sunday at Monksgrange, Rathnure, opening with the four-year-old maiden at 2 p.m. and concluding at 4.30 p.m. with the older geldings’ maiden.
It’s a busy weekend as they race at Durrow (Brosna Foxhounds) and Portrush, Co. Derry, on Saturday, and at Liscarroll and Durrow again on Sunday.