Moore stands in for Seán in style
IT WAS a case of injury playing a significant role for three Wexford jockeys in the past week, involving Jonathan Moore, Seán Flanagan and P.J. McDonald.
Jonathan Moore from Adamstown had one of the biggest wins of his career when capturing the €200,000 Grade A Guinness Kerry National on board Snow Falcon at Listowel last week, giving veteran trainer Noel Meade his first success in the race.
He was standing in for fellow Wexford rider, Seán Flanagan, who is stable jockey for Meade but is currently recuperating from a broken leg.
Flanagan has been the regular partner for Snow Falcon and Moore, who is number two jockey for Meade, did not forget him in his moment of triumph.
Moore had Snow Falcon in the front rank of the 18 runners all through and the big purse seemed in safe keeping when he had a three-length lead over the last. However, Paul Townend got a great run out of the Willie Mullins-trained Saturnas (20/1) and there was only a rapidly dwindling neck in it at the line.
Trainer Meade had fulsome praise for the Wexford man. ‘He jumped great for Johnny and horses do jump well for him as he has a beautiful pair of hands. It’s tough on Seán that he’s missing it, but that’s the way it goes.’
There were a couple of other Wexford National Hunt successes during the week at Listowel.
Jamie Codd scored in the mares’ bumper on Friday on Sassy Yet Classy (10/3f) for Gordon Elliott.
On Saturday, Harley Dunne (Blackwater) scored a fine win in the qualified riders’ handicap chase on The Gatechecker (8/1), a rare enough winner these days for veteran, Michael Hourigan.
Unfortunately, J.J. Slevin and Seán O’Keeffe were unable to take any part in the festival due to injury.
In a quiet week in Britain, Tom O’Brien had a handy win at Newton Abbot on Monday on hot-shot Leapaway (1/10) for Philip Hobbs.
The €4.3 million Irish Champions weekend at Leopardstown on Saturday and the Curragh on Sunday was a bitter-sweet occasion for Taghmon jockey, P.J. McDonald, as injury prevented him from taking the rides on two of his favourite horses, and both of them won memorable Group 1 races.
Laurens was outstanding in the Coolmore Fastnet Matron Stakes for mares and fillies (worth €206,000 to the winner), taking it in gutsy style from hot favourite Alpha Centauri while P.J. was watching on from a wheelchair in the parade ring.
It transpired later that Jessica Harrington’s horse had sustained a leg injury and she had to be retired after a short but brilliant career.
It was a case of deja vu at the Curragh the next day as Havana Grey, also trained by Karl Burke and a regular McDonald ride, was an all the way winner of the €350,000 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five sprint, repelling all challenges.
McDonald is recovering from a freak prerace accident at Newcastle (as I reported last week) which left him with injuries to both legs. Burke and owner John Dance, for whom McDonald is the retained rider, insisted on the Taghmon man coming over to Leopardstown to share in the big day, and he was there to welcome Laurens into the winners’ enclosure.
Karl Burke said that P.J. was integral to the success of Laurens and he would be back on board when fully recovered.
Both replacement jockeys, Danny Tudhope and Richard Kingscote, were full of praise for McDonald’s work with the horses and for the advice he had given them on how to get the best out of them.