Gainford and Croke land double
JORDAN GAINFORD and Co. Wicklow trainer Peter Croke landed a back-to-back success with Miss Gherkin which won the two-mile handicap hurdle at Tramore on Monday.
The Maurice Sheehy-owned five-year-old was a winner at Leopardstown in early March and, at odds of 7/2 joint-favourite, she followed up in some style when running out a six-length winner from the Seán Aherne-trained Forever Frankie under a front-running ride.
James O’Sullivan gave high-flying Philip Rothwell his 43rd winner of the season when partnering The Busy Fool to land the twomile novice handicap hurdle at Tipperary on Tuesday.
O’Sullivan made all the running on the 11/5 favourite and held off the challenge of the Andy Slattery-trained 10/1 chance Killeemore Lad by a length and a quarter in the colours of owners Seamus Carthy and Tony Murray, a 15th winner of the term for the Camolin jockey.
Seán Flanagan helped out as Gavin Cromwell dominated the early races at Bellewstown on Wednesday.
He gave the Navan trainer the middle leg of a treble when partnering 11/1 chance Club Manager to win the two miles and one furlong handicap hurdle for owners Anna Kehoe and the Cloud Eight syndicate.
The four-year-old had a little in hand as he scored by a length and three-parts from Edward Cawley’s 9/1 shot Mary’s Pride.
Flanagan teamed up with Paul Nolan to take the opening two and a half-mile maiden hurdle at Wexford on Thursday evening with the Browne Bros. Partnership-owned Kiltealy Park.
Leading soon after the penultimate hurdle, the 15/2 chance battled well to hold the late challenge of the Henry de Bromhead-trained 100/30 co-favourite Grooveykindoflove by half a length.
Nolan landed a second success by a narrower margin when taking the bumper with the Jack Hendrick-ridden Farfromnowhere.
The David Flynn-owned 9/1 chance led early in the straight under the Mayglass amateur to beat Dermot McLoughlin’s 10/1 shot Amanha by a neck.
The powerful trainer/jockey combination of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore teamed up to land a double at Navan on Saturday.
Camille Pissarro won the Irish Stallion Farms EBS Maiden, with the 10/11 favourite finishing strongly to comfortably beat New Theory by one and a half lengths.
Hot favourite Kyprios (2/13) won the SBK Vintage Crop Stakes as he warms up to have a crack at all the top staying races this season.
The six-year-old justified the prohibitive odds when easily seeing off stablemate Queenstown, ridden by Wayne Lordan, by three and a quarter-lengths.
Jim Bolger sent out a winner at Gowran Park on Tuesday evening of last week as Johanna Whitty landed the finale, the Racing Again Tomorrow Maiden over a mile and a half.
The 11/2 shot, ridden by Declan McDonogh, kept on well inside the final furlong to beat Neptunes Staircase by three-quarters of a length.