Runaway first winner as racing returns GREYHOUND RACING
IT WAS a cold start to the new season at Enniscorthy Greyhound Track on Thursday night, but there was a nice crowd in attendance.
Eight races featured on the card and the first of the year saw a runaway winner when trap four runner Reckatuneheff was impressive, taking this semi-final of the A6 stake by eight and a half lengths in a fast 29.06 to be made hot favourite for this week’s final.
The second semi saw Hillburn Tiny score again in her second win from three starts.
She came home three lengths in front of reserve B Catch Me Outside who was very unlucky and may provide the main danger to Reckatuneheff this week. Hillburn’s winning time was 29.89.
Race three was over the sprint distance of 350 yards, and Slaneyside Keys set the early pace before being overhauled by trap one runner Tagalong Sammy off the final bend. Tagalong went on to beat the fast-finishing Coolough Boy by one and a half lengths in a useful 19.18.
Race four saw another easy winner as trap one runner Dysert Michelle led up and raced to a clearcut six lengths win in a time of 29.23.
Race five, an A4, saw the lead change several times.
First of all Metric Seán showed in front but was quickly passed off the second bend by Tentone Princess, before trap one bitch Tree Tops Beauty came home best to score by a length from the rallying Metric in a winning time of 29.44.
Race six saw another winner come from off the pace as Ontheverge left it late enough to get the better of Alien Bee who also ran on well by two and a half lengths in 29.95.
Race seven went to the trap six box as Piercestown Zara was an emphatic winner. She powered away to leave the field seven lengths in her wake in a good time of 29.06.
The last race eight, an A1/2, was won in good style by favourite Brightside Vim who took over the running from leader Hot Diggity Dog off the second bend and ran out a snug winner in a time of 29.24.
January 25 results - race one, Welcome to Enniscorthy A6 Sweepstake semi-final: 1, Reckatuneheff (owners, Jamie Reck and Brendan Fortune, Enniscorthy), 29.06; 2, Crucial Zara, 29.65.
Race two, Welcome to Enniscorthy A6 Sweepstake semi-final: 1, Hillburn Tiny (owner, Jessica Boyd, Tomhaggard), 29.89; 2, Catch Me Outside, 30.10.
Race three, The Loch Garman S3/S4 Sprint Stakes: 1, Tagalong Sammy (owner, Robert F. Bennett, Dipton Mill, England; trainer, Nick Turner, Barntown), 19.18; 2, Coolaught Boy, 19.28.
Race four, The Model County A5 Stakes: 1, Dysert Michelle (owner, Maria Byrne, Carrick-onSuir, Co. Tipperary), 29.23; 2, Falcon Blitz, 29.65.
Race five, The Unofficial Trials Every Wed. & Sat. A4 Stakes: 1, Tree Tops Beauty (owner, Brendan McDonald, Ballymurn), 29.44; 2, Metric Seán, 29.51.
Race six, The Slaney River A5 Stakes: 1, Ontheverge (owner, Tommy Mahoney, Barntown), 29.95; 2, Alien Bee, 30.12.
Race seven, The Show Grounds A3 Stakes: 1, Piercestown Zara (owner, Derek Larkin, Portlaw, Co. Waterford; trainer, Michael Meade, Waterford), 29.06; 2, Monalee Sara, 29.55.
Race eight, The Loch Garman A1/A2 Stakes: 1, Brightside Vim (owner, John Kavanagh, Enniscorthy), 29.24; 2, Hot Diggity Dog, 29.52. THE WEXFORD dominance of the point-to-point sales ring was reinforced once again at the Goffs UK January Sale at Doncaster last week when the first six top lots were all offered by local yards, with Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg, Ballindaggin, operation and Michael Goff’s Moate stables at Clondaw, Ferns, leading the way.
The twelve Wexford horses, including some that were not that expensive, fetched a total of £816,000. Doyle smashed the sales record with £270,000 for the top lot and sold four horses for a total of £364,000, while Goff got £210,000 for his very impressive New Year’s Eve winner, Dickie Diver.
Star of the show was Doyle’s Phoenix Way, a five-year-old (since January 1) bay gelding by Stowaway, who demolished the field on debut by twelve lengths at Killeagh on January 14 under Rob James. It was bought by agent, Timmy Hyde. The horse had been bought at Goff’s store sale in May 2016 for just £15,000 when put up by Paul Nolan Bloodstock - a profitable bit of business.
Doyle also got £68,000 for Donbitedabait, a five-year-old bay gelding by Oscar, beaten into second by half a length on debut at Tinahely on January 14, ridden by Barry O’Neill. Winner of that race was Kapgarry, ridden by Harley Dunne for Colin McKeever from the North. Dontbitedabait was bought for £18,000 at the Goffs Landrover sales in 2016.
Doyle’s other two sales were for more modest prices: Landofsmiles, a five-year-old gelding by Beneficial, was third at Aghabullogue on January 7 and was let go for £16,000, while Kilcullen Bellamy, a six-year-old bay mare by Black Sam Bellamy that won at Borris in early December fetched £10,000.
Michael Goff from Moate Stables, Clondaw, was delighted with his day’s work. Dickie Diver, a five-year-old gelding by Gold Well jointly owned by Goff and Richard Frisby, was a mighty impressive 20 lengths winner at Templenacarriga on New Year’s Eve under stable jockey, Shane Fitzgerald.
‘It’s a great sale; it’s lovely when they work out that way…the horse is probably a little bit special. We bought him in as a three-year-old and broke him ourselves. We’re over the moon with him,’ Goff told the Racing Post. Purchaser was J.P. McManus and it’s thought he will go to trainer, Nicky Henderson.
Goff also got a very good £40,000 for his five-year-old bay mare, Megaboost (out of Ballingarry) who was second on debut at Aghabullogue on January 7, beaten by Robert Tyner’s Bay Ambition. He got £22,000 for Clondaw Fixer, a six-year gelding by Court Cave, which was second on New Year’s Eve in a five-year-old maiden at Templenacarriga.
Champion trainer, Colin Bowe, and his Milestone Stable, Kiltealy, sent just one runner to that same meeting and his Lorvan Pearl (a bay mare by Gold Well) was a very impressive winner of her maiden under Barry O’Neill. This was reflected in the £90,000 paid for her, a great price for a mare.
Illtellmema (a six-year-old grey mare by Milan), owned by The Forge Syndicate, Bannow, and trained by John Martin Walsh at Duncormick, was a good winner of an older mares’ maiden at Killeagh on January 14 under young Tiernan Roche from Tomhaggard; the experts were impressed enough to fork out £27,000.
Ivan Walker from Drumderry Stables, Bunclody, sent his Patrick O’Hara-owned seven-year-old mare, Good Auld Times (Olden Times-Hazehall Princess) on the long journey to Moira, Co. Down, in early December and it paid off as she won nicely under Mark Scallan; the mare went under the hammer for £10,000.
Trainer Paul Nolan also had a couple of track horses at the sale for CRB Bloodstock. Reelingintheyears, a five-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, had run in two bumpers and two maiden hurdles last year with second in Clonmel being the best result. It fetched £36,000.
Stole The Show (a six-year-old by Mahler) had one second from eight races, and fetched £17,000 from well-known trainer, Dr. Richard Newland.
A good week for Donnchadh Doyle was crowned at Gowran Park on Thursday when the wellbacked favourite, Monbeg Notorious (7/2), won the famous €100,000 Thyestes Chase under Jack Kennedy for Gordon Elliott. He began his racing career in the care of Doyle at Ballindaggin with two point-to-points under Barry O’Neill in May, 2015 - he fell in the first but went on to win impressively at Tralee a week later and was quickly sold on to Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud. He has since won a bumper, two hurdles and two chases and the sky’s the limit now.