Halford and Foley team up to win with ‘Surrounding’
ANYONE who listened to Michael Halford following the success of Surrounding at Dundalk on October 5th would have heard him say that the filly’s target was the €55,000 Irish Stallion Farms Cooley Fillies & Mares Stakes, in which ‘she will appreciate the step up to a mile’.
Well, she certainly did, getting to long-time leader Could It Be Love, who had finished second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in May, in tonight’s feature race inside the final furlong to win going away. Mission accomplished.
Good wishes are extended to winning jockey Shane Foley on what has been his best season (57 winners so far including the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Romanised) and for his upcoming wedding, which is scheduled for December 1st.
As was the case last Friday, apprentice jockey Tom Madden teamed up with trainer Conor O’Dwyer to win on Pulsating (3/1), who gamely landed the Crossmaglen Rangers GFC Fillies Claiming Race after a thrilling tussle with Kindly and Bay Of Skaill.
The filly had been claimed by current connections after finishing second in a similar race at Laytown on September 6th and has now won on each of her subsequent starts, although she was claimed after tonight’s race and will now be trained by Gavin Cromwell.
Congratulations are also extended to race sponsors Crossmaglen Rangers, who celebrated a 44th Armagh Senior title win on Sunday.
Tom rode a treble at Dundalk last Friday and this win took him to a career-best 19 for the season. His career is very much on the up.
So is Shane Crosse’s and the champion apprentice-elect gained landed win number 24 of the current campaign when Reverberation (7/2) won the Sheils Restaurant & Apple Orchard Group Handicap for trainer James Lambe.
Tom has to settle for second, though, in the Old Coach Inn Median Auction Maiden when Sweet Dime was reeled in close home by the Keith Henry Clarke-trained Harriet’s Force (3/1) and Robbie
Friday
Race 1 Verrazano won in 28.94 for owner/trainer Aiden Cullen(Dungannon) Race 2 Butterbridge Zip won in 28.91 for Brian O’Hanlon and Newry trainer Gerard Martin
Race 3 Drumnafern Lad won in 29.17 for Eugene F. Skeffington(Dungannon) Race 4 Mystic Ann Marie won in 29.11 for Master Conor Hoey(Dundalk) Race 5 Madabout Jaypee won in 21.87 for The-Three-D-Amigos-Syndicate and Armagh trainer Sean Devlin
Race 6 Tontos Choice won in 29.36 for Brendan Monaghan and Carrickmacross trainer Laurence Jones
Race 7 Geedee Allstar won in 29.13 for GeeDee-racing-syndicate and Rathkenny trainer Martin Lanney
Race 8 This One Time won in 28.98 for Michael Farrell(Strabane) Colgan.
The winner had finished a good fourth in a Listed Race at Dundalk on October 5th and vindicated that lofty entry with tonight’s success.
Afterwards, Keith, who has only recently moved to a new yard, said: ‘I hold her in high regard - she’s the best two-year-old I’ve ever sat on’. She’s an exciting prospect.
The late surge of well-backed favourite National Guard was just denied in the Bar One Racing Nursery Handicap by the Michael Grassick-trained Emily Grace (16/1), who held on tenaciously under Killian Leonard, who is another apprentice enjoying a good year.
He then gained a second success on the night when 25/1-chance Touch Of Gold won the Dev-Oil & Skips R Us Handicap for trainer Michael Kennedy. This win took Killian on to 22 winners for the season. Maybe the apprentice championship, which ends next weekend, is not quite over yet.
Trainer Eddie Lynam made it three winners from his last five runners when Clare Island (7/1) gained a second course-and-distance success in landing the Carna Transport Ltd Handicap under Oisin Orr, another apprentice to meet with success on the night.
Dundalk race again on Wednesday October 31st (first race 2:45pm) and then on Friday November 2nd, when the feature race will be a €25,000 six-furlong handicap. See you there.
Saturday
Race 1 Tullymurry Archi won in 22.06 for Eamon Maginn and Downpatrick trainer Damian Maginn
Race 2 Great Eastern won in 29.07 for Stephen Townsley & Seamus Lanney and Rathkenny trainer Martin Lanney Race 3 Painted Paws won in 19.15 for Colm Farrelly(Hackballcross) Race 4 Whiterock Dan won in 29.22 for Jonathan Fagan & Thomas McKevitt(Newry)
Race 5 Miss Ida won in 28.97 for James Callaghan(Lurgan)
Race 6 Fridays Platini won in 19.07 for owner/trainer Paul Whyte(Lifford) Race 7 Homeless Darkie won in 29.24 for Shane O’Neill(Armagh)
Race 8 Rockcliffe Alfie won in 28.86 for Sean Browne(Balbriggan)
Race 9 Galget Finn won in 18.91 Brendan Cullen(Dungannon)
Race 10 Quivers Crystal won in 29.38 for Audrey Burney(Hamiltonsbawn) for