Moore and Dobbs in sparkling form
A NUMBER of Wexford jockeys were among the winners in Britain during the week, with Jonathan Moore from Adamstown and Pat Dobbs from Enniscorthy really hitting the high spots, both racking up five winners, writes Pegasus.
Jonathan is now jumps stable jockey for Rebecca Curtis in Wales and he rode a big-priced double for his new boss at Worcester on Wednesday - getting home by a head on Libby T. Valance at 11/4 and then pulling off a big shock on 33/1 shot, Sporting Milan. He scored for her again on Friday at Newton Abbott on Relentless Dream at 11/2.
He came back to Bellewstown in Meath on Saturday evening and recorded another double there, on favourite Jack Slade (7/4) for his previous boss, Noel Meade, and then won on Sir Jack Yeats at 10/1, a chance ride picked up on the day.
The catalyst for the new alliance was his fine ride to win a grade A handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival for Curtis aboard Irish Cavalier. The 22-yearold Adamstown man felt the offer from Curtis was too good to turn down.
Jonathan has been involved with horses for as long as he can remember and he got some of his early education with his neighbouring trainer, Moses McCabe, at his Rathsillagh yard.
After graduating from the RACE apprenticeship programme, he spent a year with Gordon Elliott, three years at Colm Murphy’s in Killenagh, north Wexford, then on to the Monaghan stables of the late Oliver Brady before finally ending up with Noel Meade, for whom he won the Cork National on Tulsa Jack. His biggest success was probably on Colm Murphy’s Empire of Dirt in the €100,000 Coral Leopardstown Chase in January.
Given decent luck with injuries and mishaps, Jonathan Moore seems set for a successful jumps racing career in Britain.
Pat Dobbs from Enniscorthy is also in a rich vein of form. During the week he rode winners at Newmarket, Windsor and Newbury and he capped it all on Saturday when he excelled on Light Up Our World to win the listed Corals fillies’ race at Sandown at a handsome 20/1.
Richard Hannon is recognised as one of the top flat trainers in Britain and Dobbs has been an increasingly important part of his team for 18 years, since he decided to take his chance in English racing at 20 years of age. In that time he has ridden over 600 winners, highlighted by Pether’s Moon in the Group 1 Coronation Cup last year.
Pat is a regular at the Dubai Racing Festival each winter and has picked up some of the most valuable and prestigious races over there.
P.J. McDonald from Taghmon is also enjoying a good run again this season and is already on the 30 mark. He had a couple of winners in the week for Anne Duffield, one of his regular trainers, at Catterick and Yarmouth, and he rode Marmelo to victory on Friday at Doncaster for Hughie Morrison.
Finally, well done to Johnny Slevin who followed up his very good win at Wexford on Friday evening on his father’s Ash Rowe with a brilliant ride in the bumper at Limerick on Sunday to get up on the line on Seamus Fahey’s (Kildare) Polar Present, to snatch victory at 14/1.
Racing in Ireland this week is at Roscommon (Tuesday), Leopardstown (Thursday), Navan and Cork (Friday), Tipperary (Saturday), Fairyhouse and Sligo (Sunday), and Killarney (Monday, July 11).