ROUND-UP Rath and Slevin rule
HORSE RACING Big-priced success at Gowran Park
RICHIE RATH from Screen, Curracloe, and his regular jockey, J.J. Slevin from Kiltrea, Enniscorthy, pulled off another big-priced success at Gowran Park on Thursday with Seamus P. O’Connor’s 20/1 shot, Notwhatiam.
He was a comfortable winner of the 15-runner Martinstown Handicap Hurdle, and this was the duo’s third win in their last eleven outings, all at good prices. It started with Fayonagh at Naas in November at 33/1, followed by Balynaclash Warior at Thurles early in December at 12/1.
After the race, Richie said he and J.J. always thought Notwhatiam was a good horse…‘he should have a good future over fences’.
Seán Flanagan had a couple of lucrative places for Noel Meade, picking up €9,000 for being second on Snow Falcon (4/1) behind Shaneshill in the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle, and €10,000 for coming third in the €100,000 Thyestes Chase, the year’s highlight at Gowran.
The previous day at Fairyhouse the best Wexford showing was a fine second by Rob James on Seán Doyle’s Gracemount (9/1) in the mares’ bumper for owner J.J. Kavanagh, behind a Mullins 2/5 hotshot, Mystic Theatre.
At the high-quality Leopardstown meeting on Sunday, two Wexford jockeys contested the finish of the handicap chase. J.J. Slevin prevailed on Katnap (9/2), trained by his cousin, Joseph O’Brien, from the fast-finishing Thomond, ridden by Seán Flanagan for Noel Meade.
Mikey Fogarty was unlucky again on the Brian McMahon-trained Powersbomb (11/2) in the Sandyford handicap chase; a bad mistake two out cost him lengths but Fogarty nursed him back into contention and just went down by a head to Elusive Ivy under Jack Kennedy.
Daryl Jacob kept up his impressive season with another big feature race success at Cheltenham on Saturday, this time on Wholestone (11/4) for Nigel Twiston Davies and owner Simon Munir in the £30,000 Neptune Novices Hurdle.
Jacob is the retained rider for Munir and he took a quick dash over to Gowran Park on Thursday for the Thyestes Chase to ride his Ucello Conti and took second place behind Champagne West to pick up a very handy €20,000 - well worth the trip. They were third in the race a year earlier.
It was back to normal fare at Taunton on Friday and he won on Nicky Henderson’s Percy Street (6/4f) in his only ride on the card.
He was back in Ireland on Sunday to ride Footpad (9/1), for trainer Willie Mullins and Munir in the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, and he made up huge ground from the turn-in to take second just a length behind Petit Mouchoir (9/10), earning €22,000, more than you would get for most winners.
One of the pointers that punters keep an eye on is when a jockey makes a trip for just one ride at a meeting.
It can be worth noting but is not foolproof as the experiences of the Wexford lads clearly showed this week.
Tom O’Brien went to Leicester on Tuesday for a single ride and it paid off, winning a novice hurdle on Sister Sibyl (11/8f) for Hughie Morrison.
He repeated the feat on Thursday at Warwick when he won on his only ride, aboard Court Frontier (2/1f) for Paul Morgan in a handicap hurdle.
He went to Fontwell on Sunday for a mudbath in the last race on Thepartysover - and finished seventh!
Pat McDonald went to Southwell for a single spin on Tuesday on the well-fancied L’inganno Felice (15/8f) but was pipped by a short head into second place, and the exact same thing happened to him on Thursday at Southwell on Luv U Always (9/2) for Ian Jardine.