ROUND-UP Codd at his best
HORSE RACING Bridgetown’s Neville back on track
IT WAS a good week in Ireland for Jamie Codd who won three bumpers for Gordon Elliott and displayed all his immense ability in the process; for Seán Flanagan who had another big winner for Noel Meade; for J.J. Slevin who kept up his good run, and for Seamus Neville from Bridgetown who trained his first winner on the track for a few years.
At Down Royal on Tuesday J.J. Slevin and Seán Flanagan fought out the finish of the two-mile maiden hurdle and the spoils went to the in-form Slevin on Indy Island for Stephen Crawford, backed from a morning price of 40/1 into 10/1. Flanagan seemed to have it won on Well Joey (11/4) for Prunella Dobbs from Wicklow but they had no answer to the winner’s sprint after the last.
Jamie Codd got back on the winning track in the bumper aboard Last Minute Man (3/1) for Gordon Elliott with a forceful ride.
Ask Nile (9/4f) opened his account under rules when taking the Surehaul Race Day Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel on Thursday for Bridgetown-based trainer Seamus Neville, in the colours of his wife, and ridden by Brian Hayes from Leighlinbridge.
Ask Nile won his point-to-point at Dromahane last May under Mark Scallan (Cleariestown) but this was trainer Neville’s first track win for a few years and he said: ‘I thought the ground would have caught him out a bit but he travelled well. He’ll probably go for a winners-of-one and stay hurdling this season’.
Mikey Fogarty rode a stormer for second in the 18-runner handicap hurdle on Rock on Barney (12/1), failing by just half a length to peg back Paul Townend and Knockraha King.
Seán Flanagan was a comfortable winner of the valuable €25,000 rated chase over an extended three miles at Fairyhouse on Saturday, aboard Noel Meade’s Texas Jack at a tasty 10/1. Formerly highly-rated, this drop in class resulted in a first win for the eleven-year-old in three years and 16 runs.
Jamie Codd produced a masterly front running ride to win the listed €40,000 mares’ bumper for Gordon Elliott on Fayonagh (7/1). This was a strong race that included five other previous winners but Codd controlled the pace from the front and kicked on half a mile from home to win by an astonishing 20 lengths.
Fayonagh had won her only previous bumper at Naas last November at 33/1 under J.J. Slevin when trained by Richie Rath from Screen and then owned by a four-person Rosslare syndicate. She was sold on after that for a handsome profit, but I wonder if there any regrets now as this win makes her a very valuable acquisition for her new owner, Mrs. Gittins from England.
Codd was the only Wexford winner at Punchestown on Sunday and had to be at his absolute strongest to take the bumper on Elliott’s Oakley Hall (7/4f), forcing his mount up in the closing strides to beat Gigginstown’s Judgement Day. In a lengthy career, Codd has seldom ridden better than he did this week.
In Britain, Daryl Jacob (Davidstown) kept up his remarkable recent run by taking a major featured televised race for the third Saturday in a row at Sandown, this time winning the £50,000 Grade 1 Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novice Chase on Top Notch (11/4) for Nicky Henderson and owner Simon Munir, by a comfortable five lengths.
Tom O’Brien had a snug win over fences at Southwell on Tuesday on Loyus Vac Pouch (7/2) for Philip Hobbs, and on Wednesday he had an all-the-way winner on money-on shot Ice Cool Champs (4/7) at Hereford for Philip Hobbs.
Pat Dobbs from Enniscorthy had a good day at Maydan in Dubai on Thursday with a win and a second for Doug Watson, his regular trainer, in two valuable races worth nearly half a million euros. He won by a neck on Cool Cowboy in a six-furlong sprint, beating Jim Crowley on an odds-on shot, and then was pipped by a nose on the dirt on Second Summer (13/2).