Fruitful day for Wexford interests at Fairwood
Wexford rules at Fairwood
THERE WERE three point-to-point meetings on Sunday with the main local focus on the Bray Hunt session at Fairwood, Tinahely, with Wexford connections dominating the card.
Overall, it was quite a good day for Wexford with seven riding wins and five trainers scoring, including doubles for Jamie Codd and Rob James and a first win between the flags for trainer William Martin from Clonhaston, Enniscorthy.
Codd has the power of the big track stables behind him and his opening double came on Rapid Escape for Gordon Elliott in the four-year-old maiden, and Complete Sizing for Jim Dreaper and Alan Potts in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Second in the opener was Henry‘s Joy for Kevin and G.D. Corrigan, ahead of Overworkedunderpaid under Barry O’Neill for Colin Bowe.
In the second, Harley Dunne was runner-up on Liam Kenny’s Future Boy, ahead of Alone No More for O’Neill and Bowe.
Barry O’Neill got his win to stay top of the riders’ championship in the open race on Need to Know (Definite Article-Desperado Queen) for John Paul and Marie Brennan (Camolin).
Codd was left to take second on Dreaper’s favourite, Grand Jesture, and Gary Murphy was third on Better Be Quick for the Murphys from Duncormick to complete a Wexford 1-2-3.
Young Gearóid Doyle had his second career win aboard his brother Seán’s Fightfirewithfire (Firebreak-Simianna) in the Winner of Two, ahead of Harley Dunne on Tom Shaw’s Chapter Two and Shane O’Rourke on Lorcan D’Arcy’s Spuds Trouble.
There was also a second season and career win for Jamie (Paddy) Scallan from Tomhaggard on William Codd’s Fivecardstud (Milan-Ad Gloria) in the concluding older geldings’ maiden.
William Martin from Clonhaston, Enniscorthy, rounded out a great day for Wexford and for himself with his Uisce Ur (City Honours-Luna Fairy) scoring in the five-yearold mares’ maiden under in-form Kilkenny rider, Ray Cody.
He has campaigned mostly on the flat over the years, with a sprinkling of NH runners, but this is his first season in the point-to-point arena and well done for getting off the mark.
There was a rare Wexford blank at Kildorrery in Cork, but Rob James kept up his winning streak at Askeaton in Limerick with a riding double.
He took the older geldings’ maiden on Burning Ambition (Scorpion-Wyndham Miss Sally), trained by Pierce Michael Power from The Hook, Fethard.
He also won the Open Race on BL Swagger for Sam Curling from Tipperary and was second to another Curling horse on Captain Cuckoo for Cormac Doyle. .
They race at Farmaclaffey, Co. Armagh, on Saturday, and on Sunday at Bandon in Cork, Killaloe in Clare, and Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny.