Great weekend hat-trick for Dunne POINT-TO-POINT

THE BROSNA Foxhounds two-day fixture began at Durrow on Saturday, and Harley Dunne followed up his first track double at the last Wexford track meeting with another valuable double for Borris, Co. Carlow, trainer Aidan Fitzgerald in the mares’ (Be My Oscar) and geldings’ (Knight in Dubai) four-year-old races.

Dunne was a little unlucky not to make it a three-timer in a very competitive mares’ winner of one when he came down at the last when in control on Fitzgerald’s Kayem.

This cleared the way for Barry O’Neill to stroll home on Florianopolis for Meath trainer, Dermot McLoughlin. He had earlier come second in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden on Colin Bowe’s Ceatharlach.

Dunne and Fitzgerald combined for a win and a second in the four-year-old races at the Bree Hunt meeting at Rathnure on Sunday, to complete a great weekend for the two of them (see separate report).

Jamie Codd and Barry O’Neill nipped the 40 kilometres or so from Durrow to Thurles for the concluding bumper where O’Neill came second on Paul Nolan’s Discorama (8/1), and Codd was fourth on Gigginstown’s Vladakar (4/1).

They also raced at Portrush in the far north on Saturday, and trainer Donnchadh Doyle and rider Rob James made the long trip from Ballindaggin pay off when winning the fouryear-old maiden on impressive debutant, Some Man, out of Beat Hollow and Miss Denman, a half sister to Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Denman.

Jimmy O’Rourke was third on Denis Murphy’s Johnny Yuma, having made the long journey for just two rides as part of a small Wexford contingent.

Action resumed at Durrow on Sunday and Jamie Codd had an easy winner before heading on to Downpatrick for the last two races on the track.

He had an armchair ride on Complete Sizing for Jim Dreaper and Alan Potts in the Winner of One, following on from a recent win at Tinahely.

Second here was Makeapoint, under Shane O’Rourke (Foulksmills) for Jimmy and Vincent Devereux, Rostoonstown.

There was little Wexford interest at Liscarroll in Cork where Derek O’Connor maintained his championship challenge with two winners, making it three for the weekend.

The riders’ table is still led by Barry O’Neill on 37, from Jamie Codd on 29 and Derek O’Connor on 28. Rob James is fifth on 18 and Harley Dunne is on nine.

Colin Bowe still leads the trainers’ table on 13, one ahead of Declan Queally, with Donnchadh and Seán Doyle and Denis Murphy all next on ten each.

After this bumper weekend, action is at Loughbrickland, Co. Down, on Saturday, and at Ballynoe, Co. Cork, and Castletown-Geoghegan near Mullingar on Sunday.