Eleven races won on British soil
THE WEXFORD jockeys in Britain rode eleven winners between them last week.
Two of them fought out the finish of the £40,000 fillies’ listed stakes at Goodwood on Saturday, with victory going to Ferns man, Jimmy Fortune, on Laugh Aloud (3/1) for John Gosden and Godolphin, ahead of Intimation (9/4f) for Pat Dobbs (Enniscorthy) and Sir Michael Stoute.
Pat McDonald (Taghmon) was not to be outdone and he scored at two meetings. He went to Thirsk for one afternoon ride and won the featured £25,000 Hunt Cup handicap on Cote d’Azur (8/1) for J.L. Eyre, and he moved on to Doncaster where he scored in the £20,000 seven-furlong handicap on Aardwolf (7/2f) for Mark Johnston.
Tom O’Brien won on one of his two rides at Hexham, on board Atomix (6/1) for Peter Niven in a handicap hurdle
They had begun the week on a high note with four of them winning at three different venues on Bank Holiday Monday. Dobbs had a double at Windsor on Desert Dream (4/1) for Michael Stoute and Sternrubin (5/4f) for Philip Hobbs; at Bath, Jimmy Fortune (Ferns) scored on Ivegotthepower (3/1f) for Brian Meehan, and Jimmy Quinn (New Ross) won on Secretfact (5/6f) for Malcolm Saunders; at Beverley, Pat McDonald (Taghmon) won on Twizzell (4/1) for Kevin Burke.
On Tuesday, Pat Dobbs was on the mark again, on Mouillepoint (6/1) for Richard Hannon at Nottingham, while Jimmy Fortune was the only winner on Wednesday, on Pleasant Surprise (4/6f) for Michael Stoute.
Pat McDonald kept the flag flying on Thursday, aboard Royal Brave (4/1) for Rebecca Bastiman.
Closer to home, Jamie Codd showed he may make a serious bid to retain his amateur rider’s crown at Downpatrick on Friday when he scored a 20/1 treble for Gordon Elliott, and came second on an odds-on shot.
He won the maiden hurdle on Westland Row (2/1); a handicap hurdle on Presenting Julio (6/4f), and the bumper on Penny Jane (15/8) after a tough finish with Frankiefiveangels (11/8f), given a great ride for Noel Meade by Rob James (Killanne).
Codd lost out in the Hunter Chase on Jim Dreaper’s Mullaghmurphy Boy (8/11f) to Donal Delahunt on Cant Pay Wont Pay.
Seán Flanagan and J.J. Slevin got off the mark for the new jumps season at Ballinrobe on Tuesday.
Flanagan won on Dodgybingo (11/2) for Noel Meade in the €13,000 hurdle, and Slevin took the €20,000 handicap chase on Hello Sweetie (4/1) for owner/trainer P.E. Collins.