McDonald scores at Goodwood
WEXFORD HIGHLIGHT of the week in Britain was a fine win at glorious Goodwood on Wednesday for Pat McDonald aboard Karl Burke’s Havana Grey (7/2) in the £75,000 Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, leading nearly all the way and asserting again close home to beat favourite Invincible Army (5/2) under Martin Harley.
The unseasonably soft ground at Goodwood caused lot of withdrawals and did no favours for Aidan O’Brien who pulled out several of his stable stars, including Churchill, but he did strike in the £600,000 Group 1 Nassau Fillies Stakes on Thursday with his surprise packet of the year, Winter.
A few minutes earlier, Aidan also got his name on the Galway scoresheet when son Donnacha steered Music Box (4/1jf) to an impressive win in the listed €60,000 Corrib Stakes, and within the hour his son Joseph trained the winner of the €300,000 Galway Hurdle with Tigris River - a very good hour for the family
McDonald won at Ayr on Monday with a fine ride on Miss Goldsmith (14/1), beating the 3/1 favourite and, apart from his Goodwood success, he had to wait until Saturday at Newmarket for his next, Amazing Red (13/2) for Ed Dunlop.
Jonathan Moore (Adamstown) went over to England on Monday to ride Going for Broke (7/4f) for Rebecca Curtis, and duly obliged by over two lengths.
On Tuesday, Daryl Jacob and Tom O’Brien had a couple of rides each at Worcester and Jacob had a winner in a two-mile handicap hurdle for Ben Case on Ginger Fizz (6/1), with O’Brien third in the same race on Khismet (7/1). Jacob came home after that for a couple of days at Galway but did not get a winner.
Jamie Codd went to Perth in Scotland on Tuesday for five rides for Gordon Elliott but had to be content with a pair of seconds on Rondevous Peak, and Skeaping, beaten by just a neck.
Jimmy Quinn (New Ross) had a nice 9/1 winner at Newmarket on Friday evening on Crossing the Line for Andrew Balding.
Tom O’Brien had a surprise bumper winner at Market Rasen on Sunday for Robert Stephens, First Destination short heading 8/13 favourite, Soleglad, ridden by Richard Johnson and sent over from Ireland by Gavin Cromwell.