Racing at Wexford on Saturday
THE EXCITEMENT of National Hunt racing returns to Wexford on Saturday afternoon, with the Bettyville track hosting a seven-race card with more than €86,000 in prize money up for grabs for the four hurdle races and three chases, writes Pegasus.
The meeting is quite generously sponsored and given reasonable weather it should be an entertaining afternoon.
The first race is off at 2 p.m. and the final flag falls at 5.30 p.m. Do keep an eye on the racing pages on Saturday, or check the website at www.wexfordraces.ie as times may change.
By the way, while the website is quite good and informative, it could do with a bit of updating. The track is described as ‘a gently undulating left-handed course of one mile and four furlongs which features flat and National Hunt racing’.
Reference is also made in the Chairman’s welcome to flat racing in the summer. Of course, for more than a year now since the course changed direction it is exclusively for national hunt fare.
Work is being done on the final bend at the track to make the turn into the straight a little less severe.
Work is also being done behind the scenes to get the race limit raised from 14 back up to 16 which it was before the direction was changed last year, and there is no reason this should not happen.
The extra couple of runners makes a difference to punters as there is place betting on the first four in 16-runner (or more) handicaps. The card for Saturday is as follows:
2 p.m. - The Audrey McGrath Memorial Maiden Hurdle of €11,500, over two miles.
2.35 p.m. - The Garry Flood Landscaping Mares’ Handicap Hurdle of €11,500 (rated 80-102), over two miles.
3.10 p.m. - The All New Renault Koleos Handicap Hurdle of €10,500 (rated 80-95), over two and a half miles.
3.45 p.m. - The M2 Construction Mares’ Maiden hurdle of €11,500, over three miles.
4.20 p.m. - The Sulzer Novice Steeplechase of €15,000, over two miles.
4.55 p.m. - The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Handicap chase of €15,00, over two miles.
5.30 p.m. - The John Cullen Grain Ltd. Handicap Steeplechase of €11,500 (rated 0 – 102), over three miles and a furlong.
In Irish racing last week, Seán Flanagan had a comfortable success at Sligo on Tuesday on Darkest Flyer (11/10f) for Noel Meade in a novice hurdle, but he had to accept second in the 80-95 handicap hurdle on Meade’s Bronco Bill (11/2), behind Rachael Blackmore on Kilganer Queen (13/2).
J.J. Slevin kept up his good run with two winners and he made Ruby Walsh work really hard on hotshot Shanning (1/3) when chasing him home on Amarillo Rose (13/2) for Liam Lennon in the opening maiden hurdle at Sligo.
He went one better on Thursday evening when steering home Tisamystery (5/1) for Henry De Bromhead in the €16,500 handicap chase, and he won again for his first cousin, Joseph O’Brien, at Killarney on Friday aboard Gigginstown’s Arkwrisht (3/1), ahead of Robbie Power on Jessica Harrington’s 9/4 favourite, A Sizing Network.
Jamie Codd finished off the Killarney Festival on Saturday with a tight win in the concluding bumper, getting up by a neck on Optical Confusion (13/8f) from Koroleva (9/4) for Patrick and Willie Mullins.
At the Curragh on Sunday, Aidan O’Brien had a big treble. Son, Donnacha, won the opener with Saxon Warrior (8/1) while O’Brien’s 8/11 favourite, Christopher Robin, flopped under Ryan Moore, who was also beaten into second on Ballet Shoes (2/7) by Willie McCreery’s Liquid Amber (10/1) in the €80,000 Group 3.
Moore and O’Brien did win the €63,000 Round Tower Group 3 with US Navy Flag (5/4f), and the €65,000 Snow Fairy fillies’ Group 3 with Rain Goddess (11/4jf). Pat McDonald made a quick trip home to ride Aim to Please (16/1) for Karl Burke in the latter but was down the field.
There was a Wexford winner in all but name in the concluding €40,000 Nursery, taken by Warm the Voice (4/1), bred by Jim Bolger, owned by his wife, Jackie, and ridden by Kevin Manning for Curragh-based trainer, Brendan Duke.