Bowe trains his 300th winner
THERE WERE seven Wexford winners spread over three counties on Sunday with the honours being well spread, with a double for trainer Colin Bowe seeing him reach a 300 career winner milestone.
His strike rate has been remarkable and he has been Irish champion six times.
At Punchestown, the champion combination of Barry O’Neill and Bowe took the five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Rainbow Chaser (out of Stowaway) for Larry Dunne, with O’Neill forcing his way through in a crowded finish from a field of 17. He is now seven clear in the title race.
They did not enjoy the same luck in the opening four-year-old maiden as the fancied Living Boy An Co for Gigginstown made a bad error and had to be pulled up, but this one is sure to be back.
O’Neill then headed for Navan where he had a great track double.
Local trainer Peter Maher won the Farmers Hunt Race with Change Your Story ridden by Tiernan Power-Roche (Tomhaggard). He was expected to win for the fourth year in a row with Enniskillen, but this one was third under Benny Walsh (Murrintown).
Shane Byrne from Blackwater (he is brother of Denis Murphy’s partner, Maria) had his fourth win of the season with Thunder Dragon under Simon Cavanagh in the five-year-old mares’ maiden, with Rack’s Cross third of 13 for Shane Fitzgerald and Kieran Roche (Adamstown).
Rob James and trainer Liam Kenny (Craanford) had a fortuitous win in the older geldings’ maiden with Ted as two in front both fell at the last. However, the fences are there to be jumped, so well done to them.
At the Avondhu Hunt meeting near Fermoy, Colin Bowe got his four-year-old maiden for the week, and his 300th career win, with Ferny Hollow (out of Westerner) under Jimmy O’Rourke, winning impressively.
Seamus Neville from Bridgetown had his first winner of the season with his wife Ina’s Notice to Close (by Martaline), holding on by a neck to create a shock under Mikey O’Connor.
Jamie Scallan (Tomhaggard) got his third win of the season when surviving a problem at the last to score by two lengths on Tom Keating’s Pay Later.
They race on Saturday at Farmaclaffey, Co. Armagh, and on Sunday the Bray Hunt race at Fairwood, Tinahely, along with meetings at Kildorrery in Cork and at Killaloe.