Crooner Cruises

After months of lobbying by various groups, point-to-point action resumed on Saturday last at Mallow racecourse after a hiatus of some fourteen weeks. The format however of the return to action is far from ideal as under government direction point-to-points can on resumption only cater for four and five year-olds and have to be staged on a racecourse setting. Whilst this is far from ideal it is at least a start point for the sport and it will bring about a certain amount of breathing space for handlers, owners and breeders. I suppose the only modicum of light at the end of the tunnel is that the general consensus on Saturday is that point-to-points in their more traditional format may see a return to action in May.

The Duhallow Hunt, one of the mainstays on the Cork and Waterford circuit, bought into the idea of staging a meet at Mallow and their bravery was rewarded as the four-race programme yielded 195 entries, this massive entry in turn gave us an eight-race programme.

The ground over which they raced was that located between the hurdle and chase track proper, with three point to point fences located up the far side and three more down the home straight with a good long run in. Competitors raced a fraction over two full circuits over ground that was well watered and described as good.

It was no surprise that there was a strong Wexford presence with no less than five of the eight contests finding their way back to the model county.

Racing got underway with a four-year-old mares maiden and here eight went to post with victory going to the Colin Bowe trained Jenny Flex who was partnered by Barry O’Neill and was sporting the colours of Brian Acheson of Robcour fame.

This daughter of Walk In The Park easily carried the best form into the contest having finished second in a recent point bumper at Punchestown and here when given office by O’Neill before three out she quickly put this race to bed. Despite a few flashes of the tail from the back of the last she came home to score readily from another Bowe inmate Harrys Hottie and James Kenny with 10L between the pairing. The Shane Baragry partnered Dreaming Diamond made stealthy progress throughout the last half mile to take third a further 8L back.

Colin Bowe was on hand to greet the winner stating “Firstly I want to thank everybody who made today possible, it’s great to be back pointing and hopefully we can build on this and get back to normal from here. This mare had a grand run the last day and that really straightened her out as she improved for it, I know she flashed her old tail there but she is as genuine as they come, she is one of three I have in for Brian and with my job done now she will head off to one of his track trainers.”

The four-year-old geldings maiden was divided and this contest was also dominated by Wexford riders with Sean and Cormac Doyle taking a split each.

Ten horses contested division one but in truth only one counted as the Sean Doyle trained American Mike decimated his nine rivals here to run out a 20L winner under Jamie Scallan.

The smashing looking Mahler progeny American Mike assumed control well before three out and subsequently never saw another rival, coming home 20L clear of High-Class Hero B Wallis with 3L further back to the third placed Card Dealer and James Walsh giving a 1, 2, 3 for Wexford trained runners.

“I can’t take any credit for him,” stated Sean Doyle. “The brother Eamonn has built his own barn and he has done all the work with this lad, look he is a lovely big honest horse and he will be sold now off that.”

The dam of this winner is American Jennie (Lord Americo) and after winning her point in Killeagh back in 2004 she subsequently went on to win four on the track for her trainer Michael Cullen, she herself was out of a good race mare Cathy’s Girl, bred by Tom Hodnett in Ballymacoda and was successful herself on the track under Franny Woods at Tipperary back in 1992.

Anyway, back to Sunday last and the second split of the four-year-old geldings maiden and here Jamie Scallan looked as if a double may be on the cards as he held a slender advantage going to the wings of the last on-board Serious Charges but he got in tight here handing the advantage to his nearest rival Cool Survivor and Jack Hendrick and once safely over this Hendrick was not to be denied as the progeny of Westener bounded right away to score readily by 4L from Serious Charges with a further 20L back to Money Heist and Barry O’Neill.

“He is a grand horse who I bought privately out of a field off Pat Fenlon, he is a smashing horse who will go to a sale now, I have ten four-year-olds in for this new spring session,” commented Cormac Doyle.

Another Doyle, this time Donnchadh saw his First Glance under James Walsh show all the right battling qualities to get back up close to home to land the first split of the five year old mares maiden.

The eventual winner who was pulled up on her only foray previously in points at Curraghmore was headed here going to the wings of the last by Ramble West and Barry O’Neill, but at this O’Neill got in tight where as Walsh’s mare was slicker and this was the winning of the contest as up the home straight she held that slight advantage in gutsy style to prevail by three parts of a length with a break of 5L to Luck Of The Duck and Jack Hendrick.

“I should not have run her in Curraghmore the last day as the ground was all wrong for her,” said successful trainer Donnchadh Doyle. “She is a smashing mare tough and honest, she came from the Doncaster sale and she will go back to a sale now.”

Division two of this mares maiden called after one of our Cheltenham heroines Honeysuckle went the way of the Denis Murphy trained Scarlet Witch and jockey Luke Murphy.

The winner, a French bred had her task greatly simplified at the fourteenth and final obstacle when her nearest rival Peters Peppy and Barry O’Neill crashed out when just half a length down but looking held, her demise saw Scarlet Witch come home some 12L clear of Saoirse Away and Mikey Sweeney with third going to Melk Abbey and Chris O Donovan some 2L further back.

Wexford trainer Denis Murphy was on hand to greet his winner stating “That was no surprise now, I thought she was unlucky in Borris House the last day when she fell three out full of running, Luke said he had Barry well covered there, I’d say now she will go onto sales next.”

The concluding five-year-old gelding’s maiden was divided three ways and it was in this contest that the Wexford domination ended .

In division one Killeagh trainer Matt Collins saddled his first winner of 2021 as his Harvie Wallbanger, a son of Mahler ran out a 15L winner in the hands of Chris O’Donovan.

In what was a very true run contest the eventual winner along with Wilston Wolf and Shane Fitzgerald had pulled well clear of the remainder with two to jump, however at this and the Wexford raider from the Mick Goff yard got this wrong and crashed out this left Harvie Wallbanger to come home eased right down to score by 15L from Charlie Uberalles and Sean Staples with a further 12L back to Devonian Rock and Evan Dwan.

“A big thank you to everyone who made today possible,” commented successful trainer Matt Collins. “This is a very good horse who we bought from Andy Pierse, and that nice ground there today really suited him. I will talk to the owner Pat (son) and see what we will do next but I would think he will be sold.”

As an aside to this contest Shane Fitzgerald who crashed out here two out will, all going well for him, be joining the paid ranks towards the end of this month and we wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.

Hotelier / trainer John Nallen sent out his Minella Crooner to land division two under a very strong drive from John Barry to land the spoils by 2.5L going away.

Scipion and Barry O’Neill looked like landing the spoils from the back of the last but when John Barry produced the son of Shantou with a wet sail half way up the run in there was only going to be one result and the further they went the further away he went, going in cosily at the death with a further 12L back to the Eoin O’Brien partnered Fionns Choice.

“Look it’s great to be here,” commented John Nallen, “and a big thank you must go to everyone who made it possible. This lad took a little time to come to himself but we think a lot of him, I bought him at the Derby sale and he has a good old pedigree, sure look like most of mine he will go to a sale now.”

Our concluding split of the five-year-old geldings contest saw the Darragh Allen partnered Ingenious Stroke record a virtual pillar to post victory giving Woodstown Dunmore East trainer Rosemary Connors her initial points winner.

Allen had the progeny of Jet Away in the front rank throughout and to his great credit he saw off all challengers from the back of the third last. Loughderg Rocco under Luke Murphy threw down a determined effort from the back of the last but the winner kept finding for Darragh Allen and went in by three parts of a length but in truth he never looked like being headed, Cosmic Outlaw and Jimmy O’Rourke kept on for third some 12L further back.

Rosemary Connors trains the horse for her partner Henry Carey and he will now be offered at an upcoming sale, the horse that is!

GRAND NATIONAL

It would be remiss of me not to offer congrats to Rachael Blackmore and connections on winning the Aintree Grand National with former pointer Minella Times.

Minella Times, a progeny of Oscar started out with John Nallen and having just the one run for Nallen, that run came about at Belclare when under Roger Quinlan the pairing tipped up at the last when clear in a four-year-old maiden. On the back of this he subsequently joined Henry de Bromhead and the rest as they say is history.