Impressive display from Honeysuckle
Denis O’Regan was among the big race winners on a huge weekend at Fairyhouse, taking the Baroneracing.com Drinmore Novice Chase on the Noel Meade-trained Beacon Edge on Sunday. It was O’Regan’s first top-flight success in eight years and in a thrilling renewal of the race, the strong 7/2 chance swooped late to give the Castletown trainer his sixth win in the race, 41 years after Bective Road and Joe Byrne took the honours in 1980. O’Regan got the seven-year-old home by a length and a quarter form the Gavin Cromwell-trained Gabynako with Gordon Elliott’s Fury Road a head away in third place. O’Regan followed up with a second winner straight away when taking the valuable Porterstown Handicap Chase on the Gordon Elliott-trained Smoking Gun, owned by David Barnard and Nick Courtney. The 10/1 chance led at the final fence to beat Liam Cusack’s The Dabbler by three lengths.
Honeysuckle just gets better and better and she landed the Grade 1 Baroneracing.com Hatton’s Grace Hurdle for the third straight year with a most impressive display. Once again, the unbeaten star of National Hunt racing was on the receiving end of a typically confident ride from Rachael Blackmore who sent the 2/5 favourite clear before the second last hurdle, to win by eight lengths from the Matthew Smithtrained Ronald Pump, with Gordon Elliott’s Abacadabras in third place. Blackmore and de Bromhead were back in the winners’ enclosure 40 minutes later as the Robcour-owned Gua Du Large landed the two-mile handicap hurdle in very contrasting fashion. The 25/1 chance was held up in last place and only made his move early in the straight, coming through with a perfectly timed run to beat the Elliott-trained Glan by a neck.
Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore tasted success at Thurles on Thursday where they won the BetVictor Maiden Hurdle with the Warriors Syndicate-owned Clifton Warrior. The five-year-old was having his first start for the stable and eased clear before the final hurdle to score by eight and a half lengths from the Pat Flynn-trained Tudor Manor. Eoin Walsh landed a double at the venue where he rode winners for Balbriggan trainer Peter Cluskey and Kells, County Meath trainer Des McDonogh. He teamed up with Cluskey’s Ciankyle to take the two-mile two-furlong handicap chase, the 18/1 chance, owned and bred by Hugh Calvey, gaining a narrow advantage over the final fence and pulling away to beat the Robert Tyner-trained Dontdooddson by two and a quarter lengths. Walsh completed his brace when landing the concluding handicap hurdle on the McDonogh-trained 11/2 chance Peace Party, winning by all of eight lengths from the Philip Rothwell’s 9/4 favourite Lesssaidthebetter.
Meanwhile, Willie Mullins’ servant Cilaos Emery, in the Luke McMahon colours, made all the running under Brian Hayes to win the Listed BetVictor Chase by a cosy three lengths. The 30/100 favourite was safely clear over the last and coasted home ahead of the Gavin Cromwell-trained Darver Star, the 11/4 second favourite. Davy Russell continued on his good run with success on the Gordon Elliott-trained Vina Ardanza in the Thurles Maiden Hurdle. With the winners came easily to Walsh and Hayes, the former champion jockey was all out to get the 5/4 favourite home by a short head from the game Walnut Beach.
Trainer Andy Slattery teamed up with Wayne Lordan to win the seven-furlong two-year-old maiden at Dundalk on Wednesday week with Doitforandrew. The 15/2 chance won was not winning out of turn and came home a length and a quarter ahead of the Gavin Cromwell-trained 5/6 favourite Together Aclaim. Slattery’s nephew, Ben Coen, took the six-furlong nursery handicap on the Edward Lynamtrained Marsa. The two-year-old followed up the previous week’s nursery handicap success over seven furlongs with a battling win over a furlong less this time, the 2/1 favourite scoring by half a length from the Ger Lyons-trained Obtain.
Kilworth jockey Adrian Heskin and Gordon Elliott took the twomile conditions’ hurdle with I A Connect at Punchestown on Tuesday week last. Based across the Irish Sea, Heskin is retained by winning owners, the McNeill family, and made the most of a flying visit to the track and when making all the running on the 9/2 shot to pip the Peter Fahey-trained Surprise Package by a nose.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Clonmel – Thursday, December 2 (first race 12 noon); Dundalk – Friday, December 3 (first race 4pm); Navan – Saturday, December 4 (first race 12 noon); Cork – Sunday, December 5 (first race 12.10pm); Punchestown – Sunday, December 5 (first race 12.25pm).