25/1 shot comes home for O’Brien
Sean O’Brien landed a notable success when the Patrick Casey-owned Nell’s Well scored a taking success in the Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle at Cork on Sunday. Ridden by County Clare conditional rider Mark McDonagh, the 25/1 chance for the Kilworth trainer eased clear from the second last hurdle to record an eight-length win from the Jonathan Sweeney-trained 6/5 favourite Church stone warrior and Denis O’Regan. O’Brien said “Mark couldn’t claim the 7lbs but to be fair to the man who owns her, Pat Casey, he said he still wanted him to ride her as he knows her well and gets on well with her. And I think it made all the difference as he gave her a great ride. We came here for black-type and we have a bit more now. We don’t get these days too often, so it’s fantastic.”
Gordon Elliott won his eighth race in-a-row thanks to Denis O’Regan who partnered 8/11 favourite Iberique De Seuil in the opening three-yearold maiden hurdle at the venue.
Elliott won his eighth race in-a-row thanks to Denis O’Regan who partnered 8/11 favourite Iberique De Seuil in the opening three-year-old maiden hurdle at Cork. And Elliott made it nine when the Davy Russell-ridden 5/6 favourite Top Bandit took the opening rated novice hurdle at Punchestown. While his winning run in successive races was to end there, Elliott did take the Listed mares’ novice hurdle with the Bective Stud-owned Party Central, another ridden by Davy Russell.
Henry de Bromhead was a winner at Cork on Sunday where the Keith Donoghue-ridden Largy Debut won the opening division of the two-mile maiden hurdle. In the colours of Chris Jones, the 6/1 chance easily turned over the Willie Mullins-trained 1/14 favourite Kilcruit, coming home all of 10 lengths clear of last season’s top bumper performer. Dungarvan trainer Paul Kiely landed his third racecourse success when the Mi key Ham ill-ridden The dancing farrier won the two and a half-mile novice handicap hurdle. the 25/1 chance made a mistake at the final flight but battled well to hold off the Robert Tyner-trained 5/2 joint-favourite, Womalko by half a length.
Cork riders Shane Fitzgerald and Denis O’Regan more than played their part as Gordon Elliott rewrote the history books when dominating a classy card at Navan on Saturday. Elliott became the first trainer to saddle seven winners at one meeting in Ireland or Britain, bettering the previous record, that he already shared with Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls, by one. Elliott’s six-timer had also come at Navan, on Troytown Day in 2016, and not surprisingly he said, “We love coming to Navan, we’ve been very lucky and I think that it’s one of the beast racecourses in the world, never mind Ireland. The best horse normally wins and there are no excuses.”
Shane Fitzgerald weighed in with two of Elliott’s winners with both success coming in high-profile handicap races for owners, Gigginstown House Stud. He won the €100,000 Bective Stud Handicap Hurdle, Navan’s richest race of the year on the 40/1 chance Commander Of Fleet and followed up in the €40,000 Foxrock Handicap Chase on Conflated, the strong 9/4 favourite. O’Regan landed a notable success of his own when winning the Grade 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Klairon Davis Novice Chase on the Bective Studowned Riviere D’etel, the 1/4 favourite making all the running to score by all of 12 lengths from the Seamus Fahey-trained Take All.
Elliott’s other winners on a remarkable afternoon were the Jody McGarvey-ridden 10/1 chance The Goffer in the second division of the maiden hurdle, the Kevin Sexton-ridden 7/2 chance Farouk D’alene in the beginners’ chase and two winners for Jamie Codd, the Bective Stud-owned Ginto which ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle and the Alymer Stud-owned Itswhatunitesus which made a winning debut in the bumper at odds of 10/11 favourite.
TIPP INTEREST AT DUNDALK
There was no shortage of Tipperary success at Dundalk on Friday night. David Marnane took the eight-furlong handicap with the six-year-old Freescape which justified notable market support under Oisin Orr. The strong 4/1 favourite led with just under a furlong to race and saw off the challenge of the Tony Martin-trained Akhlaaq to win by half a length. Jake Coen took the seven-furlong apprentice handicap on the Pat Murphy-trained Ampeson. The four-year-old scored by a similar margin as he got the better of the Craig O’Neill-trained Sondheim at odds of 100/30. Jake’s brother Ben went one better with a double. He took the three-year-old maiden over six furlongs on the Noel O’Callaghan-owned No Nay Alexander which made a winning debut for trainer Johnny Murtagh when beating James McAuley’s 15/8 favourite Moshammer by a neck at odds of 16/1. The Fethard jockey followed up when taking the opening division of the 10-furlong handicap on 2/1 favourite Joupe for County Wicklow trainer Peter Lawlor. The fouryear-old beat the Joey Sheridan-ridden No Show by a length and a half.
Billy Lee was among the winners at the Dundalk meet where he partnered the Henry de Bromhead-trained newcomer Vina Sena to an impressive success in the eight-furlong maiden for two-year-olds. Never far off the pace, the 16/5 chance led a furlong from the finish and pulled right away to win by two and a quarter lengths from the Michael O’Callaghan-trained 6/4 favourite, Rene Artois. Chris Hayes’ association with trainer Luke Comer continues to pay dividends and the pair took the night’s finale, the second division of the Kathleen Pierce Memorial Handicap, with Dr Patrick. The four-year-old had lost out narrowly on his previous visit to the track but it all went his way on this occasion as he got home by a head from the John McConnell-trained Arctic Blaze at odds of 9/4 joint-favourite.
Gordon Dai Dai ran out a clear-cut winner of the opening qualified riders’ maiden hurdle at Clonmel on Thursday. Trained by Liam Burke for owner William MacDonald, the 4/1 chance led at the second last hurdle and made the best of his way home under James Hannon to win by four and a quarter lengths from the Gavin Cromwell-trained 11/10 favourite Fame after the glory.Eogh an O’Grady was next into the winners’ enclosure as Whiskeywealth landed the two-mile maiden hurdle under Phillip Enright. In the colours of Eamonn Hickey and Ger Finn, the 9/2 shot readily held the late run of the Jonathan Fogarty-trained Salamanca Bay, the 13/8 favourite, by a length.
Edward O’Grady got favourite backers back on track after a couple of early reversals as Harvey’s Quay won the two-mile handicap hurdle at the same venue. An 11/8 favourite and a 13/8 favourite had been beaten in the opening two races but O’Grady’s 6/4 chance bucked the trend with a seven and a half-length success over the Shark Hanlon-trained Sefton Warrior. Mark Walsh rode the winner for owner JP McManus.
Declan Queally’s fine servant Western Victory possibly bowed out on a high as she won the conditions’ hurdle over three miles at Clonmel. Queally himself was in the saddle as the eight-year-old notched up her eighth racecourse success when rallying to beat the David O’Brien-trained Minx Tiara by an easy 11 lengths. Queally followed up with a second winner straight away and supplied 21-year-old Dylan Whelan with his first winner as Lovely Moon ran away with the opportunity handicap hurdle. In the colours of Bridget O’Mahony, the 4/1 favourite made all the running under the Stradbally conditional rider to win by 18 lengths from Brosna Rocco.
Askeaton trainer David Fitzgerald meanwhile landed the concluding handicap chase with Hilltop Supreme which was ridden by the season’s leading jockey, Doneraile’s Darragh O’Keeffe. The 17/2 chance, in the colours of Belinda O’Brien, went clear after the second last fence and came home all of 12 lengths clear of the Robert Tyner-trained Big Debates to add to four wins over hurdles at the beginning of the year. Fitzgerald said, “Hopefully this is the start of some more wins and we’ll find something in Limerick for him over Christmas. He loves soft ground.”
Sean Bowen rode his first winner when partnering the Denis Hogantrained Ajax Tavern to success in the seven-furlong claiming race at Dundalk last Wednesday week. A nephew of trainer and hotelier John Nallen, the 16-year-old brought the 14/1 chance home a three and a quarter-length winner from the James McAuley-trained Highdown Heights. Bowen said, “I’m riding out for Denis two days a week and the rest of the week with my uncle John. I’m still in school but I’m in transition year at the moment which has given me a chance to focus on the riding. Ajax Tavern was lazy enough after jumping off but then started travelling and turning in he lit up. It’s a great feeling.” The winner was claimed by Curragh trainer Ger O’Leary. Andrew Slattery and his nephew Jake Coen were on the mark with Doitforandrew in the conditions’ race over the same distance. The 7/2 shot, owned by John Rosser, added to his previous week’s success with a runaway five and a half-length win over the Matty Tynan-trained Hey Kameir. Ballinalard trainer Seamus O’Donnell won the six-furlong handicap with Theriverrunsdeep which is turning into a fine and consistent performer. County Limerick apprentice Paddy Harnett carried the trainer’s own colours and was never far off the pace on the 3/1 favourite, leading over a furlong from the finish to win by a length and a quarter from the James McAuley-trained Beleagurement.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Dundalk – Friday, December 10 (first race 4pm); Fairyhouse – Saturday, December 11 (first race 11.30am).