Big priced winner for Aherne
Conditional rider Mike O’Connor landed his first Graded success as the Con O’Keeffe-trained Kilbarry Chloe won the Grade 3 Irish Wire Products Shannon Spray Mares Novice Hurdle at Limerick on Sunday. The homebred fiveyear-old was sent off at odds of 12/1 and impressed as she readily got the better of the Willie Mullins-trained Mi Lighthouse to win by three and three-parts of a length.
The winning trainer bred the mare and owns her in partnership with Tadhg O’Sullivan. Conditional jockey Eoin Walsh teamed up with County Kildare-based Barry Connell to win the handicap chase with Balkito, which led home a 1-2-3 for the three 7/2 co-favourites in the race. The seven-year-old held off the Robert Tyner-trained Sir Bob by two and a quarter lengths to land the main spoils, the pair finishing all of 28 lengths clear of the third horse home Seangoell.
Kilbarry Chloe credited trainer Con O’Keeffe with easily his biggest success when winning the Grade 3 Irish Wire Products Shannon Spray Mares Novice Hurdle at the same venue. The homebred five-year-old was sent off at odds of 12/1 and impressed as she readily got the better of the Willie Mullins-trained Mi Lighthouse to win by three and three-parts of a length under County Cork conditional jockey Mike O’Connor, for whom it was a first Graded success. The winning trainer bred the mare and owns her in partnership with Tadhg O’Sullivan.
Brian Hayes completed a hattrick of wins on the Colm Murphy-trained Macs Charm which landed the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle with the minimum of fuss at Naas on Sunday. The seven-year-old stalked the front-running Minx Tiara until taking up the running after the final hurdle. At the line the strong 9/4 favourite had four and three-quarters of a length to spare over the staying-on Festival D’Ex, trained by Gordon Elliott. Robert Tyner was another on the mark with a well-backed favourite as Better Times Ahead won the two-mile handicap hurdle with loads in hand. Ridden by Mark Walsh, the 2/1 favourite readily got the better of the Karl Thornton-trained Kashi by two and a quarter lengths.
Jockeys Davy Russell and Darragh O’Keeffe were among the winners at Navan on Saturday where they scored on horses trained locally by Gordon Elliott and Tom Gibney respectively. Russell landed the second division of the two-mile maiden hurdle on the Ray Stokesowned Dartington, which didn’t have too much difficulty in justifying his odds of 30/100 favourite, the five-year-old beating his own stable companion General Maximus into second place by a cosy two lengths. Doneraile’s O’Keeffe landed a far bigger prize as he partnered 17/2 chance Velvet Elvis to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Chase Final. The race saw another 1-2 for the winning stable as the six-year-old beat Regina Dracones by four and a quarter lengths and could now be heading for the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, a race Gibney won in 2012 with Lion Na Bearnai.
The Red Strand Syndicate-owned Da Capo Glory, one of three horses trained by Padraig Butler in Timoleague, scored a runaway 24-length success in the second division of the two-mile maiden hurdle at Gowran Park on Saturday. With amateur rider Darragh Allen from Araglin in the saddle, the strong 11/8 favourite headed the front-running Ballinrobe Kauto before the second last flight and was soon clear.
Brothers Ben and Jake Coen featured among the winners at Dundalk on Friday night where they rode winners for trainer Tom Mullins and Joseph O’Brien respectively. Ben was on board as the Mullins-trained Agatino which scored a comfortable success in the eight-furlong maiden. On her first run since November, the 9/1 chance hit the front at the furlong pole and was never threatened by the running-on O’Brien-trained 9/4 favourite Hibernia Oppositus.
It was just as easy for his younger sibling who guided the O’Brien’s San Andreas to a one and threeparts of a length win in the conditions’ race over the same distance. A strong 8/11 favourite after a nice run in Doha last month, the sixyear-old dipped down as he came out of the stalls but he quickly recovered and there were no more scares as he easily accounted for the Ado McGuinness-trained Casanova.
Chris Hayes and Curragh trainer Darren Bunyan won the night’s finale with strong 5/2 favourite Elzaam Blue. Owned by Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh, the four-year-old added to last month’s debut maiden success when scoring by three-parts of a length.
Conna duo Sean Aherne and Johnny Hurley provided one of the surprises of the day at Thurles on Thursday, where they won the maiden hunters’ chase with Along Long Story. Sent off at odds of 28/1 in the colours of owner William O’Donnell, the six-year-old headed Willie Mullins’ 2/11 favourite after the second last fence and made the best of his way home to beat the Ciaran Murphy-trained Michael’s Pick, another 28/1 shot, by three and a half lengths with the disappointing market leader, a length and a quarter further back in third place.
At a bigger price, the father and daughter team of Tim and Jody Townend landed the two-mile handicap hurdle with the sevenyear-old We’llhavewan. In a tight four-way finish, the 40/1 chance got the better of the Shane Duffytrained 10/1 shot Molly Kate by half a length with the Eoin McCar thy-trained 7/2 favourite To hellortoconnacht ahead away in third place. The winner carries the colours of the winning trainer and he said, “He is homebred and while he works well for us, that was a surprise as he pulled with Jody the last day. We changed a couple of things at home and put cheek-pieces on him. He battled well and that’ll keep Jody going.” It was Jody’s 19th winner of the season and her third straight after a couple of bumper successes for Liz Doyle in recent weeks.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Down Royal – Thursday, March 17 (first race 1.55pm); Thurles – Saturday, March 19 (first race 2.20pm); Downpatrick – Sunday, March 20 (first race 2.10pm).