Irregularheartbeat 28/1 success for Spillane
The Sullivan Bloodstock-owned Dolcita made all the running to land the Listed Mares’ Chase for Paul Townend and Willie Mullins at Fairyhouse on Sunday. A strong even money favourite, the sevenyear-old hardly put a foot wrong and she held off the late run of the Gordon Elliott-trained Hurricane Georgie to win by a head. Conna trainer Seamus Spillane and Denis O’Regan combined to win the Mares’ Handicap Hurdle with the Geraldine Fitzgerald-owned Irregularheartbeat. At odds of 28/1, she battled well to hold off the Tony Martin-trained Marvel Fan by a neck and the trainer’s son Denis said, “We waited for the better ground, she just wasn’t handling it all winter. The drop back to two miles today suited her too. She has too much respect for her fences and jumps them very big, that’s why we dropped back to hurdles.”
Mitchelstown amateur Eoin O’Brien recorded another notable success when winning the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares INH Flat Race on the Michael Hourigan-trained Dorans Weir. In the very familiar colours of owner Tom Doran, the six-year-old put up another fine performance as she saw off the Willie Mullins-trained Pink In The Park and Jody Townend to win by a length and a quarter and the Punchestown festival now beckons for the 9/2 winner. Hourigan said, “She’s a dream and I’m lucky to have her. I’m 60 years at it now and I’ll be 75 at Christmas. She’s the one that will keep me going for another few years. We’ll look at Punchestown now, we’ll go for the Grade 3 mares’ bumper.”
Billy Lee won the five-furlong handicap at Cork on Sunday on the Cian McAuliffe-owned Drombeg Banner. The well-backed Ken Condon-trained 3/1 favourite made almost all the running to beat Fozzy Stack’s Red Lacewing by a length.
Arguably the most impressive winner at Leopardstown on Saturday was the Chris Hayes-ridden Homeless Songs which found her winning form once again in the Ballylinch Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes. Trained for Moyglare Stud by Dermot Weld, the 6/1 chance quickened up in terrific style to challenge over a furlong out and she led well inside the final furlong to beat Joseph O’Brien’s front-runner Agartha by a length.
Sean O’Brien won the veterans’ handicap chase at Wexford on Friday evening with R’evelyn Pleasure which he bred himself. The 10-year-old races in the colours of owner Mark McDonagh and he gave County Kildare conditional jockey Charlie O’Dwyer his first winner over fences when scoring a four-length success from the Jessica Harrington-trained Neverushacon at odds of 3/1.
Killeagh trainer Martin Fitzgerald enjoyed his first success in a little over two years when Lady McCabe, his last winner at Gowran Park in March 2020, took the opening division of the three-mile one-furlong handicap chase. In the trainer’s own colours, the 5/1 chance was clear before the final fence as she beat Krisquin by 11 lengths under Darragh O’Keeffe. Mouse Morris was among the winners also where he landed the three-mile novice hurdle with the Ricky Doyle-ridden Caesar Rock. In the colours of Michael and John O’Flynn, the 15/2 chance made all the running to beat the Tom Gibney-trained Mr Saxobeat by a length and a quarter.
Daniel King rode his ninth career winner and his first of the new Flat season when teaming up with Denis Hogan to take the seven-furlong apprentice claiming race on Rocky Dreams at Dundalk on Friday night. It was tight at the line but the Varland Syndicate-owned 6/4 favourite got up late on to pip the Ado McGuinness-trained 7/4 chance Inflection Point by a head and the winning trainer later held on to the five-year-old with a “friendly” claim. Wayne Lordan also got off the mark for the new season with his runaway success on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Changingoftheguard in the 10-furlong maiden. The 4/9 favourite made all the running to beat Donnacha O’Brien’s Artistic Choice by six lengths. Another off the mark with his first runner of the new term was Paddy Twomey who saddled Rossacarberry to take the eight-furlong maiden in very different style. With Billy Lee up, the 11/10 favourite raced away from his rivals with over a furlong to run and had all of four and a quarter lengths to spare over the Johnny Murtagh-trained Maristella, the mount of Ben Coen. A far more difficult winner to find was Gavin Ryan’s mount The Mpex Kid which took the eight-furlong handicap at odds of 50/1.
Trained by Ciaran Murphy for Dot Love, the six-year-old scored by a head from the Brendan Duketrained Pride Of Pimlico setting the former apprentice champion up for a very memorable afternoon at Leopardstown just hours later.
Jody Townend notched up her sixth winner from her last eight rides when partnering the
Liz Doyle-trained Irish Envoy to a battling success in the concluding bumper at Naas on Thursday. The well-supported 3/1 favourite dug deep inside the final furlong to score by three-parts of a length from the Martin Lynch-trained Roccovango in the colours of the Irish Envoy Partnership. It was Doyle’s third bumper winner of 2022.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Limerick – Thursday, April 7 (first race 1.55pm); Gowran Park – Thursday, April 7 (first race 4.30pm); Ballinrobe – Friday, April 8 (first race 4.30pm); Dundalk – Friday, April 8 (first race 5.20pm); Curragh – Sunday, April 10 (first race 1.20pm); Tramore – Sunday, April 10 (first race 2.15pm).