First winner for Shinnick over jumps
Mike O’Connor completed a double at Tramore on Sunday for trainer Henry de Bromhead when partnering the Barry Maloney-trained Life In The Park to a runaway success in the opportunity maiden hurdle. A strong 4/6 favourite, the five-yearold made all the running and hardly saw another rival as he raced to a 17-length victory over the Patrick Magee-trained Butty O Brien. While the Diana Vasicek-owned and bred Hide And Seek recorded a 10-length victory in the opening mares’ maiden hurdle under Rachael Blackmore for de Bromhead.
Brother and sister, Paul and Jody Townend were both on the scoresheet as they rode winners for Willie Mullins. Paul partnered the Chris Jones-owned Fighter Allen to win the Racecourse Directors Chase in convincing fashion. He made all the running on the 10/11 favourite to beat the Henry de Bromhead-trained Popong by six lengths.
The champion trainer landed a second winner as Jody Townend brought True Light home a two and a half-length winner in the bumper. Owned by the Newmarket House Racing Syndicate, the 2/1 favourite looked to have a little in hand as she beat Ted Walsh’s Gaoth Chuil. A little earlier, Eoghan O’Grady and Doneraile’s Darragh O’Keeffe had taken the handicap chase with Presenting Point which was winning for the second time at the track and for the third time in all. The 5/1 chance was another to make all the running and he beat the John Queally-trained Pat Coyne by seven and a half-lengths in the colours of the Thade Quill Syndicate.
Chris Hayes landed a double at the Curragh on Sunday where he rode winners for two younger members of the training ranks. He teamed up with Jack Davison to take the six-furlong maiden on Joyous Moment which is owned and bred by Brian Dolan. The 12/1 shot came from well off the pace to beat the Johnny Murtagh-trained New York Dreams by half a length. There was a notable conclusion to the afternoon as rookie trainer John O’Donoghue saddled his first winner. Operating from John Oxx’s yard, O’Donoghue won the six-furlong handicap with York Thoroughbred Racing-owned Cailin Cliste, the 25/1 chance coming from well off the pace under Hayes to beat the Dick Brabazon-trained Let’s Behave by threeparts of a length.
Ryan Moore made it four winners for the week as he landed the opening five-furlong maiden for two-yearold fillies on Ballydoyle’s Meditate. Up with the pace throughout, the 9/4 chance held a definite advantage from halfway and was clear inside the final furlong as she beat the Michael O’Callaghan-trained 15/8 favourite
Drunk In Love by three and a quarter lengths.
Nathan Crosse added to his success on Mogwli on the opening day of the season when Stag Night took the six-furlong handicap. Like Mogwli, Stag Night is trained by Willie McCreery and owned by his wife Amanda and Crosse delivered a late challenge on the 11/1 chance to get up in the dying strides to beat the Johnny Levins-trained Nordic Passage by a head.
SHINNICK OPENS NATIONAL HUNT ACCOUNT
Fermoy conditional rider John Shinnick rode his first winner over jumps when L’Impertinent took the maiden hurdle as racing returned to Ballinrobe of the first time in 2022 on Friday evening. Shinnick rode three winners as an apprentice on the Flat and he opened his National Hunt account when making all the running on the 11/1 chance to beat Denis Hogan’s 3/1 favourite Mahons Glory by four lengths in the same JP McManus colours that had been carried to Grade 1 success at Aintree by both Fakir D’oudairies and Jonbon earlier in the day. Bolger said, “He got away in front and got a clever ride from John, it’s a track where you can do that and his jumping was very slick.”
Trainer Terrence O’Brien won the first of the session’s handicap hurdles
with the Barry Walsh-owned Magnor Glory. Ridden by Conor Maxwell, the 5/1 chance went clear from the final hurdle to win by all of 17 lengths from John Ryan’s The Dara Man, another 3/1 favourite. John Joe Walsh and Ambrose McCurtin combined to win the second of the handicap hurdle over the same two-mile one-furlong distance with 4/1 chance Johanna Yeats. Owned by the You’ll Never Walk Alone Syndicate, the eight-yearold skipped a few lengths clear after the final hurdle and held the closing Glenabo Bridge by a length and a quarter at the line.
Mallow trainer Eoghan O’Grady teamed up with top conditional rider Shane Fitzgerald to win the two-mile five-furlong maiden hurdle with Toofareastiswest at Limerick on Thursday. Owned by the Men From The East Syndicate, the 9/2 chance led in the final few strides to pip the Gerry Kelleher-trained Coconut Tudor by a neck. O’Grady said, “A group of lads from East Kerry football own him. He had a couple of good runs and was second at Clonmel last year. Better ground seemed to suit him and we will keep him going for the summer and he’ll go over fences sooner rather than later.” We’llhavewan followed up on his recent Thurles success with a decisive win in the second division of the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle.
Ridden by Jody Townend for her father Tim, the 10/1 shot came from off the pace to lead on the run to the second last flight and he pulled right away to score by seven lengths in the winning trainer’s own colours.
Wayne Lordan made all the running to land the seven-furlong maiden for three-year-olds at Gowran Park on Thursday on Stayincotai.
Trained in County Down by Natalia Lupini, the well-supported 10/1 chance impressed with his one and a quarter-length win over the Johnny Murtagh-trained 8/11 favourite Kar
kiyna. Trainer Michael Mulvany was full of praise for Limerick apprentice Wesley Joyce who partnered Red Heel to a narrow victory in the fillies’ handicap over seven furlongs. Although 3lbs out of the handicap proper, the five-year-old made much of the running to win by half a length from the Johnny Murtagh-trained Mise Le Meas at odds of 16/1. Mulvany said, “We’ve learned that she runs better without the whip and Wesley gave her a fine ride. Starting off today I thought she might need the run. She’s a tough lady and seems to be getting stronger.”
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Clonmel – Thursday, April 14 (first race 4.15pm); Cork – Saturday, April 16 (first race 1.40pm); Fairyhouse – Saturday, April 16 (first race 1.55pm); Fairyhouse – Sunday, April 17 (first race 2pm); Cork – Sunday, April 17 (first race 1.10pm).