Crosse no Rough Diamond
Billy Lee made it four winners for the week when giving Tom Mullins success at big odds at Leopardstown in recent times and he struck with 66/1 winner Female Soldier in the 10-furlong fillies’ maiden at the Dublin track on Sunday.
In the trainer’s wife Helen’s colours, the 66/1 chance led close to the finish to beat Dermot Weld’s Zaniyka by a neck with the Aidan O’Brien-trained even money favourite two and a quarter lengths away in third place. Mullins won the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes with 33/1 chance Stela Star in 2019 and scored with 50/1 shot Red Linn at the course last July.
At Cork on Saturday, the Charles Byrnes-trained Metersandmasks scored an eight-length success in the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle in the colours of Pauline Twiss and John Twiss. A 20/1 chance under in-form Phillip Enright, the winner came from well off the pace to lead approaching the final hurdle and win from the Ray Hackett-trained Rock On Seamie. Ken Budds and amateur rider John Gleeson won the concluding bumper with 33/1 chance Stormalong.
The four-year-old ran in the colours of her breeder Edmond Coleman and Barbara Kirby and made the most of her opportunity when getting into the race as the second reserve to win by a length and a quarter from the Ted Walsh-trained Gaoth Chuil.
Chris Hayes was a winner again at Naas on Saturday where he took the seven-furlong fillies’ maiden on the Dermot Weld-trained Ezine. A short-head was the winning margin as the 4/6 favourite prevailed from the Sheila Lavery-trained Solar Breeze in the Juddmonte colours. Cahir’s Shane Crosse teamed up with Edward Lynam to win the second of the near six-furlong handicaps with 6/1 chance Rough Diamond. Owned in partnership by the trainer and Trevor Dalzell, the five-year-old led home a 1-2-3 for Meath-based trainer when leading home the Gavin Cromwell-trained Earls with Sister Lola, for James McAuley, back in third place.
It was tight again as 100/30 favourite Drombeg Banner won the afternoon’s finale, the Irish Racing Writers Handicap over the near six-furlong trip. Trained by Ken Condon for owner Cian McAuliffe, the three-year-old battled well under Billy Lee to score by a short-head from the Fozzy Stack-trained Thunder Eclipse, following up on last month’s Cork success.
Jake Coen landed easily his biggest success when partnering the Kieran Cotter-trained Lord Dudley to win the 25-runner Mallow Handicap over seven furlongs at Cork on Friday. The Kildare Racing Club-owned 12/1 chance pipped Natalia Lupini’s Blairmayne by a neck in the €80,000 contest with the Jessica Harrington-trained Admiralty Place a head away in third place. It was Coen’s 17th career success.
David Marnane was also among the winners as Lady Tilbury scored a comfortable success in the five-furlong auction series maiden. A 7/2 shot in the colours of MRC International, the twoyear-old got to the front under Billy Lee before the furlong pole and raced clear to win by three lengths from the Kevin Coleman-trained Woman Chief.
Amy Jo Hayes landed her second career success when taking the eight-furlong apprentice handicap on the Andy Slattery-trained Dedillon. The Sean Rushe-owned 10/1 chance led inside the final furlong to win by a length and a half from the John McConnell-trained Zahee. Wayne Lordan rode the final winner on Friday evening on the Aidan O’Brientrained Martinstown. In the colours of Sue-Ann Foley, the 5/1 chance led late on to deny the Joseph O’Brien-trained Point Gellibrand by half a length in the 10-furlong maiden.
Buttevant conditional jockey Shane Fitzgerald completed a double for County Meath-based John McConnell at Downpatrick on Friday where he partnered the Cathal McGuckin-owned Wild Shot to win the two-mile three-furlong maiden hurdle. The 11/4 chance was two and three-parts of a length too strong for the Gordon Elliott-trained Wee Willie Nail, the 9/4 joint-favourite, at the line. McConnell had won the opening maiden hurdle with 2/1 favourite Ottoman Style.
Johnny Barry was a winner again as he partnered Hidden Land to a runaway success took in the mares’ handicap hurdle fashion. Also a second winner of the week for trainer Andrew Kinirons, the 100/30 favourite raced clear from the final hurdle to win by 13 lengths from the Peter Flood-trained Trevena in the colours of Aintree-based Peter Byrne. Eugene and Maxine O’Sullivan combined to win the concluding bumper with the 7/2 chance Meetingofthewaters. Leading before the straight, the five-year-old powered up the hill to win by four and three-parts of length from the Gordon Elliott-trained 7/4 favourite Ellis Boyd Redding.
Only days after announcing that he is stepping away from the training ranks, Robert Tyner was among the winners at Tipperary on Thursday. He landed the three-mile handicap hurdle with the nineyear-old Direct Image which extended her winning sequence to four with a four and a half-length success over the Matthew Smith-trained Lucailem. The 9/1 chance was ridden by Phillip Enright.
The smart Darrens Hope got off the mark over fences for trainer Robert Murphy and Darragh O’Keeffe with an easy success in the beginners’ chase at Tipperary on Thursday evening. Having run some nice races in better company, the eight-year-old wasn’t winning out of turn and enjoyed the drop in class to score a seven-length victory from the Noel Meade-trained Siberian Prince at odds of 10/11 favourite.
Colin Motherway landed his first track success when the Jamie Codd-ridden Time To Rocco took the mares’ point-to-point bumper. Owned by James Coleman, the 11/4 joint-favourite was clear from the two-furlong pole and she beat the Pat Collins-trained Kates Hill by a cosy three and a quarter lengths. Conna’s Johnny Barry took the concluding point-to-point bumper on the Mick Flannery-trained Bushmans Pass. Running in the trainer’s own colours, the 20/1 chance was well on top at the line as he beat the Seamus Neville-trained On The Tide by a length and a quarter.
In the colours of owner Ciara Doyle, Hanbags N Gladrags ran out a cosy winner of the concluding handicap at Gowran Park on Wednesday week last for Billy Lee and trainer Andrew Kinirons. It was a fair performance from the fouryear-old which was running for the first time since October of last year. Bred by the owner’s father John, she came from well off the pace to beat the Conor O’Dwyer-trained Barretstown by a length and a half at odds of 10/1.
With Billy Lee choosing race favourite Sultanov Swing, Colin Keane came in for the winning ride on the Paddy Twomey-trained Rumbles Of Thunder in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes.
The French import, running in the trainer’s own colours, raced to an easy three length win over the Joseph O’Brientrained Seisai at odds of 3/1, with the 6/4 market leader only sixth of the eight runners. Ben Coen took the fillies’ maiden over the same extended nine-furlong distance on the Johnny Murtagh-trained One For Bobby. A 33/1 chance, she raced from the widest stall and had loads in hand as she beat Andy Oliver’s Gradulations by two and a quarter lengths in the colours of owner Ann Marshall.
Rathcormac trainer David Barry was back among the winners as It’s Time Again scored a nine-length success in the opening division of the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle at Ballinrobe last Tuesday week.
Ridden by Mullingar’s Dillon Maxwell, the 22/1 chance went clear before the final flight to beat the Norman Leetrained Eddies Pride in great style, a first success on the racecourse for Barry since Time Is Time won at Kilbeggan in August 2018. While Dungarvan conditional jockey Derek McGrath rode his fourth racecourse winner when partnering the Henry de Bromhead-trained 7/1 chance Defan to land the handicap chase.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Clonmel – Thursday, May 12 (first race 5pm); Kilbeggan – Friday, May 13 (first race 4.55pm); Leopardstown – Friday, May 13 (first race 5.45pm); Navan – Saturday, May 14 (first race 2.10pm); Wexford – Saturday, May 14 (first race 1.55pm); Naas – Sunday, May 15 (first race 1.45pm); Killarney – Sunday, May 15 (first race 2pm).