Strong showing from Cork jockeys in Wexford
Aidan O’Brien saddled three winners at Naas on Sunday and two of them were ridden by Wayne Lordan. The Upton jockey landed the big race of the day, the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes, on O’Brien’s Meditate. A Curragh maiden winner on her first start, the 2/1 joint-favourite improved on that to beat the Jim Bolger-trained Comhra by a length and a quarter and the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot is now the target. Lordan was a winner again as 6/1 shot Galleria Borghese scored a one and a quarter-length win in the eight-furlong fillies’ maiden. She beat the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Red Azalea into second place. Earlier O’Brien had won the opening five-furlong race with the Seamie Heffernan-ridden 4/9 favourite The Antarctic which booked his ticket for Royal Ascot’s Norfolk Stakes with a battling three-parts of a length success over the Michael O’Callaghan-trained Mehmar.
Buttevant jockey Shane Fitzgerald gave owner JP McManus the second of two winners at Killarney on Sunday as Stealthy Tom comfortably won the Shay Rooney Handicap Chase. A strong 5/4 favourite, the Enda Bolger-trained seven-year-old led over the final fence to beat the Mark McNifftrained Presenting Cody by two and three-parts of a length. The McManus colours had earlier been carried to victory in the featured handicap hurdle when the Joseph O’Brien-trained Celestial Horizon recorded a seven-length win in the hands of JJ Slevin.
Cork jockeys were to the fore at Wexford on Saturday where Paul Townend landed a double and Brian Hayes was also on the score sheet. Hayes teamed up with Philip Fenton and got favourite backers off to a winning start as Good As Hell took the mares’ maiden hurdle, the 2/1 chance, carrying blinkers for the first time, making all the running to beat the Garrett Power-trained It’saleader by a length and a quarter in the colours of owner James Moran. Townend was next into the winners’ enclosure as he captured the two-mile one furlong rated hurdle on the Willie Mullins-trained Authorized Art, the Nicholas Peacock-owned 9/2 chance scoring by four and three-parts of a length from Peter Fahey’s Ambitious Fellow. Townend and Mullins shared a second winner as even money favourite Ganapathi took the two-mile novice chase in good style, the six-year-old comfortably beating his main market rival Genois by a length and a half for owners Marie and Joe Donnelly.
Thurles trainer Mark Molloy supplied a winning favourite in the shape of 13/8 chance Junior Bee which scored a narrow success in the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle. Carrying the trainer’s own colours, the Jordan Gainford-ridden six-year-old battled well to beat the Peter Flood-trained Tullypole Annie by a short-head.
Although 10/11 favourite Baby Zeus failed to deliver in the twomile three-furlong maiden hurdle, Paul Townend and Willie Mullins made it to the winners’ enclosure at Kilbeggan on Friday. They captured the novice hurdle over the same distance with 1/10 favourite Hors Piste which made all the running for an effortless 22-length success over the John Ryan-trained Hope Des Bins.
John Ryan’s winning run continued at Kilbeggan where Bonarc scored a 10-length success in the two-mile handicap hurdle. Ridden by Mark McDonagh, the 5/1 chance went clear after the final flight to beat Swelltime in fine fashion. While Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead won the beginners’ chase with 5/1 chance Upping The Anti in the colours of owner Alan Halsall.
The Daniel King-ridden Dame Rapide won the apprentice handicap for County Carlow trainer Barry Fitzgerald on the flat at Leopardstown on Friday evening. The 11/1 chance raced from the widest stall but had loads in hand as she beat the Luke Comer-trained Clueless Hill by three and a half lengths, an 11th career success for King. Maxine O’Sullivan and The Names Jock, owned jointly by Brian Gleeson and the DB Partnership, were the 14/1 winners of the lady riders’ handicap. John Kiely’s charge notched up his fourth win on the level when beating the Henry de Bromhead-trained Distant Chimes by half a length.
Meanwhile, The Names Jock, owned jointly by Brian Gleeson and the DB Partnership, was the 14/1 winner of the lady riders’ handicap. Ridden for trainer John Kiely by Maxine O’Sullivan, the six-year-old notched up his fourth win on the Flat when beating the Henry de Bromhead-trained Distant Chimes by half a length.
Doneraile’s Darragh O’Keeffe shared the opening winner at Clonmel last Thursday with trainer Henry de Bromhead as long oddson favourite Cottie comfortably landed the mares’ maiden hurdle. Owned by Pimlico Racing Ireland, the 2/5 favourite’s success didn’t come without incident, she was hampered at the third hurdle by a faller and got it wrong at the final hurdle, although clear at the time. At the line, the seven-year-old beat John Ryan’s Barbaha Queen by three and three-parts of a length.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Tipperary – Thursday, May 19 (first race 5.20pm); Downpatrick – Friday, May 20 (first race 5.05pm); Curragh – Friday, May 20 (first race 4.25pm); Curragh – Saturday, May 21 (first race 1.35pm); Curragh – Sunday, May 22 (first race 1.40pm).