Memorable week for O’Keeffe

Six Cheltenham Festival winning jockeys were on the mark again at Thurles on Saturday and among them was Doneraile’s Darragh O’Keeffe who added to his Grand Annual success on Maskada as he won the near three-mile handicap hurdle on the Brian McMahon-trained Killinure Lass. It was tight on the line as the 10/1 chance held off the rallying effort the Colm Murphy-trained 7/4 favourite Tangental, which blew his chances with a bad mistake at the final hurdle. First up on the day was Michael O’Sullivan who partnered the Colin Motherway-trained Time To Rocco to take the opening mares’ beginners’ chase. The James Coleman-owned six-year-old looked to have it all to do between the final two fences but she picked up well for the Mallow conditional from the final fence to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained Happy D’Ex by a length and a quarter.

Paul Townend, crowned the Festival’s leading rider for the third time less than 24 hours earlier, won the feature Grade 3 Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase on the Willie Mullins-trained Flame Bearer. Owned by Linda Mulcahy and Mary Wolridge, the 11/10 favourite bounced back from a disappointing effort at Navan previously with a 13-length success over the Henry de Bromhead-trained Upping The Anti. Rachael Blackmore partnered the Henry de Bromhead-trained Summerville Boy to land the near three-mile conditions’ hurdle. The 11-year-old, himself the winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2016, won his first race since November 2020 when making all the running in the colours of Roger Brookhouse to beat the Willie Mullins-trained 10/11 favourite Asterion Forlonge at odds of 4/1.

John Gleeson added to his fairy tale Champion Bumper success on the John Kiely-trained A Dream To Share when taking the bumper on Factual Fact. In the Robcour colours, Henry de Bromhead’s 100/30 chance raced clear early inside the final furlong to win by an easy eight lengths from the Tom Mullins-trained Master Otis.

DOWN ROYAL

Denis O’Regan was among the winners at Down Royal on St Patrick’s Day where he partnered the Greek to land the rated novice chase for trainer Gordon Elliott. In the colours of the It Takes All Sorts Syndicate, the 3/1 chance led a halfway and made the best of his way home to score by a length and a quarter from the Patrick Griffin-trained Chameron. John Ryan and Littleton conditional jockey Liam Quinlan won the first of the afternoon, combining to take the maiden hurdle with the Chasers & Pints Syndicate-owned Western Comandor, which led at the second-last hurdle and held off the Tom Gibney-trained Flamborough by half a length at odds of 12/1.

Killenaule trainer Julie Cashin and Cashel’s Evan Dwan were next into the winners’ enclosure as Thecornerhouse landed the opportunity handicap hurdle in good style, adding to her win at Thurles last month. The 100/30 favourite led on the run to the final hurdle and came home a four and a half-length winner from the Jimmy Lambe-trained Perfect Arch in the colours of owner John Whelan.

DUNDALK

Andy Slattery and his son Andrew combined to win the six-furlong conditions’ race with 3/1 shot Almendares at Dundalk on Thursday evening last. The three-year-old had won his maiden over the same course and distance just last month and he followed up with a halflength win over the Kevin Coleman-trained 9/4 chance Catherine Of Siena. Joey Sheridan was next into the winners’ enclosure as the James McAuley-trained Tai Sing Yeh easily landed the six-furlong handicap. The 13/2 chance made all the running to beat his own stable companion Inflection Point by two and a quarter lengths.

Kevin Coleman enjoyed a winning turn as Fleetfootsoldier scored a narrow success in the eight-furlong handicap to give South African apprentice Mpumelelo Mjoka his first victory in Ireland. The South African apprentice got the 12/1 chance home by a neck from the Dylan Browne McMonagle-ridden 2/1 favourite Knockmore Prince for his 89th career success in the saddle.

THURLES

Curraglass conditional jockey Mike O’Connor was a winner on board the Jimmy Mangan-trained Mahlers Cove at Thurles on Monday week last. The 11/1 chance, running in the colours of the Jimmy Mangan Racing Club, led after the final flight to win by a length and three-parts from the Henry de Bromhead-trained Pidoyne, a 41st career success for the winning jockey. While Brian Hayes enjoyed a 25-length winner on the eve of the Cheltenham Festival as The Gunner Yeats landed the two-mile maiden hurdle for trainer Willie Mullins. Owned by Susannah Ricci, the 8/15 favourite went to the front under the Rosscarbery jockey before the third-last hurdle and was clear from the next as he beat his own stable companion Feu Du Bresil in fine style.

CONSIDERABLE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL SUCCESS FOR IRISH RAIDERS

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival once again yielded terrific Irish success with a total of 18 Irish-trained winner across the four days. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend dominated the week, with champion trainer Mullins sending out six winners to take the leading trainer award and Townend becoming the festival’s leading jockey for the third time with a five-winner haul. Their success was highlighted by a Cheltenham Gold Cup win for Galopin Des Champs on Friday and Tuesday’s win for El Fabiolo in the Arkle Chase, a 100th Grade 1 success for Townend who ended the week with an overall Cheltenham Festival tally of 28 winners. He also won on Lossiemouth in the Triumph Hurdle, on Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and on Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. His winners were all trained by Mullins who also saw his son Patrick partner Gaillard Du Mesnil to success in the National Hunt Chase. Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival score stands at 94, a record.

Henry de Bromhead saddled three Cheltenham winners with Rachael Blackmore on board two of them. Honeysuckle was once again their star as she rounded off her career with success in the Mares’ Hurdle on Tuesday, while the partnership also landed the Ryanair Chase with Envoi Allen. Darragh O’Keeffe enjoyed his first Cheltenham Festival win on the de Bromhead-trained Maskada in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase.

Gordon Elliott was another to record a trio of Cheltenham Festival wins. Michael O’Sullivan was in the saddle as Jazzy Matty took the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle, Keith Donoghue maintained his fine Festival strike-rate when again winning the Cross Country Chase on Delta Work, while Mark Walsh partnered Sire Du Berlais to win the Stayers’ Hurdle with the stable’s Teahupoo promoted a place by the stewards to give Elliott a 1-2 in the race.

Michael O’Sullivan had secured a first Cheltenham Festival success as Marine Nationale won the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on the Tuesday in the colours of owner/ trainer Barry Connell. Connell has been a winning Cheltenham Festival owner in the past, but this was his first winner as a trainer. 18-year-old amateur rider John Gleeson also rode his first winner at Cheltenham when taking the Champion Bumper on A Dream To Share, trained by 85-year-old John Kiely. Tony Martin was back in the Festival winners’ enclosure following Good Time Johnny’s success in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. It was Martin’s seventh Cheltenham Festival winner and a first for jockey Liam McKenna. There were also Cheltenham Festival firsts for trainer Sam Curling and amateur rider Pa King as Angels Dawn won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase and for trainer John McConnell and Ben Harvey who took the Magners Plate Handicap Chase with Seddon.

Impervious gave Colm Murphy his fifth Cheltenham Festival winner when taking the Mares’ Chase on Friday. While she was the final Irish-trained winner of the week, she was also a first winner at the Festival for Brian Hayes.

UPCOMING FIXTURES

Cork – Thursday, March 23 (First Race 2.05pm); Dundalk – Friday, March 24 (First Race 4.50pm); Curragh – Saturday, March 25 (First Race 1.40pm); Naas – Sunday, March 26 (First Race 1.25pm); Limerick – Sunday, March 26 (First Race 1.40pm).