Double Pink for Murphy and Hayes
Midleton trainer Daniel Murphy and Brian Hayes combined to win the two-mile mares’ maiden hurdle with Double Pink at Tramore on Sunday. The 7/2 chance, owned and bred by Claudine Corrigan, made most of the running and held off the late surge of the Con O’Keeffe-trained Silent Approach and Rachael Blackmore to win by half a length. Michael O’Sullivan added to Friday’s Ballinrobe brace when taking the opportunity maiden hurdle on the Willie Mullins-trained MacDermott. Owned by Gallagher Bloodstock, the 100/30 chance led in the very early stages of the race and again approaching the final flight to beat Power Hour by four and three-parts of a length.
Mighty Jeremy added to his success at Clonmel at the beginning of the month when taking the second division of the two and a halfmile handicap hurdle for Fethard trainer Liam Casey. Again ridden by Ian Power, the 15/8 favourite made all the running and went clear after halfway to beat the John Flavin-trained Spring Street by an easy seven and a half lengths in the colours of owner/ breeder Paddy Meany. Rachael Blackmore completed a double for Willie Mullins when partnering Saint Sam to an all-the-way success in the conditions’ chase. A 2/11 favourite in the colours of owner Edward Ware, the six-year-old came home 20 lengths clear of the Michael Bowe-trained Halsafari and might now be heading to the Punchestown festival. Mullins was earlier a winner with the Michael O’Sullivan-ridden MacDermott in the opportunity maiden hurdle. Blackmore had to work far harder for her second winner of the afternoon. She won the concluding near two-mile handicap chase on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Freddie Robdal. Owned by the Dave Clerkin Racing Club, the 15/2 chance led in the final strides to pip the Jim Dreaper-trained Know The Game by a nose.
CURRAGH
Out of luck with two odds-on favourites at Dundalk on Friday evening, Aidan O’Brien bounced back with two Wayne Lordan-ridden winners at the Curragh on Sunday. The pair were off the mark in the opening six-furlong two-yearold maiden as Democracy scored in great style. The even money favourite took a little time to get going, but he asserted early inside the final furlong and pulled away to win by two and three-parts of a length from the Dermot Weldtrained Jalaybee. Also very strong at the finish was Point Lonsdale which won the Group 3 Alleged Stakes for O’Brien and Lordan on his first start in 11 months. The 6/4 favourite got the better of the Joseph O’Brien-trained front-runner Visualisation inside the final furlong to win by a length and a half, the pair seven lengths clear of the Noel Meade-trained Layfayette.
Donnacha O’Brien and Gavin Ryan landed the five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds with Porta Fortuna. In the colours of the trainer’s mother Anne Marie, the 9/2 chance battled well to beat dead-heaters Ellie Moore, trained by Barry Fitzgerald, and the Jim Bolger-trained Neo Smart by a neck. Fozzy Stack and Joey Sheridan took the 10-furlong maiden with the 8/1 chance Bright Legend. The three-year-old ducked to his left well with a furlong to race but picked up again close to the finish to win by three-parts of a length from Jim Bolger’s Young Ireland. Stack landed a second winner by a narrower margin as Run Ran Run took the six-furlong maiden in the hands of Andrew Slattery. The even money favourite held the late thrust of the Noel Meade-trained 9/4 chance Desert Haven to win by a nose.
Chris Hayes brought his tally for the new Flat season to four as he won the six-furlong handicap on Midnight Fire. The 8/1 chance, trained by Eddie and Patrick Harty, led well inside the final furlong and raced away to win by a length and three-parts from the Ross O’Sullivan-trained Tall Story.
DUNDALK
Joey Sheridan rode his first winner of the weekend and gave Denis Hogan his first of the evening as the Justin Carthy-owned Autocrat took the 12-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Friday evening. A strong 5/2 favourite, he defied top-weight in fine style with a two-length success over the Luke Comer-trained 7/2 shot Cherokee Run. Billy Lee was again among the winners at Dundalk, as he took the five-furlong handicap on the Andy Oliver-trained Senor Carrots. A 6/1 shot, the five-year-old defied top-weight in great style as he led a furlong from the finish to beat the George Kingston-trained 5/2 favourite Hero Of The Hour and David Marnane’s 18/1 chance Poet’s Pride, both dead-heating for second place, by three and a half lengths.
BALLINROBE
Daniel King gave Denis Hogan a winner over hurdles at Ballinrobe on Friday evening, only minutes after the County Tipperary trainer was on the mark on the Flat at Dundalk. Hogan saddled Autocrat to win the 5.40 race at the east coast venue and he sent out Bal De Rio to land the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle (5.50pm) at the western venue. In the familiar colours of the Premier Racing Club, the King-ridden 4/1 chance asserted after the final hurdle to win by four and a quarter lengths from the Tom Gibney-trained Wee Charlie, the 5/2 favourite. Michael O’Sullivan rode his first winner of the weekend as Barry Connell’s Nine Graces easily won the mares’ handicap hurdle. The 11/5 favourite had three and a half lengths to spare over the Norman Lee-trained Ladiam at the line. O’Sullivan was on the mark again in the handicap hurdle over the same two-mile six-furlong distance as the Pat Fahy-trained Brucejack scored a runaway success in the colours of his owner/breeder James Mulhall. An 8/1 chance, the six-year-old scored by all of 14 lengths from John McConnell’s Tango Theatre.
Sam Curling landed the first of the evening’s bumpers with the Derek O’Connor-ridden I Won’t Back Down. In Curling’s own colours, the 5/2 favourite led a little after halfway and went clear in the straight to win by seven lengths from the Declan Queally-trained Desert Halo. For good measure, O’Connor also won the second bumper on the card on 7/4 favourite Backtonormal, trained by Mags Mullins. Back on the all-weather, Ben Coen and Johnny Murtagh took the seven-furlong three-yearold maiden with Clounmacon. A strong 6/4 favourite in the colours of Newton Anner Stud Farm, she lost a little ground coming out of the stalls but came through to lead inside the final furlong for a twolength success over the David Marnane-trained City Exile.
While Carrick-On-Suir trainer Mark Cahill won the concluding seven-furlong handicap with 6/1 chance Blue Wood. Owned and bred by Peadar Kelly, the 6/1 chance led on the line to deny the front-running Gillian Scott-trained Cherry Bloom by a nose under apprentice Alan Persse.
ELSEWHERE…
Cahir’s Nathan Crosse scored success on the Jessica Harrington-trained Jessica Harrington Boola Boola at Dundalk on Tuesday last week, battling well for a narrow win in the 12-furlong handicap. A 12/1 chance, the six-yearold led inside the final furlong to beat James McAuley’s 5/1 favourite Dalvey, ridden by Joey Sheridan, by three-parts of a length.
While Tallow trainer Michael Griffin saddled Flemensface to win the two-mile three-furlong pointto-point bumper at Cork on Easter Monday. Ridden by Johnny Barry, the 12/1 shot was well on top at the line as he beat Asian Master by a length and three-parts with even-money favourite What’s Up Darling back in third place.
Darragh O’Keeffe landed a notable success at Fairyhouse back on Easter Monday, as he partnered the Andy McNamara-trained Enjoy The Dream to land the Grade 2 Donohue Marquees Juvenile Hurdle. The 33/1 chance headed the Willie Mullins-trained 8/11 favourite Blood Destiny after the final hurdle and went clear to win by three lengths in the colours of owner Andrew Heffernan.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Tipperary – Thursday, April 20 (first race 4pm); Kilbeggan – Thursday, April 20 (first race 5.20pm); Kilbeggan – Friday, April 21 (first race 4pm); Cork – Friday, April 21 (first race 1.58pm); Limerick – Saturday, April 22 (first race 2.10pm); Navan – Saturday, April 22 (first race 2.20pm).