O'Keeffe steers Gorgeous Tom to victory
Carrigtwohill trainer Don Browne landed his first winner as Speckled Meadow took the concluding eight-furlong handicap at Leopardstown on Sunday. With County Meath apprentice Adam Caffrey on board, the seven-yearold led with over a furlong to race and held on to win by half a length from the Gillian Scott-trained Starting Monday. Browne owns the winning 11/2 joint-favourite himself and she also ran in his colours when twice successful for trainer Terence O'Brien in October, 2022, again with Caffrey in the saddle on both occasions.
The winning trainer commented, “I had a licence years ago and then renewed it again last year. That’s my first winner as a trainer and it’s a dream come true. I have four horses in training.”
Although their raid on Chelmsford on Saturday with Capulet didn’t pay off, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore were back in the winners’ enclosure with a treble here on the day. Not everything went their way at the meeting with two odds-on favourites failing to deliver, but they landed an early winner as the three-year-old Wingspan took the eight-furlong fillies’ maiden in fine style. A 7/2 chance, she quickened well to lead inside the final furlong to beat Jim Bolger’s 20/1 shot Nativity Square by a length and a half.
Battle Cry led home a Ballydoyle 1-2 in the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud “Red Rocks” Stakes over an extended seven furlongs. The 10/1 chance was a definite last into the straight but he picked up well and headed his own stable companion, the Gavin Ryan-ridden 4/1 shot Samuel Colt, in the final 100 yards to score by half a length.
The 7/4 favourite Chantilly was the pair’s easiest winner of the afternoon as he romped home in the 10-furlong handicap. He landed his first success on his handicap debut with a four and a quarter-length win over the Jim Bolger-trained Slaney Swagger.
Billy Lee was back in the winners enclosure where Paddy Twomey’s A Lilac Rolla made a winning return in the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” Stakes. Owned by the Mutual Admiration Society Partnership, the 9/2 chance made it three wins from as many starts as she battled well to pip the Natalia Lupini-trained Kitty Rose, ridden by Seamie Heffernan, by a head.
Edward O'Grady had won the opening eight-furlong maiden with the newcomer Ecureuil Secret, the first of two winners on the afternoon for Seamie Heffernan. In the Aidan Ryan colours, the 15/2 chance saw off the challenge of Thequietman, trained by Joseph O'Brien, inside the final furlong to win by one and a quarter lengths. Heffernan later scored on the Adrian Murray-trained 50/1 chance Dallas Star in the Group 3 PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.
DUNDALK
Higher Leaves was a winner for Henry de Bromhead on the all-weather at Dundalk on Friday evening. Ridden by Billy Lee, the 11/4 chance scored a narrow success in the 10-furlong fillies’ maiden. She came off a straight line on a couple of occasions inside the final furlong, but just did enough to pip the Aidan O'Brien-trained 8/13 favourite Mother Nature and Ryan Moore by a shorthead.
Wesley Joyce rode the third double of his career when sharing winners with trainer John O’Donoghue and Eoin Doyle at the meet. When on the comeback trail late last season, Joyce landed a brace of winners at both Bellewstown and Navan and he repeated the feat here with some aplomb. Based in John Oxx’s yard on the Curragh, John O’Donohue got off the mark for the new season as the Joyce-ridden Miss Jack Black won the six-furlong maiden for three-year-olds. Joyce made all the running on the well-supported 7/2 chance and she raced clear inside the final furlong to beat the Michael Mulvany-trained Velvet Skies by all of five and a half lengths.
Three and a quarter lengths was the winning margin and Eoin Doyle’s Moondharrig took the 10-furlong handicap to complete the jockey’s double. A 7/2 favourite, the four-year-old led before the straight and came home nicely clear of Pat Murphy’s 66/1 shot Forbidden Planet. Moodharrig was winning for the third time this year and Joyce has been in the saddle on each occasion.
Ryan Moore flew in for three rides for Aidan O'Brien and he was rewarded with two winners. The pair struck first in the seven-furlong maiden for three-year-olds with Air Commander which made a winning seasonal debut at odds of 4/7 favourite. He was made to work for his success and had to dig deep to see off Ger Lyons’ 4/1 chance Apricot Ice by half a length.
It was far easier for Ballydoyle’s 4/6 favourite Hans Andersen in the concluding 12-furlong conditions’ race. The four-year-old completed the double for both trainer and jockey when comfortably seeing off Henry de Bromhead’s Gentleman Joe (25/1) by a length and a quarter, the first two home all of six lengths clear of Joseph O'Brien’s Shamwari.
Earlier in the evening, David Marnane had won the opening six-furlong handicap with City Equine II Syndicate-owned Jered Maddox. The eight-year-old landed his eighth career success and his sixth at the track when coming through under Luke McAteer to beat the Seamus O’Donnell-trained Theriverrunsdeep by a length and three-parts at odds of 22/1.
NAAS
Darragh O'Keeffe set Henry de Bromhead up for a double at Naas on Thursday last. The County Waterford trainer was successful with two 11/10 favourites and O’Keeffe partnered Gorgeous Tom to take the opening two-mile maiden hurdle. The very well-supported six-year-old headed Willie Mullins’ 5/1 shot Special Cadeau on landing over the final hurdle and he stayed on to score by one and three-parts of a length.
It was far easier for the Andrew Jones-ridden newcomer Forty Coats which rounded off the day with a four-length success in the bumper, to give de Bromhead his second winner. Owned by Chris Jones and patiently ridden by his son, the fiveyear-old came from off the pace to led before the furlong-pole before going clear to beat Tom Mullins’ Coral River in convincing fashion. It was a second success for the Dunshaughlin, County Meath amateur rider.
Paul Townend and Willie Mullins landed a winner 30 minutes later as Got Glory, in the Galopin Des Champs colours of Audrey Turley, scored an impressive success in the two-mile mares’ maiden hurdle. The six-year-old was having her first start since being pulled-up in the Grade 1 mares’ novice hurdle at last year’s Fairyhouse Easter Festival and there was a very different outcome this time, as she easily scored by five and a half lengths from the William McLernon-trained Mi Lucky Cailin at odds of 4/7 favourite.
Conna trainer Sean Aherne and Sean O'Keeffe teamed up to take the three-mile handicap hurdle with the 14/1 shot Oneforgonzo. In the colours of owner Eoin Barry, the six-year-old led before the final hurdle and skipped clear to beat the Danny Howard-trained Likable Chancer by 13 lengths, easily the widest margin winner of the day.
TWO ADDITIONAL FIXTURES ANNOUNCED
Due to the recent spate of fixture cancellations after a spell of wet weather, Horse Racing Ireland announced earlier this week that there are two additional meetings.
Dundalk is on this Saturday, April 13 (evening). Declarations to run were to be made by 10am on Thursday, April 11. Full details of the programme of races for this meeting will be published on the RAS website this week. The time of the first race will be at 4.20pm.
There is an additional National Hunt meeting at Naas on Tuesday afternoon, April 16. This meeting will close for entries by 12 noon this Thursday, April 11 with declarations to run to be made by 10am on Sunday, April 14. Again, full details of the programme of races will be published on the RAS website in due course.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Limerick – Thursday, April 11 (first race 2pm); Dundalk – Friday, April 12 (first race 5.05pm); Dundalk - Saturday, April 13 (first race 4.20pm); Bellewstown – Sunday, April 14 (first race 1.02pm); Down Royal – Sunday, April 14 (first race 2.30pm); Naas - Tuesday, April 16.