Limerick meet proves fruitful for local riders
DOWN ROYAL
Charles Byrnes was a winner as Intent Approach justified his short odds in the two-mile six-furlong novice handicap hurdle at Down Royal on Sunday. The JP McManusowned even-money favourite arrived with his challenge under Mark Walsh between the last two hurdles and he picked up well on the run to the line to win by a length and three-parts from the Stuart Crawford-trained 9/1 chance Annaghbeg.
DUNDALK - SATURDAY
Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien landed a double on the eight-race card at Dundalk on Saturday, but first off the mark on the evening was Donnacha O'Brien who recorded his first success of the season as the newcomer Usdi Atohi took the two-year-old maiden over five furlongs. Gavin Ryan made all the running on the 7/2 chance to pip Adrian Murray’s California Dreamer, the 4/7 favourite, by a head.
At the same price, Port Fairy gave the Ballydoyle duo their first win on the day when, at the main expense of Donnacha O'Brien’s 6/1 shot Lady Doris, taking the 10-furlong median auction fillies’ maiden. It was tight again at the line with just a neck between the first two horses home with a length and a half back to Joseph O'Brien’s 5/4 favourite Evening Blossom in third.
Moore and Aidan O'Brien rounded off the session with their second winner as 11/10 favourite London City scored in the 10-furlong maiden. He led over a furlong from the finish to beat Andy Oliver’s 20/1 shot Ozark Daze by a length and a half.
David Marnane’s good run of form continued as the eight-yearold Jered Maddox landed his second win at the track in the space of just eight days in the five-furlong handicap. Again ridden by Luke McAteer, the 6/1 chance came from a little off the pace to lead early inside the final furlong and he raced clear to beat Willie Browne’s 7/2 shot Pro Bono Alexander by two and a quarter lengths.
Paddy Twomey and his great ally Billy Lee combined to win the six-furlong maiden with Heart Of Darkness. In the colours of the late Lady O’Reilly, the 6/4 chance led over a furlong from the finish and held off the Andy Slattery-trained
Ojw Legacy by a neck. A good night for Tipperary trainers continued as Michael Browne’s Suityourselfboss took the opening division of the eight-furlong handicap. Ridden by Wayne Hassett, the Aircon Syndicate-owned 7/1 shot raced clear inside the final furlong to beat the Marnane-trained Alabama Calling by an easy three and three-parts of a length.
DUNDALK - FRIDAY
Kilbrin apprentice Daniel King partnered the Denis Hogan-trained El Bello to win the seven-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Friday evening last. The 15/2 chance appeared to have a little in hand as he held Ted Walsh’s 5/4 favourite Ferrybank by a length, his third success at the track.
Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien shared the first of their weekend winners as the newcomer Mundi landed the eight-furlong maiden for three-year-olds at the meet. A full-brother to dual 2,000 Guineas hero Churchill, the 7/2 chance led passing the two-furlong pole and he comfortably held the late challenge of the Natalia Lupini-trained Dairago by half a length.
Earlier in the evening, Transcending Glory won the six-furlong maiden for Ben Coen and Johnny Murtagh. At odds of 9/4, he made every yard of the running and came home a length clear of Joseph O'Brien’s 6/5 favourite Spanish Cara in the colours of the Kildare Racing Club and the Kilmichael Racing Syndicate.
LIMERICK
Curraglass conditional jockey Mike O’Connor gave Henry de
Bromhead a winner with Coming Up Easy in the two-mile five-furlong maiden hurdle at Limerick on Thursday only minutes after the trainer narrowly lost out in his bid for Grade 1 success at Aintree. De Bromhead’s Bob Olinger was only beaten by a nose behind the Paul Townend-ridden Impaire Et Passe, trained by Willie Mullins, at the Liverpool track, but it was very different for the O'Connor-ridden 8/11 favourite Coming Up Easy which led before the straight and went clear over the final two hurdle to score by 20 lengths in the colours of owner Anthony Head.
Terence O'Brien and Araglin amateur rider Darragh Allen won the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle with the very well-supported 11/4 favourite King Of Cong. Owned by Liam Mulryan, the sixyear-old had any amount in hand as he beat the Arthur O’Gradytrained Malinas Glory by two and three-parts of a length.
There was also a locally-owned, trained and ridden winner on Thursday as Charles Byrnes’ Aodhan May landed the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle. Ridden by the trainer’s son Philip, in his wife Cora’s colours, the 15/2 chance came with her challenge before the second-last hurdle and she wore down Shane Nolan’s front-runner Cosmo Renfro close to the finish to win by half a length, her fourth win from her last five starts and her fifth win in all.
OTHER RACING NEWS
A terrific three days for Irish raiders at Aintree was topped by
the success of 7/1 joint-favourite I Am Maximus in the Randox Grand National on Saturday. He ran out a most impressive seven and a half-length winner to give Willie Mullins a second victory in the race and Paul Townend a first taste of victory in the showpiece event. Mullins was previously a winner with Hedgehunter in 2005 and his latest success gave owner JP McManus his third win after Don’t Push It in 2010 and Minella Times in 2021. Better again, the latest renewal of the race resulted in a 1-2-3-4 for Irish-trained runners with Gordon Elliott’s Delta Work taking the runner-up spot ahead of Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Indo and Galvin, another Elliott runner.
In all, there were 10 Irishtrained winners at the meeting. On Thursday, Willie Mullins scored with Il Etait Temps and Impaire Et Passe, both ridden by Paul Townend, while Gordon Elliott
won with the Jack Kennedy-ridden Gerri Colombe and Emmet Mullins was successful with Its On The Line and Derek O'Connor. Friday saw Irish-trained wins for Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin, ridden by Mark Walsh, and two from the Willie Mullins stable, the Walsh-ridden Mystical Power and Dancing City, another for Paul Townend. Either side of the Grand National success for I Am Maximus, Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy were winners with Brighterdaysahead and Found A Fifty at Aintree on Saturday.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Clonmel – Thursday, April 18 (first race 4pm); Ballinrobe – Friday, April 19 (first race 5.07pm); Limerick – Friday, April 19 (first race 4.45pm); Curragh – Saturday, April 20 (first race 1.40pm); Curragh – Sunday, April 21 (first race 1.50pm); Tramore – Sunday, April 21 (first race 2.05pm).