Successful week for local trainers and riders
Nathan Crosse has enjoyed a long association with trainer Willie McCreery unveiled and the Cahir native gave a polished ride to a very promising newcomer in the Irish EBF Auction Series Fillies’ Maiden at Dundalk on Tuesday.
Bella Colombia upset the odds in a big way but wasn’t surprising connections when scoring at 25/1, reeling in odds-on favourite Ashwiyaa to win by a snug three-quarters of a length.
Aidan O’Brien recorded a double at the fixture in conjunction with Ballydoyle ally Seamie Heffernan, who was excellent as front-running Hispanic bagged the six-furlong Bar One Racing Kevin O’Hare Mourne Handicap by a nose, denying favourite Dandyville to land the spoils.
The pair then combined on juvenile debutant Capulet, who justified strong market support to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over a mile. The Justify colt broke well and after taking it up, held off the more experienced Huxley to triumph.
Ben Coen joined forces with Eddie Lynam as Punk Poet was victorious in the first division of the Bar One Racing Guaranteed Multiples Handicap at Dundalk on Tuesday. With Coen wearing the silks of Lynam’s most important owner, his wife Aileen, the 4/1 favourite made the most of what was his lowest handicap mark ever, to deliver readily in the mile contest. The six-year-old was sent to dispute the lead two furlongs out by the Fethard man and galloped all the way to the line, with three and a half lengths in hand at the finishing post.
Coen was at it again 24 hours later, this time teaming up with Johnny Feane and Letiza, who relished a drop back to maiden company having last appeared in the Ulster Derby, to finally get off the mark having previously been placed four times.
Coen gave the three-year-old Holy Roman Emperor daughter a confident ride although he had to keep her up to her work once she did get her nose in front. She was always doing enough however to bag the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for fillies by a short head and justify the faith of backers whose support saw her go off at 10/3, having been available at 13/2 earlier in the day.
At Leopardstown on Thursday, John Nallen continued to illustrate that his eye for a good model for the point-to-point and National Hunt circuit can be replicated on the Flat as he registered another victory on the level having increased his presence in recent years to help kickstart the career of young nephew Sean Bowen.
Bowen is now in hot demand and the pony racing product was coolness personified as he waited for a gap to appear up the inner with the finishing post looming, to snatch the Manguard Plus Claiming Race by an ultimately cosy three-quarters of a length on Is That Love.
Is That Love was scoring on his first and as it turned out, only appearance for Nallen, having been claimed by the renowned Minella producer when third in Killarney last June. The six-year-old, who was sent off a 2/1 favourite, was promptly claimed once more having provided a one hundred per cent return for his Clonmel connections.
Aidan O’Brien is a more recognisable figure in summer fixtures of course and his Chief Little Rock landed the odds in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for colts and geldings. Ryan Moore had to work harder than might have been expected on a 30/100 shot but the Galileo two-year-old did show a good attitude to come out on top at the end of the mile trip by a half-length.
It was Joe Murphy who claimed the feature of the card though, denying the Ballydoyle team in eye-catching fashion with the improving Lord Massusus registering a one-and-a-half-length victory in the Group 3 Bahrain Turf Club Desmond Stakes.
Murphy has handled the three-year-old’s progression astutely and this was a fifth victory of the Markaz gelding’s career. A tilt at bigger races is now in the pipeline after Gary Carroll bided his time before scooting his partner inside favourite Alfred Munnings after the turn-in, in similar fashion to what Bowen had done earlier on Is That Love and the result was similar.
His father and older brother may be garnering more headlines, but Donnacha O’Brien has been enjoying his most fruitful season to date and is well on the way to setting a new personal in terms of winners, operating at a fantastic fifteen per cent strike rate. Gloucester added to his tally when swooping late to bag the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Cork on Friday. Harnett always looked happy in the testing underground conditions and he timed his challenge perfectly to take it up inside the last 100 yards, scoring by three parts of a length.
Fozzy Stack has already bettered his total from last season, albeit that 2022 was a little disappointing for the Golden-based trainer. He seems to be operating at normal levels again though, with the Jamie Powell-ridden Never Shout Never providing an eleventh success of the current campaign at a strike rate of fourteen per cent, in the Buy Tickets Online Handicap. The No Nay Never colt was a class above the opposition on handicap debut and with Powell getting the leg up for the first time, sprinted clear to prevail by three and a quarter lengths.
The same evening at Tramore, Cian Quirke enabled local trainer Paul Kiely to his first winner at the seaside venue as a nimble jump at the last saw Inchiquin Star to reel in First Dare in the Tom Murphy Mercedes Benz Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.
Henry Longfellow is a potential star of the future, and he illustrated his talent once more with a cosy two-length triumph in the Group 2 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Futurity Stakes. Ryan Moore was in the saddle for the Aidan O’Brien juvenile, who quickened well off a solid gallop to provide his handler with a sixteenth victory in the race.
Denis Hogan legged up Nathan Crosse to claim the lucky last, as Hot Whispers streaked clear to score in the Keeper’s Heart Irish Whiskey Handicap.
Burnchurch youngster Wayne Hassett notched up his second win at The Curragh in a week produced a power-packed finish as well-backed The Organiser (9/1 to 7/2) just outbattled his Johnny Levins stablemate Nordic Passage to bag the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company Handicap on Sunday.
Aisean showed a taking turn of foot to sprint past the leaders and win the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Irish EBF Stakes for trainer Donnacha O’Brien and jockey Gavin Ryan, the rider timing his delivery well to prevail by a half-length from the Ballydoyle-trained Alabama.
There was a taste of success too for Ben Coen, who delivered Jon Riggens necessarily late to just run down Eddie Lynam stablemate Heavenly Power in the Bord Na Mona Recycling Handicap.
Rachael Blackmore recorded a double at Tramore on Sunday for her chief backer Henry de Bromhead and was absolutely outstanding on Whacker Clan as three horses jumped the last together, with the 7/1 shot going long and landing running before answering his rider’s every call to prevail by a half-length in the McCarthys Irish Bar Lexington Handicap Chase.
That was the same margin of victory for Gentle And Kind, but the even money favourite always appeared to be holding her nearest challengers in the Comeragh Veterinary Kilmacthomas Maiden Hurdle.
Upcoming Meetings
Sligo – Wednesday August 23
Killarney – Thursday August 24
Leopardstown – Thursday August 24
