Racing Wrap: Royals impress in the Kingdom
The long trip to Listowel certainly proved well worthwhile for Meath trainers as they saw their charges securing victory in a number of races in the Kerry track on Sunday.
A winning 13/8 favourite was Sweetest Rose which landed the three-year-old fillies and mares’ maiden over the same distance for Ger Lyons and jockey Gary Carroll. Sweetest Rose made much of the running and held off the late rally of the Jessica Harrington-trained Nelda to win by three-parts of a length in the colours of Annette O’Callaghan.
Noel Meade tasted success when the Adam Caffrey-ridden Not Just Yet won the seven-furlong handicap. The Martin McHale-owned 12/1 chance came from the back of the seven-runner field to lead over a furlong from the finish and he readily held off The Snapper, trained by Jack Davison, by half a length.
Ross O'Sullivan continued his fine run of form as Dutch Glory won the opening division of the eight-furlong James Collins Memorial Handicap. An 11/2 chance under Siobhan Rutledge, the Aloysius Harney-owned four-year-old had a fair deal in hand as she beat Andy Slattery’s Sunset Nova by two and a quarter lengths.
Louth apprentice Sean Bird rode his second winner when partnering the Patrick Magee-trained Arch Enemy to take the second leg of the same race.
Trainer Ado McGuinness won the opening six-furlong maiden for two-year-olds also at Listowel on Sunday with the Shamrock Thoroughbreds-owned Rush Queen. The 15/2 chance was ridden by Ben Coen and she led well inside the final furlong to pip the Michael O'Callaghan-trained 13/8 favourite Ashwiyaa by a neck.
KILBEGGAN
At Kilbeggan on Sunday, Wrecking Ball Paul took the two-mile handicap hurdle to give Paul Mulligan his first winner as a trainer. Ridden by Ben Harvey, the 9/1 chance made all the running in the colours of the Crane Crew Syndicate to beat the Eoin Griffin-trained Hidalgo Des Mottes by four and a quarter lengths. The winner had finished third on the Flat at Listowel on the previous afternoon.
Noel Meade’s Too Bright, owned by Albert Dravins and Eamonn Scanlon, took the beginners’ chase over two mile and three furlongs. A 20/1 chance in the hands of Sean Flanagan, the five-year-old made all the running to win by three and a half lengths from the Jessica Harrington-trained 7/2 favourite Changing The Rules.
Tom Gibney was back in the winners’ enclosure as the Gavin Ryan-ridden Drop The Dip scored an all-the-way success in the eight-furlong John Thomas McNamara Handicap at Listowel on Saturday. The 18/5 favourite skipped clear early in the straight and scored by two and a quarter lengths from the David Marnane-trained Amemri to complete a double for Ryan who had earlier scored on the Diego Dias-trained Winemaker in the seven-furlong handicap.
TRAMORE
The trainer’s fine run continued at Tramore later that evening where Story Rory won the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle. With Kieran Callaghan in the saddle, the 25/1 chance led before the third last hurdle to beat Eoin Doyle’s Rock On Pedro by two and a quarter lengths.
Joining Gordon Elliott on the scoresheet at Down Royal was Tony Martin who landed his second success of the week and gave Maynooth amateur Billy Coonan his first career winner as Movie King took the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at odds of 8/1. Owned by the Yellow Sticker Syndicate, the six-year-old had ground to make up on the leaders jumping the final hurdle but he flew home to score by two and a quarter lengths from Serpolette, another runner-up on the day for trainer Eamonn Delany.
John McConnell and Ben Harvey won the near three-mile handicap hurdle with the Derek Kierans-owned Reserve Judgement. The 5/1 chance led at the top of the straight and had two and a half lengths to spare over the Elliott-trained even money favourite Walking The Walk at the line.
Kells trainer Gillian Callaghan won the near two-mile handicap chase at Tramore on Friday evening with The Dasher Conway. A 9/2 chance in the hands of Donagh Meyler, the eight-year-old made much of the running to score by an easy nine lengths from the Eamonn Delany-trained Mater Matuta.
DOWN ROYAL
Gordon Elliott was on the mark at both Down Royal and Tramore on Friday evening. The Danny Gilligan-ridden Shesdadream, owned by Pioneer Racing, had an easy time of it in the mares’ hurdle at the northern venue as she scored by four and a quarter lengths from the Andy Slattery-trained Lady Of The Vale at odds of 5/2.
At Tramore, Keith Donoghue partnered 2/5 favourite Samui to win the two-mile maiden hurdle and complete the across-the-card double. The Allan Snow-owned four-year-old easily accounted for Ted Walsh’s 9/2 chance Ta Na La by three and three-parts of a length.
Elliott followed up as the Keith Donoghue-ridden Set Point took the two-mile handicap hurdle 30 minutes later. The Clodagh Lacy-owned 5/1 shot had a little in hand as he beat the Ken Budds-trained Craic Eile by half a length, adding to his Downpatrick success two weeks earlier.
FAIRYHOUSE
Earlier on the Fairyhouse card, Tony Martin won the six-furlong handicap with 5/1 chance Jackie Brown. With Ben Coen in the saddle, the three-year-old led inside the final furlong and just held off Seamus O’Donnell’s 66/1 shot The Fog Horn to win by a shorthead.
Colin Keane rode winners at both Roscommon and Fairyhouse on Thursday and his trip to the Western venue paid immediate dividends as Spanish Flame took the opening median sires series maiden.
Trained by Ger Lyons for owner Vincent Gaul, the two-year-old was sent off at odds of 8/13 favourite after a promising debut at Leopardstown and he prevailed by an easy six lengths from the Joseph O'Brien-trained Oligopoly.
The Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot might well be the immediate target.
He followed up on the Lyons-trained Star Kissed which scored a two-length win in the neat 12-furlong handicap to complete a double for the pair. The 9/4 shot comfortably beat the Joseph O'Brien-trained 7/4 favourite Rattle And Hum to score.
The champion jockey then boarded a light plane, which used the racecourse’s back straight as a runway, to fly him to Fairyhouse where he scored a seven-length success on Secret Road, trained by his father Gerry, in the concluding six-furlong handicap.
