Tipperary Racing Scene
The great run of form being enjoyed Tim Doyle continued at Galway on Monday week last where he won the second division of the two and three-quarter-mile handicap hurdle with Delias Pet. For good measure, the eight-year-old is owned and bred by the trainer’s wife Claire and their son David was in the saddle as the 6/1 chance came from off the pace to outgun the front-running Ballagh Star by a neck. It was the trainer’s fourth winner in nine days while it was a second career success for the winning rider and his first over hurdles.
Aidan O'Brien landed a first and last race double at Galway on Tuesday. Killian Hennessy was in the saddle for both, and the pair took the eight-furlong maiden for two-year-olds with Grosvenor Square, the favourite scoring by two and a quarter lengths from the Joseph O'Brien-trained Naturally Nimble.
It was far tighter in the concluding Sean Cleary Memorial Fillies & Mares Maiden as Erato completed the doubles when edging out another Joseph O'Brien runner, the odds-on favourite Deadly Nightshade.
The Nathan Crosse-ridden Purring Along ran out the easiest of winners when taking the seven-furlong handicap for Laois trainer Shane Duffy. Owned by Michelle Shannon, he led a furlong from the finish and quickly went clear for a five-length win from the John Nallen-trained favourite Mercurial which was ridden by Sean Bowen.
Daniel King notched up the second double of his career when riding back-to-back winners for two Tipperary-based trainer at Laytown on Tuesday. He teamed up with David Marnane to take the second of the six-furlong handicaps on the City Equine II Syndicate-owned Jered Maddox. It was all too easy for the 4/1 chance which went clear early inside the final furlong to win by five and a half lengths from the James McAuley-trained Pulse Of Shanghai.
King then scored a three and a half-length win on the Adrian Joyce-trained General Idea in the seven-furlong claiming race. The 9/2 chance ran in the colours of the Premier Racing Club, but he changed owners after being claimed by trainer Ian Donoghue.
Tim Doyle landed another success as the Wayne Hassett-ridden Wrist Art won the second division of the nine-furlong handicap at Punchestown on Wednesday. Doyle and Hasset finished runner-up with Alfalfa in the opening leg of the same race, but their luck changed as the strong favourite came through to lead over a furlong from the finish before drawing clear to win by an easy four lengths from the Peter Fahey-trained Qaabil. It was a sixth career success for the winning jockey.
The first of four 12-furlong handicaps at Tramore on Wednesday went the way of the Jake Coen-ridden Notturno, trained by Noel Meade. Coen carried the colours of the Eagles Partnership on the 9/2 chance which had plenty in hand as he beat Paul McEnery’s Bright N Shine by three lengths.
Birr trainer Philip Byrne landed a slightly unusual success with his good servant Out On Friday which won the third of the 12-furlong handicaps at the meeting under Sean Bowen. The seven-year-old lost out by a neck to the Tom McCourt-trained Rampage at Galway on the previous evening and turned out again less than 24 hours later to make all the running and gamely hold off Ross O'Sullivan’s Beautiful Chaos by a nose. It was the winner’s sixth career success while Bowen was riding his seventeenth winner of the season.
Ben Coen was the first of the Tipperary brigade into the winners’ enclosure at Naas on Thursday as the Johnny Murtagh-trained Prime Art took the near six-furlong fillies’ maiden for two-year-olds. The 15/2 chance was having her third start and dropping back in distance, she battled well to hold off the Jessica Harrington-trained Emerald Spanner by half a length.
Red hot Dylan Browne McMonagle rode his first winner for Aidan O'Brien when taking the maiden over the same distance on the odds-on favourite Military. The newcomer was well on top at the line as he beat Noel Meade’s Laugier Night by two and three-parts of a length.
David Marnane’s Jakajaro was a narrow runner-up to odds-on favourite King Cuan in the €100,000 Goffs Sportsman’s Challenge a little earlier in the day and his luck changed for the better as the MCR International-owned Basilah Bear won the eight-furlong nursery handicap in good style. A strong favourite, she led two furlongs from the finish under Luke McAteer to score by a cosy length and a quarter from the Padraig Roche-trained Tiscommonknowledge.
Edward O'Grady sent out Gwan Tadhg to land the two-mile two-furlong handicap hurdle at Downpatrick on Friday. The six-year-old, owned by the trainer’ son Jonathan, scored at both Downpatrick and Bellewstown last month and justified his odds of 5/2 favourite when getting the better of the Noel Kelly-trained Gladiatorial by half a length in the hands of Mark McDonagh.
The Henry de Bromhead-trained Some Dove and Gordon Elliott’s C'est Quelqu'un shared the spoils as a dead-heat was declared in the near three-mile handicap chase. Coming from off the pace, the Rachael Blackmore-ridden 6/1 chance Some Dove got up on the line to join the favourite C'est Quelqu'un which didn’t help his cause with a mistake at the final fence.
Rachael Blackmore and de Bromhead pipped a Willie Mullins-trained odds-on favourite to win the two and a half-mile mares’ hurdle on the opening day of the Listowel festival on Sunday. The David Maughan-owned Popova got up on the line to beat favourite Space Tourist by a short-head, adding to her maiden hurdle success at Thurles in December of last year.
Upcoming Meetings
Listowel – Thursday, September 21 (First Race 1.40pm)
Listowel – Friday, September 22 (First Race 2.05pm)
Listowel – Saturday, September 23 (First Race 2.10pm)
Dundalk – Friday, September 22 (First Race 6.00pm)
Curragh – Saturday, September 23 (First Race 1.20pm)
Curragh – Sunday, September 24 (First Race 1.20pm)