First winner for Moneygall’s Larkin at Thurles

Gavin Ryan recorded his third success on the Mark Fahey-trained Rhythm King which landed the opening seven-furlong handicap at Gowran Park on Monday week last.

A winner by a shorthead over the course and distance last year, he scored in far better style this time when racing to a two-length win over the Patrick Magee-trained Excuzio Joe.

Grey Leader took the rated race over the extended eight furlongs for Fethard trainer Joe Murphy and Gary Carroll. The Kildare jockey reached the 50-winner mark for the first time when partnering the 100/30 chance to a very comfortable three and three-parts of a length win over the Jim Bolger-trained Machnamh in the colours of Tony Auld.

Fozzy Stack and Joey Sheridan won the maiden over the same distance with Highland Rahy. The easiest winner of the day, the three-year-old made all the running and pulled clear a furlong and a half from home to win by eight and a half lengths from the Ken Condon-trained even money favourite Toll Stone.

Lisabetta was another winner for Tim Doyle as she took the second division of the nine-furlong handicap. Wayne Hassett brought the 12/1 chance from off the pace to win by a length and three-parts from the Pat Martin-trained Patrick Street.

Ben Coen completed a double for trainer Mick Mulvany when Rough And Tough won the eight-furlong handicap at Gowran Park on Tuesday. Remarkably, the three-year-old was making a quick reappearance to win for the second time in as many days at the track. Coen had an easy time of it, winning by all of three and a half lengths with the Tim Doyle-trained Silkies Sib, ridden by Wayne Hassett, taking second place.

Also on the card, Aidan O'Brien and Seamie Heffernan won the two-year-old maiden over the same distance with favourite The Euphrates. He led home a 1-2 for Ballydoyle with the Jack Cleary-ridden Chantilly coming through for the runner-up spot.

Wayne Hassett made it two winners in as many days when leading home a James McAuley 1-2 in the five and a half-furlong handicap at Navan on Wednesday. He landed the spoils when partnering the Navorrosse to beat her stable companion Pulse Of Shanghai, by half a length. It was the winning jockey’s fourteenth winner of the season.

Moneygall trainer Shauna Larkin landed her first success as More Info won the mares’ handicap hurdle at Thurles on Thursday. Formerly trained by Denis Hogan, the 16/1 chance led before the second last hurdle under Daniel King and went clear to win by a cosy two and a quarter lengths from the Michael Kennedy-trained Magic Conqueror in the colours of her owner/breeder Tim Conroy.

James McAuley got his hands on the three-year-old Autocrat after he won the opening claiming race at Dundalk on Friday and then sent out a winner of his own as the Joey Sheridan-ridden Jaafel, another claiming race purchase, easily landed the ten-furlong handicap. The 5/1 chance came from of the pace and raced clear inside the final furlong to score by an easy four lengths from the Ger Lyons-trained Banana Three.

There was another winner for both Tim Doyle and Wayne Hassett as the well-supported Von Krolock took the opening division of the seven-furlong handicap. Owned and bred by the trainer’s wife Claire, the strong favourite readily got the better of the Edward O'Grady-trained Stormie Outlook by a length and a quarter.

David Marnane won the second leg of the same race with the MCR International-owned Amemri. Ridden by Luke McAteer, the 15/2 chance was well on top at the line as she got the better of Shane Crawley’s Trishuli Tiver by a length.

Donnacha O'Brien and Gavin Ryan combined to win the seven-furlong maiden for two-year-olds at Leopardstown on Saturday with the Leonard Green-owned Guildenstern. The 18/5 chance led well inside the final furlong to beat two Aidan O'Brien-trained runners, South Pole and favourite Master Of The Hunt, by a length and a head respectively.

The Ballydoyle trainer was again out of luck with favourite Military which could only finish a moderate third in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes, but he quickly found himself among the winners as Grosvenor Square took the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes in fine style. Seamie Heffernan made all the running on the strong odds-on favourite and the pair ran out four and a quarter-length winners from another O'Brien-trained runner, Cambridge.

The champion trainer and Heffernan shared a second winner as Ocean Of Dreams raced to a six-length success in the eight-furlong maiden for two-year-olds. This time the pair got the better of the trainer’s youngest son as the 9/2 chance stretched clear inside the final furlong to beat Donnacha O'Brien’s favourite Invention.

At Limerick on Saturday, Sam Curling won the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle with the Phillip Enright-ridden Ishan. One of the easiest winners of the day, the Pius Collins-owned favourite led before the second-last hurdle and raced clear to score by nine and a half lengths from the David Fitzgerald-trained He Fitz In.

A maiden winner at Tipperary last month, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Los Angeles led home a 1-2-3 for Ireland in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in Paris on Sunday. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, he got the better of the Joseph O'Brien-trained Islandsinthestream by a neck with the Ryan Moore-ridden Illinois home in third place for the Ballydoyle trainer.

Closer to home, the champion trainer completed another Leopardstown double. The Killian Hennessy-ridden favourite Farnborough scored a five-length win over the Tom Mullins-trained San Aer in the eight-furlong handicap while Seamie Heffernan was in the saddle as Boogie Woogie took the Listed Thomas’s Of Foxrock Trigo Stakes by three-parts of a length from Andy Slattery’s Sunchart.

Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead won both the first and last races to complete doubles at Limerick on Sunday.

The very well-supported She’s A Fine Wine scored a very easy success in the opening mares’ maiden hurdle. Owned by Michael Dempsey, the odds-on favourite was having her first start for the Knockeen trainer, her first start over hurdles and her first outing since April when racing to a six and a half-length victory over the Eric McNamara-trained Mag Dillane.

On his first outing over fences and his first start since February of last year, Quilixios won the two-mile three-furlong beginners’ chase in contrasting fashion. The even-money favourite, the former Triumph Hurdle winner, survived a mistake at the final fence and had to battle to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained Cool Survivor by a neck.

Killenaule’s Adam Ryan partnered the Michael McDonagh-trained Positive Thinker to win the John Thomas McNamara Series Qualified Riders Handicap Hurdle. The favourite got the better of the Eric McNamara-trained Mont Saint Vincent by one and a quarter lengths, the pair all of 31 lengths clear of the third horse home, Declan Queally’s Robyndeglory.

Upcoming Fixtures

Clonmel – Thursday, October 26 (First Race 2.00pm)

Sligo – Friday, October 27 (First Race 1.50pm)

Dundalk – Friday, October 27 (First Race 5.30pm)

Galway – Saturday, October 28 (First Race 1.55pm)

Galway – Sunday, October 29 (First Race 12.40pm)

Wexford – Sunday, October 29 (First Race 1.00pm)