Tipperary Racing Scene

A runner-up to the Willie Mullins-trained May Call You Back with Miners Bridge in the earlier two-mile handicap chase, Sam Curling and Phillip Enright went a place better to win the mares’ beginners' chase with Belle The Lioness as jumps racing returned from its mid-summer break at Tipperary.

Easily the longest-priced winner of the day at odds of 25/1, she battled well from the final fence to pip Henry de Bromhead’s Cobra Queen by a head, comfortably the narrowest winning margin on the eight-race card.

Dark Note raced to a one and a quarter-length win the concluding two-mile three-furlong rated novice chase for trainer Andy Slattery. Owned by the For The Good Times Syndicate, the Cian Quirke-ridden 11/4 chance headed Mouse Morris’ front-running Caesar Rock after the final fence to score.

Rory Cleary notched up with his third win in the race named after his late brother when partnering the Kevin Coleman-trained Thatwilldoso to take the Sean Cleary Memorial Handicap at Roscommon on Tuesday.

Cleary teamed up with his father Tom to win the race in 2015 and was successful again, riding for Jim Bolger, the following year. This time, he came in for the ride on the 9/1 chance when Jamie Powell was stood down after an earlier fall and he made the most of the opportunity to bring the four-year-old home a length and a quarter winner from Edward O'Grady’s Stormie Outlook.

Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee won the concluding 12-furlong maiden with the 3/1 chance Sky Captain. The four-year-old was making his debut and he got up in the dying strides to pip Natalia Lupini’s Colpe Cross by a neck.

Aidan O'Brien landed the first race at Tipperary on Wednesday where the Wayne Lordan-ridden Kansas took the two-year-old maiden. An 8/11 favourite for the five-furlong affair, he came with his challenge inside the final furlong and led close to the finish to beat Stephen Thorne’s Jack The Bachelor by half a length. Trainer Martin Hassett and his grandnephew Wayne took the conditions’ race over the same distance with the brilliantly consistent Harry’s Hill. Owned by The Tipp Ramblers Partnership, the 3/1 chance readily got the better of David Marnane’s odds-on favourite Sir Yoshi by a length to register his ninth career success and his second over the course and distance.

Sam Coen landed the five-furlong apprentice handicap on the Gavin Cromwell-trained three-year-old Skillman Ave. The Derek Kierans-owned 5/1 chance made much of the running and held Willie Browne’s Realtin Fantasy by a neck.

Ben Coen followed his cousin into the winners’ enclosure when winning the next two races on horses trained by Johnny Murtagh. The 15/2 shot Amber Blossom led in the closing stages to win the seven-furlong fillies’ handicap for the pair from the Tim Doyle-trained Kinda Tiny.

A neck was the winning distance while the doubles were completed as the Whyte Hickey Rafter Kilkenny Syndicate-owned Onemoredance scored a one and three-parts of a length win in the nine-furlong handicap. She led passing the two-furlong pole and was always in control in beating the John McConnell-trained Wonderfulwonderful.

Cullen trainer Eamonn O’Connell bagged the final race with the 40/1 chance Chou Chou scoring a narrow success in the second of the nine-furlong handicaps. Owned by the We Built This City Syndicate and ridden by Killian Leonard, the four-year-old got up in the dying strides to win by a head from Gerry Keane’s joint-favourite Thegooseiscooked.

Trainer Andy Slattery sent out winners at both Bellewstown and Tipperary on Thursday. At the “away” venue, he teamed up with his son Andrew to take the second of the eight-furlong handicaps with the four-year-old Exceeding. The Punchestown Friends Syndicate-owned 8/1 shot led inside the final furlong to score by a length and a half from the Harry Rogers-trained Cleopatra’s Needle.

Slattery’s winner at Tipperary came in the shape of the Adam Ryan-ridden Ebony King in the concluding bumper. Owned by the Ladies Choice Partnership, the 7/4 favourite raced up with the pace and led at halfway to beat Tom Cooper’s Siouxfonic and Patrick Mullins by three and a quarter lengths.

Owner/trainer John Nallen had earlier won the first three-year-old maiden hurdle of the year with the Daniel King-ridden Minella Study. A very well-supported 9/4 shot, he led before the second-last hurdle and saw off the challenge of Paul Nolan’s Felicity Smoak by a length. Sam Curling and Phillip Enright shared their second winner at the course in three days as 11/2 joint-favourite Queenofthelodge took the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle in fine style. She was well on top in beating the Eric McNamara-trained Storm Mahler by a length and three-parts.

Andy Slattery and his son Andrew were winners again at Bellewstown on Friday where the consistent My Girl Sioux took the five-furlong handicap. She notched up her second career success when leading a furlong out to beat Tom McCourt’s favourite Hero Of the Hour by a length for owner Maurice Aherne.

Aidan O'Brien added to his last-gasp success with the Ryan Moore-ridden Delacroix in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown with two far easier two-year-old winners at Naas on Saturday. Wayne Lordan was in the saddle as 9/1 chance Neolithic scored a three-length success over Ger Lyons’ Howd’yadoit in the six-furlong median sires series race, and he also partnered Daytona to win the inaugural running of the Listed Irish EBF Pat Smullen Stakes over eight furlongs, the 4/5 favourite comfortably winning by three and a quarter lengths from Joseph O'Brien’s North Coast.

Daniel King rode his second winner of the week for a Tipperary trainer when taking the two-mile one-furlong novice hurdle on Denis Hogan’s Autumn Mist at Bellewstown on Saturday. Owned by Katie and Brian Castle, the 3/1 chance held off the challenge of Cian Collins’ favourite Mick Collins after the final hurdle to win by half a length.

The Edward O'Grady-trained six-year-old Our Soldier backed up his win at victory at Wexford in May when landing the three-mile handicap hurdle. The Denis O’Brien-owned 9/2 chance was ridden by Harry Swan, and he led approaching the final hurdle to beat Gordon Elliott’s Howdoyalikeherhome by three lengths.

Upcoming Meetings

Leopardstown – Thursday, July 10 (First race 5pm)

Cork – Friday, July 11 (First race 5.12pm)

Kilbeggan – Friday, July 11 (First race 5.30pm)

Limerick – Saturday, July 12 (First race 1.32pm)

Dundalk – Saturday, July 12 (First race 1.52pm)

Navan – Sunday, July 13 (First race 1.40pm)

Sligo – Sunday, July 13 (First race 1.50pm)