Slattery continues strong start to Flat Season

Tipperary Racing Scene

Crooked Path obliged odds-on punters in the first division of the maiden hurdle at Tramore on Monday week last.

Trained by Denis Hogan, the 8-11 favourite raced close up, jumped the final two flights quite well and was always doing enough to repel his pursuers by upwards of a length. Daniel King was in the saddle.

Trainer Philip Fenton and jockey Niall Moore can reflect on another productive season together, highlighted by their win at the Dublin Racing Festival in February with Saint Le Fort.

Another success arrived at Tramore when Lake Chad won the 2m5f handicap chase by a comfortable margin of eleven lengths.

Now at the veteran stage, aged 11, this was a sixth career success for Lake Chad and his first for over a year. He won at odds of 9-1.

City Of Memphis could well be a filly to follow this season, judged on her pleasing return to action at Gowran last Wednesday.

Trainer Paddy Twomey’s filly had not been seen since finishing an excellent fifth in the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas on just her second career start last May.

On her comeback, she started the 11-10 favourite in a pretty warm race restricted to horses that had not placed in stakes races over the past year.

City Of Memphis raced in second place to the home straight, picked up the lead under Billy Lee with two furlongs to race and won snugly by about two lengths.

“It was fairly straightforward. I am just happy she had a good day out. She had a setback as a two-year-old. We pitched her in at the deep end pretty quick and I was keen to mind her after that,” Twomey told Gary O’Brien of Racing TV.

“I am hoping this year she can make up for lost time. I think she has the ability to win a Group race at least.”

Trainer Andrew Slattery can’t stop saddling winners and the latest arrived at Gowran on Wednesday courtesy of Kitty Bear in seven-furlong Thomastown Handicap.

Fethard apprentice Orla Tynan rode a nice patient race, biding her time around midfield until the final two furlongs when asking her mount to quicken.

Kitty Bear was three lengths clear at the line and rewarded her backers at odds of 9-2.

This was the sixth winner of Tynan’s career to date, two of those arriving on this filly.

Andy Slattery could win with the stable cat the way he is going. Drucker was just the latest in a stream of winners from his Killenaule stable when 12-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Thursday.

Declan McDonogh was in the saddle on the 4-1 winner who had half a length to spare at the line.

“I had perfect setup in the race. Andy’s horses are always great to ride, you can put them anywhere and it is good to ride a winner for him again. Nice to win for his owner Pat Garvey also,” McDonogh said.

Phillip Enright won the €10,000 first prize as the leading jockey in the William Hill Each Way Extra Series.

The Moyglass rider ended the series on 81 points, ahead of Daniel King on 79. This was a commendable new initiative that was well supported and comprised 50 races from October to the finale at Kilbeggan last Friday.

It was fitting that Enright sealed the deal with another winner on the final day via Chemdawg for trainer Oliver McKiernan.

“Dropping back in trip and the drier ground helped her to get home,” said Enright after comfortably making all the running on the 5-1 chance.

“She was happy out in front and Oliver’s horses are in very good form.”

Curragh trainer Johnny Murtagh went on a spree at the weekend’s racing, picking up a treble at Cork on Friday and adding a fourth success at Navan on Saturday.

Promising Aga Khan colt Tashakour got the ball rolling in the mile maiden for three-year-olds, scoring by over two lengths as the 5-4 favourite.

Winning jockey Ben Coen later remarked: “It was a nice performance. He has plenty of gears. He handled the better ground well. He will be able to step up in grade and a mile will be his best trip for the time being.”

Apprentice Jessica Maye chipped in with a winner also on Final Voyage (10-1) in the colours of the trainer’s own syndicate. The Donadea rider sent her mount to the front with about three furlongs of the 1m2f handicap and was always doing enough to collect by half a length.

The final leg of Murtagh’s 160-1 treble arrived when Darius Dark won the 12-furlong handicap for another of the stable’s apprentice’s, Rory Mulligan, at odds of 11-2.

Stable jockey Ben Coen added to the haul at Navan on Saturday when Latin America ran out a comfortable winner of the median auction maiden.

Carrying the purple and white colours of Derrick Smith and the Coolmore partners, the three-year-old won at odds-on 5-6 favourite by over two lengths.

The Joseph O’Brien team kept churning out the winners over the weekend with a double at three different tracks on Friday and Saturday.

Joey Sheridan and Declan McDonogh rode three winners apiece over two days. Featured among the sextet was the success of Thundering On (11-4 favourite) in the Group 3 Salsabil Stakes for fillies at Navan on Saturday.

This filly went into the race a maiden, although she was narrowly defeated in her previous start, just a fortnight earlier at Leopardstown, by a rival rated 106 (Skydance, trained by Willie McCreery).

Stepping up in distance from a mile to ten furlongs proved key here and Thundering On was a very convincing winner by over three lengths in the hands of Joey Sheridan.

Connections are said to be considering a tilt at the French Oaks for this filly in June. In this form, she must be a live contender.

Also at Navan, O’Brien won with Obscenity (9-2) in the ten-furlong handicap for horses rated up to 70.

At Cork on Friday, the Owning Hill team won with two bright prospects headed by the 98-rated Limestone in a ten-furlong contest. He will next be seen in stakes races. Limestone battled well for Sheridan to score by half a length at odds of 7-4 favourite from Mr Vettori, trained by Jessica Harrington.

“He is classy, this lad,” Sheridan said. “I needed him in the last furlong and he found more for me. He was strong to the line. Twelve furlongs will be better for him and he will come on for that.”

Four winners in six days for trainer Andy Slattery who prepared God Of Power (9-4) to win the seven-furlong maiden at Limerick on Saturday.

Jockey Andrew Slattery wore the colours of owner Damien Moore on this three-year-old who ground out a three-quarters of a length margin from the Fozzy Stack-trained Dark Leader.

“Nice horse, we liked him a lot last year, good pace and ground it out well. I would like to see him on a nicer surface than today,” the rider said.

The trainer added: “We know he will improve. Over the Irish Guineas weekend there is a three-year-old handicap we might look at. As Andrew said, he would like better ground, the going is very tacky there today.”

Aidan O’Brien sent out three winners across two meetings on Saturday, including two Listed contests at Navan with horses that are likely to play prominent roles over the Flat season ahead.

Charles Darwin was always in command in the Irish EBF Committed Stakes, making all and winning by over a length under Ryan Moore at cramped odds of 4-11 favourite.

“He should come on a tonne from it,” the Ballydoyle trainer said.

“He is a big, relaxed horse. Ryan said he will improve an awful lot. He has developed well, he was carrying plenty of condition and he will sharpen up as he gets fitter, He is the kind of horse that only does enough. Targets are the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot with a trial at Naas in between.

Scandinavia looks bound for a big season in the biggest staying races at home and abroad. Kyprios has retired and this guy looks a readymade replacement.

Scandinavia has a certain style of racing. He keeps finding and building through a race and he is very hard to beat once he establishes a rhythm. He has now won his last four races, including two Group 1 titles, the Goodwood Cup and the St Leger.

The latest success came in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan at odds of 11-10 favourite by a length and a half.

“Ryan [Moore] was delighted with him. He felt he was always going to get there. He is very relentless, this horse,” O’Brien said.

“The Ascot Gold Cup will be the main target with Saval Beg at Leopardstown before that. We could not be happier with him. We was not trained hard for today by any means and he is still lightly raced.”

O’Brien and Coolmore were also on the mark at Limerick when Signora shed her maiden tag in the hands of apprentice Jack Cleary.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Punchestown – Wednesday, April 29th (first race 2.30pm)

Punchestown – Thursday, April 30th (first race 2.30pm)

Punchestown – Friday, May 1st (first race 3.40pm)

Punchestown – Saturday, May 2nd (first race 2.30pm)

Cork – Sunday, May 3rd (first race 1.20pm)

Sligo – Sunday, May 3rd (first race 1.35pm)

Curragh – Monday, May 4th

Down Royal – Monday, May 4th

Gowran Park – Tuesday, May 5th