Tipperary Racing Scene

Anna McGuinness won the bumper restricted to lady riders on Monday week last at Killarney via the odds-on Airds Moss.

The Tyrone rider steered the 1-2 favourite to a comfortable three-lengths margin. Fethard trainer Harry Kelly has a nice horse on his hands here, one that had placed a good second on his rules debut in a Cork bumper a month prior.

Airds Moss carries the colours of Scottish owner Alistair Spittal who was on hand to greet his winner.

The form of trainer Andy Slattery is right up with the very best in the country over the past few months and he sent out a double at Roscommon on the same Monday evening.

Kitty Bear (100-30 joint favourite) was the first to collect. This filly has been kept busy from winter into spring and has thrived with racing and her partnership with young jockey Orla Tynan. The pair combined for a second win in the last three weeks, whizzing by half the field in the home straight for a margin of nearly three lengths.

Andrew Slattery rode Cisterna, the other winner on the evening for his Dad, in one of the handicaps reserved for three-year-olds.

This was a first success in 12 starts for the gelding owned by the Alltheblues Syndicate and it came at odds of 7-1 and by three-parts of a length.

“Every question I asked of him he answered. He could be a nice horse going forward. I did not have too many anxious moments on him,” the jockey said.

Promising three-year-old Glyfada illustrated why she holds an entry in the Irish Oaks later this summer in a mile event at Killarney on Tuesday.

Despite dropping back in distance from ten furlongs, Gavin Ryan steered Donnacha O’Brien’s American-owned filly to a second consecutive success when she ran out two lengths too strong for some useful rivals as the 5-4 favourite.

“When she hit the front, she surprised me. She found a gear I didn’t know she had and she galloped through the line well. She is improving the whole time,” Ryan said.

The Andy Slattery winning train made its latest stop at Sligo on Tuesday when Beir Bua cruised home in the mares’ maiden hurdle in the colours of owner Ken Keogh.

Settled by jockey Cian Quirke in second behind a fast tempo, Beir Bua eased to the front four hurdles from the finish and won unopposed by eleven lengths as the 3-1 joint favourite.

“Very straightforward,” the rider said.

“She settled well, jumped well, it was very uncomplicated. She will have to go up in grade now but I think she can.”

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Ballinrobe trainer Michael Flannery enjoyed a bright start to the new season when Bowgate Street finally came home a winner at the 26th attempt.

Tipperary jockey Philip Donovan was the man to work the oracle on the luckless mare who had gone close a few times in the past and was also disqualified from a ‘win’ after a positive swab for a banned substance in 2024.

It all came good in the 2m2f handicap hurdle at Sligo on Tuesday, however, as Bowgate Street finished four lengths to the good at 4-1.

“The pace was honest and I was trying to hold onto her. Everything fell in place today. Jumping is her forte. That’s her grade and this is her time of year,” Donovan said.

Mr Dibbs (8-1) came out on top after a right old tussle in the 3m2f handicap hurdle at Sligo on Tuesday for Tipperary trainer Sam Curling.

Ridden by the in-form Michael Kenneally, Mr Dibbs had first to fight off the pacesetting Survivors Sister approaching the final hurdle and then repel the late bid from 11-1 chance Evans Secret by a neck.

The application of blinkers for the first time appeared to make a difference to the winner who was making his second start for the Curling team near Cashel. He had pulled up in a similar race just over a fortnight earlier at Kilbeggan on his first run for five months.

Minella Diamond rewarded patience by winning for the second time in his career – his first in almost three years – in the 2m3f maiden hurdle at Clonmel on Thursday.

Laois trainer Bill Lanigan saddled this eight-year-old, owned by Chris Neville from Roscrea.

Minella Diamond had several pursuers around him as he jumped the final hurdle in front and he stayed on strongest, driven out by Danny Mullins, to win by over two lengths at odds of 7-2.

Faceman just prevailed in the climax to the three-mile handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan on Friday to put the famous green and red silks of the Bowe family back in the winners’ enclosure.

Trained by Harry Kelly near Fethard, Faceman is out of the late, great mare Solerina who won so many races for the Bowes over twenty years ago.

This was his third win from fourteen starts and his second at Kilbeggan. Ridden by Brian Hayes, he scored by a neck at odds of 6-1.

Hayes said: “He loves this place. It is a nice pot to win and it was picked out by his owner John Bowe. He has been a late bloomer but he keeps improving with every run and he goes well in the summer.”

Littlefoot (11-1) benefitted from a peach of a ride by Donagh Meyler to land the 2m4f handicap chase at Kilbeggan on Friday.

Held up in rear initially, the Kilmacow jockey made steady progress through the field to challenge over the final fence and drove Thurles trainer Mark Molloy’s gelding to a neck success from Milan Forth.

“He has his own way of doing things,” Meyler said.

“He raced behind the bridle, but he is a good jumper and stepping up in trip he might progress again. Fences seem to bring out the best in him. He battled well up the rising ground.”

Littlefoot was winning for the second time in his last three outings for his owners the Littlefoot Partnership.

Nola Soul (15-2) looks a horse of considerable potential judged on the way the strapping newcomer landed the opening 7f maiden at Leopardstown on Friday.

Trained by Fozzie Stack for his American client Craig Bernick, the USA-sourced juvenile won by three-quarters of a length but gave the impression there is plenty more to come.

“He is a big horse but a lot of those horses by his sire Justify are big types,” winning jockey Seamie Heffernan said.

“He was raw and green. He could be an Ascot horse. He is exciting, clear-winded and I am happy to be on him.”

Stack added: “The further he goes, the better he should be. We will only run him three or four times this year. We won’t overface him.”

Elite stayer Scandinavia passed his prep for next month’s Ascot Gold Cup with a hard-fought success in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown on Friday.

This horse has now won five in a row, two of those at Group 1 level, and his most distinguishing trait remains his never-say-die attitude.

Not for the first time, he looked vulnerable as Leopardstown specialist Happy Pharoah threw down a strong challenge with a furlong to race but Ryan Moore’s mount, the odds-on 2-9 favourite, kept responding for a half-length break where it mattered.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien said on Racing TV: “He is one of those big Cup horses. He relaxes, cruises and finds plenty. He waits in front but that is him. The Ascot Gold Cup is an unusual race as it is over so far. You never know until they go past the two miles but he cruises, he has a big, long stride and he battles. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Fethard trainer Josh Halley got the better of some of the biggest stables in Ireland when his juvenile filly Matriarchal landed the five-furlong fillies’ maiden at Navan on Saturday.

Making her third start since her debut the previous month, Andrew Slattery guided the 14-1 chance to a half-length success having made every yard of the running despite looking vulnerable with a furlong or so to race.

“She was unlucky in her last two runs but today she got everything spot on. She will definitely get six furlongs,” Halley said.

“In her previous two races she was beaten by fillies that will probably turn up at Ascot. She might even go herself but we have not decided yet.”

A Stakes race double at Royal Ascot Trials Day at Naas on Sunday for Aidan O’Brien and both winners look genuine contenders for further big race success at the big meeting in Berkshire in June.

The Albany Stakes, a Group 2 over six furlongs for two-year-old fillies appears the plan for Victorious after she won her second race at Naas in the Coolmore-sponsored Group 3 sprint for juvenile females.

Victorious (10-11 favourite) hung on by a neck from Amo Racing filly Controlla with a yawning gap of six lengths back to the third home.

“She is still a bit green. Ryan said the two in front of him fell away at halfway. It was probably good for her as she had to knuckle down and she might have learned more,” O’Brien said on Racing TV.

Mission Control (5-4 favourite) was another to make two wins at Naas this season when he was over a length too good in the Listed Sole Power Sprint Stakes over five furlongs.

Of Mission Control, O’Brien added: “To break a minute [59.36 seconds] in that ground is very good. He is fairly rapid. Ryan was delighted with him so we couldn’t be happier with him. He will go for the Group 1 sprint over five furlongs, the King Charles III Stakes, on the first day.”

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Gowran Park – Wednesday, May 20th (first race 5.10pm)

Limerick (NH) – Thursday, May 21st (first race 5.18pm)

Downpatrick (NH) – Friday, May 22nd (first race 5.20pm)

Curragh – Saturday, May 23rd (first race 1.20pm)

Curragh – Sunday, May 24th (first race 1.45pm)