Tipperary Racing Scene

Harry Kelly is enjoying a good spell and he sent out three winners in the last week.

The Fethard trainer first struck with Princess Felicia at Ballinrobe on Monday.

The mare scored for the first time at odds of 3-1 favourite. She collected readily by about three lengths for Kildare jockey Peter Smithers.

Kelly prepared an across-the-card double on Friday when Femme Magnifique won the novice chase at Wexford in the hands of Danny Gilligan as a 7-4 second favourite.

On the same evening, he also won the bumper at Down Royal with newcomer Hutton Star who looked promising as she cleared away by over two lengths as a 13-2 shot for Pa King.

Sam Coen won the last two races at Navan on Thursday to boost his chances of winning the apprentices’ title at the end of the season.

The 152-1 double commenced when he won the staying handicap on Sunrush at 8-1 by a couple of lengths for his uncle, Killenaule trainer Andy Slattery.

Coen then followed up in the closing event, another handicap over 1m6f when Miss Australie won well for trainer Ado McGuinness by about four lengths at odds of 16-1.

Cool Summer provided Thurles trainer Hilary McLoughlin with a winner over hurdles at Wexford on Friday.

Tralee jockey Philip Enright smuggled his mare to challenge along the inside rail between the last two flights and she ran on strongly to score by about three lengths as a 7-2 hope. Her first success came at the twelfth attempt.

Darkness Falls looks yet another top juvenile from the Aidan O’Brien team after he made all very handsomely in the opening race at the Curragh on Saturday.

Ryan Moore bounced the 4-6 favourite straight to the lead and never saw another rival as they came seven lengths clear in the mile maiden.

“Ryan was very impressed with him. He is by Camelot and he might be a Guineas horse,” the Ballydoyle maestro said.

“The Group 1 Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown at the Irish Champions Weekend is hopefully the target in the short term.”

A good, positive ride made all the difference for Exchange Student in the nursery at the Curragh on Saturday.

Cork apprentice Julian Pietropaolo made plenty of use of trainer Fozzy Stack’s juvenile filly, a 9-1 chance, racing under a very light weight of just 8-0.

She was carrying some 20lbs less than race favourite Luca Brillante who left her challenge a fraction late and fell short by half a length.

An exceptional piece of race planning bore fruit in terrific style as Loughrea turned the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire into a one-act affair at the Curragh on Saturday.

On just his fifth career start, all for trainer Andy Slattery, a third successive success arrived in emphatic style.

Carrying the colours of owner and breeders the Holohan family of Acorn Stud in County Wicklow, Loughrea won as he pleased by three lengths under the trainer’s son Andrew. He returned the 9-2 second favourite.

“We thought he was very well handicapped at 91. Sure, you don't know until you try. You only think these things, but they don't always work out,” the trainer said on Racing TV.

"He'll probably go back to the Curragh for the Listed Concorde Stakes early in October. Dropping him back to seven furlongs won't be a problem. He'll be rated 100 anyway, so I suppose handicaps are out.”

Slattery’s good form been a recurring theme of the entire year and his team recorded a double just 24 hours later at Cork.

The first of those to oblige, Sunrise Angel, was over three lengths too good in the mile handicap for apprentice riders. Jimmy Dalton took the ride on this 5-1 co-favourite.

Andrew Slattery was the man in the irons again when Lauderdale King carried off the final event, the 12f handicap for older horses, as a well-backed 2-1 favourite to cap a memorable weekend for the Killenaule stable.

Curragh trainer Danny McLoughlin enjoyed a red-letter day as one of his stable stars Magny Cours impressed in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Little Big Bear Stakes at Cork on Sunday.

Ben Coen took the reins on the three-year-old who travelled well in midfield in the fillies and mares event over seven furlongs. She lengthened well inside the final furlong to be over two lengths clear at the line. Magny Cours returned a 9-1 chance.

“She is a good filly on her day. We had to wait for juice in the ground for her. She was comfortable everywhere in that race. Some rain, some softer ground is important to her, though,” Coen said.

McLoughlin added: “We have waited three months with her, for the ground. Sometimes the hardest thing to do in this game is nothing, but our patience has been rewarded. It’s brilliant.”

Magny Cours is eyeing the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp over seven furlongs on the day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Likedbymike continued her excellent season with a deserved first stakes victory in the Listed Abregwaun Stakes at Cork on Sunday.

Cahir trainer Michael Byrne’s flagbearer ran out a ready winner of the five-furlong sprint by three-quarters of a length. Colin Keane rode the 11-4 favourite.

This four-year-old filly cost just €8,500 at the sales as a yearling with the intention of being resold at the Breeze Ups. The problem was that no sales company deemed her attractive enough as a sales proposition, so Byrne opted to train her himself.

She has now won close to €100,000 in purses and is even more valuable as a broodmare proposition. It’s funny how things work out.

Trainer Donnacha O’Brien got on the winners’ list at Cork on Sunday when Feel Happy cracked her first success in the maiden for three-year-olds.

It came at the filly’s fourth attempt and in the very last stride of the six-furlong event as she denied runner-up Grand Cuvee by a head.

The in-form Paddy Harnett was responsible that brilliantly timed run and it helped him keep tabs on Sam Coen at the head of the race to be champion apprentice.

At the close of play on Sunday, Coen led Harnett by two winners 20-18.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Navan – Wednesday, September 2nd (first race 4.07pm)

Kilbeggan (NH) – Thursday, September 3rd (first race 4.05pm)

Kilbeggan (NH) – Friday, September 4th (first race 4.05pm)

Down Royal – Friday, September 4th (first race 4.25pm)

Navan – Saturday, September 5th (first race 2.00pm)

Galway – Monday, September 7th (first race 4.37pm)

Galway – Tuesday, September 9th (first race 3.43pm)