Tipperary Racing Scene

Billy Lee’s quest for a first Irish jockeys’ championship was boosted with a 122-1 treble at Punchestown on Tuesday of last week.

The Limerick jockey rode a well-judged race on The Good Wife in the opening fillies’ maiden for regular ally, Golden trainer Paddy Twomey.

Lee made all the running on this promising filly, a 2-1 chance who had just a head to spare from the fast-finishing Silver Kiss.

Twomey added on Racing TV: “I doubt she will run again this season, but she will be a nice mile and half horse next year.”

Noble Exhibit only started third pick in the market in the juvenile mile maiden, but he won like a long odds-on shot in the hands of Wayne Lordan for trainer Aidan O’Brien at Punchestown last week.

The 11-4 chance led after about a furlong and kicked further clear in the straight. The son of Frankel returned seven lengths to the good.

“He had a lovely run at the Curragh on debut when he stayed on well at the end,” Lordan said.

“He left the gates well today and it’s good to be forward on this track. He was very professional and hit the line well. He is nimble so he will handle any ground. He will be nice horse next year.

O’Brien and Lordan clicked again at Gowran Park on Saturday when 8-15 odds-on favourite Albany County won the mile maiden by three-quarters of a length.

The juvenile colt by Camelot was shedding his maiden tag at the fourth attempt.

Not many meetings pass these days without Joseph O’Brien among the winners and so it proved again as Golden Splendour did the business on her Irish debut at Punchestown.

The very lightly raced four-year-old filly had just one career start, in May 2025, when trained in France. The 7-2 chance, ridden by Joey Sheridan, had a neck to spare from 5-4 favourite Minella Rockett.

“It’s been 501 days since she ran last. She has a lovely attitude. I was able to get her relaxed and I decided to come between them in the straight,” Sheridan said.

“I know Minella Rockett well, I had won on him before and I know and he stays well so that is a good yardstick. You would really like her going forward. A step-up in trip will suit her also.”

Not Just Any Eagle has been a grand horse for trainer Pat Flynn and the local trainer was delighted to win the Tipperary Cup again at Clonmel.

The seven-year-old gelding went within a neck of winning the race a year ago but made no mistake on this occasion. Robyn Donaghue-Leahy made every yard of the running on the 5-1 chance who scored comfortably by four lengths.

“Pat said if I had made the running in this last year, we might have won. It is great to win at his local track and he loves this race. We went off out in front and he just stayed going. The horse was good and genuine,” the winning rider said.

New Bond Street gained due reward for a string of solid efforts in defeat when breaking her maiden at Naas on Thursday.

The 4-11 odds on favourite, ridden by Billy Lee for trainer Paddy Twomey, ran out a cosy winner of the five-furlong event by over two lengths. She had placed third on her three previous starts, including at Listed level, and last week’s contest was a good deal weaker.

“I think five furlongs is her trip. We will look at the Listed Legacy Stakes at Dundalk for her next at that distance,” Twomey said.

They finished on both sides of the track in the five-furlong nursery at Naas on Thursday and it was Santo Parvenue which came out on top for Curragh training duo Eddie and Patrick Harty.

Winning jockey Nathan Crosse kept his mount hard against the far rail and had half a length to spare at the line on the 6-1 shot.

“It is great to get this winner as the horses have been under the weather a bit. It is important to get one for owner Dan Kiely, too,” Eddie Harty said on Racing TV.

“I would hope there is more to come with this horse. The blinkers on for the first time made a difference.”

Jockey Joey Sheridan and trainer Joseph O’Brien kept the winners coming when Santerno collected the claiming maiden at Naas on Thursday.

Carrying the colours of the trainer’s mother Annemarie, the juvenile colt was an odds-on 4-6 favourite and he won by half a length.

“He only had two runs before. He was still quite green and needed persuading, but he took a bit of pulling up and that is a good sign. I think that win will bring him forward,” Sheridan said.

The resurgence of trainer Joe Murphy continued at Naas last week when Cromane picked up the mile nursery.

Regular ally Gary Carroll partnered the filly, an 11-2 chance, to victory by a length and a half.

“She has a fantastic pedigree and I can see her progressing into a nice 1m4f horse,” Murphy said.

“Gary said she wanted every yard of the mile. She wanted it most, that was how it looked to me.”

Joseph O’Brien relentless campaigning pitched up at Dundalk on Friday and his Carriganog stable went away with a 64-1 double.

Joey Sheridan partnered Value Pending to a debut victory in the auction maiden over six furlongs. The 12-1 chance had shown ability when third in a barrier trial at Leopardstown at the end of August.

Isle Of Capri had to survive a stewards’ inquiry in the wake of the fillies’ maiden at Gowran on Saturday.

Donnacha O’Brien’s winner, a 13-8 chance, ran green under Gavin Ryan inside the furlong marker but had half a length to spare from Nevermindtherain, the even-money favourite trained by Aidan O’Brien. The placings were unaltered after review by the authorities.

The win gave Donnacha another winner having picked up the final race, a 10f maiden, at Dundalk on Friday evening with 1-3 favourite Numantia. Leading apprentice Paddy Harnett took the ride.

Harnett added another winner at Gowran when taking the apprentice handicap on Navajo Point (14-1) for Killenaule trainer Martin Hassett.

Sam Coen responded with a win in the final race at Gowran on Chipsrdown (9-4 favourite), trained by Andy Slattery, to maintain a slender lead 22-21 over Harnett in the race for the apprentices’ title.