Successful week for O'Brien at home and abroad

Tipperary Racing Scene

Aidan O'Brien landed another taking juvenile success as Adelaide River made a winning debut in the eight-furlong maiden at Dundalk last Monday week.

Ridden by Wayne Lordan, the 11/4 chance pulled away inside the final furlong to beat the Noel Meade-trained outsider Golden Temple by two and three-parts of a length with favourite Gimmie shelter, trained by Joseph O'Brien, only third.

Three and three-parts of a length was the winning margin as the Denis Hogan-trained Ghumama landed the opening division of the 10-furlong handicap. With Joey Sheridan riding in the colours of the Fountain Hill Racing Society, the 11/1 chance was ridden clear from the furlong-pole to win well from James McAuley’s Aleksey Tolstoy.

Killian Leonard captured the second of the same race on the Anthony McCann-trained Ragtime Red. The 28/1 chance, owned by Rita Shah, gamely saw off the challenge of favourite Spirituoso by a length and a quarter.

Later that same evening at Roscommon, Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee were winners again as Impact Warrior made a winning debut in the auction series race over the extended seven furlongs. A strong favourite, she had a little in hand when beating chance Goa Gajah, trained by Joseph O'Brien, by half a length.

Twomey and Lee were also winners at York on Saturday where Treasure Trove ran out a 4/1 winner of the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes.

Ben Coen is already enjoying his best season, winners-wise, and his tally reached 33 when he landed the concluding Sean Cleary Memorial Handicap on the Keep Your Distance Syndicate-owned Firstman. A 14/1 shot for trainer Tony Martin, the five-year-old came with a late run to beat the Ado McGuinness-trained Magnetic North by half a length.

Templemore trainer Leslie Young took the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at Sligo on Wednesday where He’s Leading Me On was a winning favourite. In the colours of owners Bryan Meade and Conor Mohan, and ridden by Sean Flanagan, he skipped clear on the run to the final flight to score by a length and a quarter from Shane Broderick’s Sphagnum.

Broderick was a runner-up again as Snugsborough Benny lost out by a length and a half to the Tom Gibney-trained Story Rory in the very next race.

The opening division of the eight-furlong handicap at Killarney on Thursday went the way of the Denis Hogan-trained Eloquent Arthur. In the colours of the Winning Chance Syndicate, the Daniel King-ridden four-year-old got up in the dying strides to beat the Thomond O’Mara-trained Well Suited by a neck.

Killenaule teenager Adam Ryan rode his first winner on the racecourse when partnering the Andy Slattery-trained Next Week to take the concluding bumper at Killarney on Friday. The 18-year-old, who has two point-to-point winners to his name, brought the 33/1 chance home a length and a half to the good over the Willie Mullins-trained favourite Polo Lounge in the colours of owner Joe Bolger.

Rachael Blackmore gave Killenaule a second winner when she partnered the Henry de Bromhead-trained Brave Way to success at Kilbeggan. The 4/1 chance landed her first handicap chase success with a cosy three and a quarter-length success over the Noel Meade-trained Siberian Way in the famous Kenny Alexander colours.

Denis Hogan wrapped up the midlands fixture when taking the John Thomas McNamara Series INH Flat Race with the John Gleeson-ridden Thecompanysergeant. The Martin Cooney-owned five-year-old led before the straight to win by two lengths from the Nigel Slevin-trained Memories Never Die.

Aidan O'Brien rounded of the week on a high with a dominant display at the Curragh on Saturday and Group 1 success at Deauville the following afternoon.

His trip to the Kildare yielded four winners, all two-year-olds and all ridden by Ryan Moore. The pair won both Group 2 races on the card with Aesop’s Fables scoring a hugely impressive success in the Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes. The easy-to-back 3/1 chance picked up well early inside the final furlong to beat his own stable companion, the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Hans Andersen, by two and a quarter lengths and 35 minutes later favourite Meditate followed up with an all-the-way success in the Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes. She made it four wins from as many starts with a three-parts of a length win over the Michael O'Callaghan-trained Olivia Maralda.

O'Brien and Moore also won both maiden races earlier in the day. The favourite Hiawatha took the eight-furlong race by an easy three and a half lengths from Jim Bolger’s Fleetfoot while Continuous, the favourite, made a winning debut in the seven-furlong maiden.

Burnchurch’s Martin Hassett saddled two winners of his own, his first Curragh double. Seamie Heffernan partnered Secret Magician to a two-length success in the six-furlong maiden and Scott McCullagh was on top as Harry’s Hill, owned by the Tipp Ramblers Partnership, took the concluding five-furlong handicap, the four-year-old beating the Leanne Breen-trained Sosallycanwait by three and a quarter lengths.

Another Tipperary trainer on the mark at the meeting was Andy Slattery who took the 10-furlong maiden with favourite Smooth Tom which was partnered by his son Andrew. Owned & bred by Margaret O’Rourke, the three-year-old was ridden into the straight and picked up well to lead over a furlong from the finish. He scored by a length and a half from the Jessica Harrington-trained Astelia.

A fourth winner of the week came Slattery’s way as Cian Quirke won the beginners’ chase at Killarney on Saturday on Whosgotyanow. Owned by Dr Ronan Tynan, the 7/2 chance made all the running to beat the Debbie Harnett-trained Babylon Beach by a length and a quarter.

Blackbeard was the latest Aidan O'Brien-trained Group 1 winner as he beat the Richard Hannon-trained Persian Force to take the Darley Prix Morny at Deauville, Ryan Moore’s 100th top-flight success for the champion trainer who was also on the mark with the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Dower House in the five-furlong fillies’ maiden at Naas on Sunday. She led close to the finish to beat Willie Browne’s Spirit Galway by a neck.

Upcoming Meetings

Bellewstown – Wednesday, August 24 (First Race 4.40pm)

Navan – Thursday, August 25 (First Race 1.50pm)

Tipperary – Friday, August 26 (First Race 4.15pm)

Down Royal – Friday, August 26 (First Race 4.40pm)

Curragh – Saturday, August 27 (First Race 1.20pm)