Morris claims Midland National success

Cloughjordan trainer Denis Hogan made a winning start to the new week as the Premier Racing Club-owned Bal De Rio landed the opening claiming hurdle over two and a half miles at Roscommon.

Ridden by Philip Donovan, the 7/2 chance went clear from the second-last hurdle to beat the John O’Neill-trained Custers Mistake by a length and a quarter. While three other runners in the race were claimed, the winner remains with Hogan.

The Andrew Slattery-trained Avakate provided Clare amateur rider Emily Costello with her first winner when scoring an impressive success in the concluding ladies’ bumper. On just her fourth ride on the racecourse, she brought the John O’Neill-owned chance from the back of the field to lead passing the two-furlong pole and at the line, the partnership had one and a quarter lengths to spare over the Willie Mullins-trained odds-on favourite Coole Cherry and Jody Townend.

The father and son team of Andy & Andrew Slattery landed the first of the 12-furlong handicaps for horses owned by clubs and syndicates at Tramore on Tuesday with the four-year-old Dark Note. Owned by the For The Good Times Syndicate, the joint-favourite led before the furlong-pole and held the Denis Hogan-trained Expound by half a length.

The Tote Tramore Derby Handicap was another race confined to horses owned by clubs and syndicates and it went the way of the Ben Coen-ridden Zoffany Bay in the colours of Pimlico Racing. The Peter Fahey-trained favourite made all the running to beat Andy McNamara’s While You’re Up.

Nenagh trainer Michael O’Meara recorded his first double with both Bobby K and Roman Bull scoring at Dundalk on Wednesday.

Both horses run in the colours of Emma Kennedy and her Bobby K scored a sixth career success when getting up on the line under Gary Carrol to beat the Andy Slattery-trained Alfarida by a nose in the opening division of the eight-furlong handicap.

Roman Bull won the 12-furlong handicap by a more comfortable length and a quarter from the Noel Meade-trained Tender Camilla. It was a second career win for the Jake Coen-ridden five-year-old.

Joey Sheridan gave trainer James McAuley another claiming race success when partnering Rocky Dreams to win over seven furlongs at Dundalk on Wednesday.

He led inside the final furlong to score by half a length from the Richard O'Brien-trained favourite Benavente. The winner remains with McAuley who also claimed the fourth-placed Yester and Jaafel which finished fifth, while Kevin Coleman claimed the narrow runner-up.

Andy Slattery was back among the winners as On Our Radar scored an 18/1 success in the seven-furlong handicap. Cian Horgan was in the saddle as the three-year-old easily beat the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained Dromantine by two lengths.

With brother Jake on the scoresheet at Dundalk, Ben Coen nabbed a winner of his own at Fairyhouse later on Wednesday where he took the 14-furlong rated race on the Tony Martin-trained En Or. Owned by John Hartnett and Aidan Connolly, the favourite led inside the final furlong to beat Jessica Harrington’s Hell Bent by a length and a quarter.

Aidan O'Brien and Killian Hennessy won the six-furlong Kilminfoyle House Stud Irish EBF Maiden with The Caribbean. He led early in the straight and held off Joseph O'Brien’s Innate by half a length to win.

Amy Jo Hayes landed her biggest winner as Redstone Well won the €100,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nasrullah Handicap at Leopardstown on Thursday. The four-year-old made most of the running under the Fethard apprentice, her first ride in a premier handicap, to beat Aidan O'Brien’s Carracci by a length with Dermot Weld’s Coeur D’or a head away in third place. The winner is trained by Cork’s Daniel O’Sullivan, his most valuable winner to date, and is owned and bred by Richard Ahern.

There was a notable family success at Cork on Friday where seventeen-year-old David Doyle partnered his first winner. In the concluding bumper, the Moyne amateur rider teamed up with Beauforts Storm, owned by his mother Claire and trained by his dad Tim, for a half-length success over the Gordon Elliott-trained Faux Fur.

David’s parents rode winners as amateur riders and his sister Emma has three winners to her name as an apprentice on the Flat.

At Kilbeggan on Friday, Mouse Morris won the €100,000 Axa Farm Insurance Midlands National with the Rachel Carthy-owned Foxy Jacks. The 12/1 chance made all the running under Gavin Brouder and came home a one and a quarter length winner from Enda Bolger’s Stealthy Tom, the pair fourteen lengths clear over Henry de Bromhead’s favourite Life In The Park.

Rachael Blackmore rode in the first race at Cork and her trip to Kilbeggan was rewarded as she partnered the de Bromhead-trained Lucky Zebo to win the concluding beginners’ chase over two miles and three furlongs. The six-year-old added to wins over hurdles at the same track and at Clonmel with a six-length defeat of the John McConnell-trained Pearl Of The West.

Blackmore also rode a winner for de Bromhead at Downpatrick on the previous afternoon where The Folkes Tiara took the two and a quarter mile maiden hurdle. Racing clear from the final jump, the odds-on favourite went clear to win by three lengths from the Gordon Elliott-trained Gino Drummer Boy.

Trainer Kevin Coleman and Nathan Crosse shared a winner at Navan on Saturday where Shoebox King landed the five-furlong handicap in fine style. Always up with the pace, the 13/2 chance edged clear from before the furlong pole to beat the James McAuley-trained Tai Sing Yeh by a length and a half.

Upcoming Meetings

Killarney – Wednesday, July 19 (First Race 4.45pm)

Leopardstown – Thursday, July 20 (First Race 4.45pm)

Killarney – Thursday, July 20 (First Race 5.00pm)

Killarney – Friday, July 21 (First Race 1.55pm)

Kilbeggan – Friday, July 21 (First Race 5.05pm)

Curragh – Saturday, July 22 (First Race 1.30pm)

Curragh – Sunday, July 23 (First Race 2.00pm)