Tipperary Racing Scene

Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen took the plaudits at Gowran Park on Monday week last with a short-priced 13-1 treble of winning favourites.

Punters got off to a good start when Littlepacer justified tight odds of 5-4 favourite in the nursery event. Coen asked his mount to quicken as the field straightened for home and the response was swift. The filly extended three lengths clear at the line for her first success.

The same jockey and trainer completed a double later in the afternoon when Shanala won the fillies’ maiden over just shy of ten furlongs.

Carrying the famous Aga Khan silks, the 11-8 favourite held off the market second pick Sangreal (5-2) by half a length.

The hat-trick landed in the final event when 13-8 favourite Lord Aus clung on by a short head in the 1m4f handicap.

Churchill Bond justified short odds of 4-7 favourite in the fillies’ maiden at Gowran Park to provide the lethal combination of Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee with another victory.

The two-year-old’s first win arrived at the sixth attempt and by six lengths; she was much too good for her rivals.

A 50 per cent strike-rate would be exceptional for most elite jockeys, but for an apprentice it is virtually unheard of. But this was story for young Fethard pilot Jimmy Dalton whose win on Real Petite at Gowran Park provided his seventh win from his previous fourteen rides across eleven days.

Dalton enjoyed his second win on trainer Tom Mullins’ filly at the Kilkenny track this season. It came at 5-1 odds in an extended mile handicap and by a comfortable four lengths.

Andy Slattery’s stellar season kept giving at the Curragh on Tuesday when his Killenaule-based team left with a double.

The trainer’s son Andrew partnered both legs of the 37-1 brace kicked off by Nation Blaze in the opening juvenile maiden over six furlongs.

The 5-2 chance, owned by Sean Greaney, had contested the Goffs Million on his previous start and, dropped back to this much easier assignment, he came home a length and a half clear.

Owned by Finbarr Walsh, Kodi Brown (10-1) provided the other result in the ten-furlong handicap and did so defying a rise in the handicap of 11lbs for success a fortnight earlier at Navan.

This provided winner number 46 for Slattery, way past last season’s best of 29.

“We always aim to get to 25 or 30 so this season has been brilliant,” the trainer said.

“Usually at this time of year, some horses’ form starts tapering off so it is a big help when they keep running well.”

Ballydoyle filly Together Now shed her maiden tag at the Curragh.

Ryan Moore guided the regally bred Dubawi half-sister to champion City Of Troy to a facile success by over three lengths at prohibitive odds of 1-5 favourite.

The three-year-old filly evidently has met with some training hold-ups as this was only her fourth career start. She may try to gain some black type before the turf season ends.

Four starts into her juvenile career, Eyeconic broke her maiden in the five-furlong maiden at Navan on Wednesday.

The filly wasn’t quite up to the grade in the Goffs Million last month but, reunited with Seamie Heffernan, she snuck home half a length in front at odds of 7-2.

“It was a drop in class there today. She travelled well for a long way in the ‘Million’ but didn’t get home over the seven furlongs,” trainer Fozzy Stack said.

“Hopefully she can make into a nice sprinting filly in time. Maybe she will be out early next season.”

Orla Tynan gained a second win in recent weeks over the Navan five-furlong course on Irish Rumour on Wednesday.

From Moyglass near Fethard, the apprentice was enjoying her 11th win of the calendar year. It was her third since the summer for Curragh trainer Jenny Lynch.

Another fine result for South Tipperary connections arrived in the final race at Navan when Charlie Brow’n (8-1) won the concluding 1m6f handicap for Fethard trainer Thomond O’Mara and Dualla apprentice Adam Browne-Souza.

Tessa Condon savoured the first winner of her career when Lake Chad took the handicap hurdle for amateur riders at Clonmel on Thursday.

From Curraglass, Co Cork and a sister to jockey Richie Condon, Tessa got her mount home by half a length at rewarding odds of 25-1.

Surpass And Shine executed a nice gamble in the six-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Friday.

Pat Flynn’s gelding did not have much recent form to speak of, but that did not stop his supporters getting stuck in at big prices down to 4-1.

Robyn Donaghue-Leahy got her mount out in front from the start and they were always holding any potential challenge in the straight, some two lengths clear at the line.

Trainer Johnny Murtagh and stable jockey Ben Coen are closing the season in style. Newcomer Bobardi landed plenty of nice bets to justify an SP of 2-1 favourite at Dundalk on Friday.

She came with a decisive burst between the final two furlongs and won snugly by a length or so.

“She broke well, relaxed in the run, she was bit green late on but that is to be expected on debut,” Coen said.

“She is a big girl and more of a three-year-old type, so it was nice to do that first time. Johnny always leaves plenty there for them to improve upon. She took a bit of pulling up also, which is always a positive.”

Look out for the same trainer and jockey participating in the Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky when Curracloe contests the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday.

Dylan Browne McMonagle rode his first Group 1 winner for Aidan O’Brien when Giant Sequoia impressed in the William Futurity Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday.

This might have been the result which also ensures Ballydoyle wins the British trainers’ championship for the third year running.

After Bengal Tiger made it a double on the same programme, O’Brien stood some £200,000 in front of Andrew Balding who, in theory, can redress the balance between now and December 31, but recent history is against him.

In any case, Giant Sequoia really looked the part when coming three lengths clear of his rivals in the final Group 1 of the season. The Frankel colt, bred and racing in the colours of American outfit Resolute Racing, returned an 11-1 chance.

O’Brien also won Group 1 races in Saint-Cloud, Paris, on Sunday with Drumbeat and Queenstown to put him on 25 for the season and three off his own record set in 2017. The Breeders’ Cup is up next this weekend in Kentucky.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Dundalk – Wednesday, October 28th (first race 2.30pm)

Down Royal (NH) – Friday, October 30th (first race 1.00pm)

Dundalk – Friday, October 30th (first race 5.30pm)

Down Royal (NH) – Saturday, October 31st (first race 1.00pm)

Curragh – Sunday, November 1st (first race 12.15pm)

Cork (NH) – Sunday, November 1st (first race 12.30pm)

Fairyhouse – Tuesday, November 3rd (first race 12.15pm)