ROSS COAKLEY was among those who enjoyed a double at Limerick on Friday evening. He landed the 6f handicap on the Liz Doyle-trained Annie Irish and followed up with John Larkin’s House Limit in the apprentice handicap. Chris Hayes also recorded two winners. He won the 7f fillies’ maiden on the Paul Deegan-trained Spinamiss and followed up on George Kingston’s He’s Our Man in the 2m1f handicap. Both Aidan O’Brien and Seamus Heffernan weighed in with two winners of their own, the pair successful with Jacobean in the 1m maiden while Loved took the 1m3f fillies’ maiden. The remaining winner on the card was ridden by Connor King who guided the David Marnane-trained Kodiac’s Back to a cosy win in the 7f handicap.
Gowran Park Success For Royal Ascot Heroes
Trainers Aidan O’Brien, David Wachman and Willie Mullins rounded off a memorable week with winners at Gowran Park on Sunday. O’Brien was first off the mark when taking the 7f two-year-old maiden with the long odds-on favourite Air Vice Marshall who was ridden by his son Joseph. David Wachman saddled Gussy Goose to win the three-year-old maiden under Fran Berry and quickly added a second when the Wayne Lordan-ridden Wardell took the 7f handicap for three-year-olds. Over the same distance, Willie Mullins scored with the Pat Smullen-ridden Laviniad who was making up for a narrow defeat at Listowel last time. Chris Hayes maintained his good run of form when Social Climber was successful for trainer Kevin Prendergast in the 9f handicap. Although he enjoyed little luck at Royal Ascot, Kevin Manning was among the winners as the Jim Gorman-trained Snap Click won the 8f handicap while Lat Hawill battled well to see off Clonard Street in the 9f race that brought the card to a close.
Harrington Success Continues At Gowran Park
The Jessica Harrington-trained Neverushacon looks like one to follow after he got off the mark in the 2m hurdle at Gowran Park on Saturday. With Robbie Power in the saddle, the well supported 7/4 favourite comfortably saw off his main market rival Vercingetorix. His trainer Gordon Elliott enjoyed better luck when taking the 3m handicap hurdle with From Frost who was ridden by Jack Kennedy. Edmond Kent’s Time For Tea won the mares’ maiden hurdle under Paul Townend while Kilkishen narrowly won the 2m4f maiden hurdle for Shark Hanlon and Brian Hayes. Solatentif won the 2m maiden hurdle for Henry de Bromhead and Jonathan Burke while over the same distance, Supreme Vic won the handicap hurdle for Norman Lee and Adam O’Neill. County Galway trainer John Neilan enjoyed his first winner when Hunters Call took the bumper under Declan Queally.
Ulster Derby Success For Botany Bay
Trained by Charles O’Brien and ridden by Niall McCullagh, Botany Bay saw off the well-supported Fields Of Athenry to win the Magners Ulster Derby at Down Royal on Sunday. Running in the colours the trainer’s mother Jacqueline, the 7/1 shot won by a length and is likely to step up in trip for his next start. Chris Hayes enjoyed a double at Limerick on Friday evening and he went one better with three winners here. He rode the Lee Smyth-trained Cheers Buddy to win the 7f handicap and Witty Repartee, trained by Andy Oliver, to take the Ulster Oaks and completed a memorable 24 hours when taking the 10f maiden on Mufrad, trained by Kevin Prendergast. Jessica Harrington saddled Lake Champlain to win the 10f handicap while the 5f races saw success for Calm Bay, trained by Harry Rogers and ridden by Gary Halpin, and Independence Day who took the maiden for David Wachman and Billy Lee.
Henry de Bromhead Sends Out Two Winners At Down Royal
The long drive north proved worthwhile for County Waterford-based Henry de Bromhead who saddled two winners at Down Royal on Friday. Andrew Lynch was in the saddle as Three Stars easily won the 2m maiden hurdle while Niall Madden did the steering as Elegant Statesman won thetote.com Galway Plate Trial Handicap Chase. Queen Alphabet provided owner Carmel Ennis with a birthday winner when landing the mares’ hurdle for Peter Fahey and Jonathan Burke. Rawnaq, trained by Matthew Smith and ridden by his brother Kevin, proved too strong for market leaders Devils Bride and Bayan in the 2m4f hurdle. Denis Cullen and Jody McGarvey scored with May Dullea in the handicap hurdle while Sean Flanagan and trainer Pat Cloke combined to win the beginners’ chase with Bellgrove. Prickly landed his third bumper for Edward O’Grady when winning the last under Declan Lavery.
Group 3 Success For Lyons And Gary Carroll
Ger Lyons was celebrating another notable success when Convergence landed the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes under a fine effort from Gary Carroll at Leopardstown on Thursday. The winner made all the running and held off favourite Tested by a neck. Lyons had earlier won the 1m three-year-old handicap with Cape Wolfe who scored a comfortable success in the hands of Colin Keane. Aidan O’Brien enjoyed a fine week at Royal Ascot and he sent out Painted Cliffs to win the 6f maiden under his son Donnacha. David Wachman was also among the Royal Ascot winners and his Private Paradise narrowly won the fillies’ maiden under Billy Lee. The Rory Cleary-ridden Vocal Heir gave Brendan Duke his first Leopardstown winner when victorious in the 1m handicap for owner Jackie Bolger and her colours made a quick return to the winners’ enclosure when Selskar Abbey won the 10f handicap for her trainer husband Jim and Ronan Whelan. John Oxx and Katie Walsh were on the mark with Awesome Star in the concluding amateur riders’ maiden.
Mullins Treble Includes Winners For His Mother And Father
Danny Mullins stole the show at Wexford on Wednesday where he rode winners for three different trainers. Remarkably, for the second time in his career, he rode a winner for his mother and for his father on the same card. He teamed up with Mags Mullins for the easiest of wins on Last Encounter in the 2m4f maiden hurdle but had to work much harder on his father Tony’s Balinaboola Prince in the maiden hurdle over 3m. The Dick Donoghue-trained Moonunderwater completed the treble with a gambled-on success in the opening division of the 2m2f handicap hurdle. The second leg of the same race went to the Michael P Hourigan-trained Keep Swinging who did not go unsupported when winning in the hands of Barry Cash. There was a locally-trained success in the bumper when Yvonne Latta’s Little Mitch prevailed under Pa King. I’m All You Need had earlier given another County Wexford trainer a winner when impressing on her first start over fences for Paul Nolan and Mikey Fogarty. Henry de Bromhead’s Beckwith Star provided Dublin claimer Adam O’Neill with his second winner of the season and his first for the County Waterford trainer when getting up on the line to beat his stable mate Tisamystery.
Hayes Stars At Sligo With Early Double
Chris Hayes was quickly out of the traps at Sligo on Monday where he rode the first two winners. He took the opening 10f claiming race with the Pat Martin-trained Gun Shoot and followed up when Rathbride Raven, trained by Kevin Prendergast, won the 7f auction maiden. Billy Lee and Andy Oliver combined to win the 10f rated race with the gambled-on I’ll Be Your Clown who just held on to win from the Rock Critic. His trainer and rider, Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen, were later on the mark with Harasava who won the 10f auction maiden. Curragh-based Maria Richert, who took out her trainer’s licence in January, saddled her first winner when Excelli won the apprentice handicap in the hands of Gary Phillips. Other youngsters on the score sheet were Daniel Redmond who won the 7f handicap on the James Barrett-trained Lake George and Ian Queally who teamed up with Matty Tynanto win the fillies handicap over the same distance with Maontri.
Racing News
No Shortage Of High-Profile Irish Success At Royal Ascot
Irish trainers enjoyed another successful Royal Ascot when saddling eight winners over the five-day festival. Aidan O’Brien brought his personal tally to 48 winners and emerged as the leading trainer at the meeting for the sixth time, while there was also notable success for Dermot Weld, David Wachman and Willie Mullins. O’Brien recorded an opening day double with the mighty Gleneagles in the St James’s Palace Stakes and Washington DC in the Windsor Castle Stakes while Willie Mullins was also on the mark on Tuesday when Clondaw Warrior landed the Ascot Stakes. All three Irish-trained winners were ridden by Ryan Moore.
Dermot Weld saddled his 17th Royal Ascot winner when Free Eagle took the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday afternoon, a seventh success at the meeting for Pat Smullen who added to that when winning Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes on the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Snow Sky. Thursday saw Aidan O’Brien enjoy two more winners as Waterloo Bridge prevailed in the Norfolk Stakes while War Envoy was victorious in the Britannia Stakes. Both Ballydoyle winners were ridden by Ryan More who was also in the saddle as Curvy landed the Ribblesdale Stakes, a fourth Royal Ascot winner for trainer David Wachman. O’Brien was responsible was for the sole Irish-trained winner on Friday when Aloft and Ryan Moore landed the spoils in the Queen’s Vase. It was a fifth of the week for the trainer while the win saw Moore become the most successful rider of modern times at Royal Ascot. For good measure, there were 14 Irish-bred winners at the meeting in 2015.
Curragh To Stage Race Named After Irish Racing Excellence Award Winner Pat O’Donovan
Pat O’Donovan, winner of the Irish Racing Excellence Award at the Irish Stud and Stable Staff Awards sponsored by Godolphin, will have a race named in his honour on Darley Irish Oaks weekend at the Curragh. The Pat O’Donovan Irish Racing Excellence Nursery will be staged at the Curragh on Sunday July 19th. Pat, who is assistant trainer to Jim Bolger in Coolcullen, Co Carlow was also the winner of the Rider/Groom Award at the ceremony held at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge on Tuesday, April 14th. The trophies were presented by 20-time British Champion National Hunt Jockey AP McCoy. Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine was guest of honour for the event.
Originally from Enniskeane, Bandon, Co. Cork, 30 years ago, Pat moved to Kilkenny at age 16 and began working for Jim Bolger. He has been closely involved with the world champion New Approach and European champions Teofilo, Dawn Approach and St. Jovite and was highly commended for always offering his knowledge and guidance to young riders. Pat O’Donovan commented: “It was a great honour to win the Irish Racing Excellence Award, so to have a race in my name on Darley Irish Oaks weekend as well, is really special. At this stage in my career, I never expected a race to be named after me. I’m really flattered and looking forward to the race.”
Seven Local Schools Attend Downpatrick Racecourse’s ‘Go Racing Kids Club’ Education Day
A total of 206 pupils from seven local Downpatrick schools enjoyed ‘Go Racing Kids’ Club’ Day at Downpatrick Racecourse on Tuesday. This is Horse Racing Ireland’s sixth such event in 2015, following earlier events at Limerick, Fairyhouse, the Curragh, Tipperary and Ballinrobe Racecourse.
This is the first Go Racing Kids Club Education Day to be hosted at one of the Northern Irish tracks and Downpatrick Racecourse is hosting the school children ahead of the Family Fun Day, which will take place on Tuesday 14th July. The children heard talks from jockey Declan Lavery and trainer Marshall Watson about their day-to-day routines and life in racing. The pupils took part in a demonstration from farrier Rory Lavery and were entertained by Marie Louise from ‘Front Runner – Racing Club for Kids’ with racing games, puzzles and quizzes. The pupils also met Downpatrick Racecourse’s track foreman Fintan Ward and chairman of the stewards Mr Brian Fitzsimmons, who explained how the team at Downpatrick prepares for a race day. Richard Lyttle, Manager at Downpatrick Racecourse commented: “I was absolutely thrilled to host a Go Racing Kids Club Schools Day here today. It is a unique opportunity for the school children to see behind the scenes at their local track. I hope to see them all back here on 14th July for the Family Fun Day where there will be more than twenty children’s activities for all the family including a Mini Funfair, Miniature Pony Race, Kids sprint and Face painting.”
Upcoming Fixtures
Kilbeggan – Monday 22nd June (First Race 5.50)
Ballinrobe – Tuesday 23rd June (First Race 5.40)
Naas – Wednesday 24th June (First Race 6.00)
Leopardstown – Thursday 25th June (First Race 5.50)
Curragh – Friday 26th June (First Race 5.25)
Curragh – Saturday 27th June (First Race 3.00)
Curragh – Sunday 28th June (First Race 2.15)
