OKAY, it doesn’t always work, but whatever they do to organise good weather for their meetings certainly weaved its magic last Tuesday for Family Fun Raceday at Downpatrick.
I don’t know about others, but I get totally distracted looking at the track’s social media photographs of racegoers and, while there might have been the odd grumpy face in some of Tuesday’s images, they were mostly of ‘shiny, happy people’ of all ages, enjoying the sun and atmosphere.
Better still, there were three locally-trained winners of successive races, starting with the Pat Collins-owned and trained Small Bucks, who landed the third race on the card, the Join Racing TV Now With A Free Trial Handicap Hurdle, by seven and a half lengths.
This was a second career success for the five-year-old chesnut daughter of The Gurkha, who began her career on the flat with Pat Flynn, ran once at three for Leanne Breen and had her first start for Collins in April last year.
The following Plus 2 Print Remembering Tony Oakes MBE Maiden Hurdle over two miles, six furlongs was won by Marcelrock who, on his racecourse debut, scored by four and a half lengths in the hands of Sam Ewing.
Fourth winner
The five-year-old Marcel gelding, who is owned by his breeder Niall Coburn, is trained by Ross Crawford, who was saddling his fourth winner on the track.
Marcelrock was led up by Thomas Kileff, who had partnered the bay in his two outings between the flags in April.
Crawford was joined for the post-race photographs by his wife Kelly and two of their three daughters, Annie and Josie. Their eldest, Emma-Jayne, who was on hockey duty at the Under 13 National Talent Festival in Nottingham for the Ulster Pumas over the weekend (thus missing The Pony Club Area 17 dressage and show jumping at The Meadows) was enjoying the meeting elsewhere with her friends.
Over the same trip, the Go fibrefast With Fibrus Broadband Rated Novice Hurdle was won by the 11/2 shot Gangster Granny, a course and distance winner back in May.
The five-year-old Holy Roman Emperor mare, who won by five and a half lengths, is trained by Colin McBratney for a delighted James Murdoch.
Cool Azul scored at Navan for trainer Andy Oliver and owners Gerry McManus and Neil Connor \ Healy Racing
CALEDON-based Andy Oliver sent out his seventh winner of the season last Saturday at Navan, where Cool Azul landed the six-furlong maiden by a nose under Billy Lee, who was riding the 7/2 shot for the first time on his fifth start.
The three-year-old Blue Point gelding was a €30,000 purchase at the 2024 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale by Oliver, in whose colours he first ran. He is now owned in partnership by Gerry McManus and Neil Connor. Oliver used to train Cool Azul’s four-year-old Profitable half-brother Broski, who is now in the USA.
Unusually, Mark McNiff didn’t have any runners at Downpatrick on Tuesday, but he had saddled eight on Sunday at Sligo, where Janice Doyle’s Lilac Lady landed division two of the extended two and half mile handicap hurdle and Colm Hayden’s Wild Mandate won the following extended three miles, one furlong handicap hurdle.
As he rode regularly on the northern circuit during his point-to-point days, I’m crossing the county line into Cavan to congratulate Paddy Magee, who saddled three winners at Navan on Saturday, one at Limerick that evening and another at Killarney on Wednesday. Paddy joined our Racing Edge Podcast earlier in the week.
Also, check out this week’s Heart of Racing column on page 11 for an interview with David Christie Jnr.
Dylan shows French style to keep up his hot form
AS he is such a stylish rider and such a good communicator, I can’t believe anyone would ever be fed up watching, listening to or reading about Dylan Browne McMonagle, who rode eight winners from last Saturday to Wednesday.
Having gone scoreless at Navan earlier in the day, the reigning champion jockey landed a treble at Limerick on Saturday evening and followed this up by a win, on his fifth ride of the day, in the last at Dundalk on Sunday afternoon.
His trip to Killarney on Monday yielded two winners from five rides, after which he left Co Kerry for France where, on Tuesday, Limestone disappointed in the Group 1 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris, but Sons And Lovers, who is also trained by his boss Joseph O’Brien, gave Dylan a head success in the Group 2 Radio FG - Prix Maurice de Nieuil.
He was back in The Kingdom on Wednesday, when he was also on the mark for O’Brien.
Orr follows up Carlisle win with further successes at York and Ayr
Oisin Orr rode a winner at Carlisle last Thursday week, another at York on Saturday and one more at Ayr on Sunday.
Darragh Keenan also visited the winner’s enclosure three times - at Salisbury on Saturday, at Leicester on Tuesday and at Yarmouth on Wednesday. Also in Britain, there were single wins for Paddy Bradley at Epsom and for Patsy Cosgrave at Newbury last Thursday week, for Barry McHugh at Beverley and, over jumps, for Brian Hughes at Perth on Sunday.
At home, Simon Torrens landed the mares’ handicap hurdle at Cork on Saturday, while Paddy McGettigan won the opening claiming race at Killarney on Wednesday.