IT was great to see Anna McGuinness ride a winner at last Sunday’s high profile meeting at Fairyhouse, having recorded her eighth success of the season the previous Thursday at Thurles.
The Coalisland native’s win at the Co Tipperary track came in a division of the two-mile handicap hurdle on the Philip Rothwell-trained Harry’s Dream, while that on Sunday came in the concluding BAR 1 Casino (Pro-Am) INH Flat race for four-year-olds on the 12/1 shot Young Rebel.
Coming with a well-timed run, the Crystal Ocean gelding got up to beat fellow track newcomers Moonverrin (40/1) and the 6/5 favourite Grangeclare Park, a point-to-point winner in April, by a length and two and a half lengths.
What was particularly good about this win is the fact that Young Rebel is trained by Mags Mullins, as I think female trainers could be a lot more supportive of female riders than they are.
The previous day at Fairyhouse, Sam Ewing won the Jack McInerney Memorial Hurdle, a Grade 3 race for four-year-olds, on Talk The Talk who was having his second run over hurdles and his second for Joseph O’Brien.
The French-bred Born To Sea gelding had previously been in the care of Stuart Crawford for whom the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned chesnut had run once, finishing second in the lucrative Goffs Hundred Grand Bumper at Newbury in March.
Britain
Across the water, Brian Hughes rode five winners in the period under review - one at Musselburgh on Friday, two at Doncaster on Saturday and two more at Carlisle the following afternoon.
Hughes’s Sunday double came up in the three-mile, two-furlong handicap chase on Super Citizen. That 11-year-old Multiplex gelding is owned and trained by Brian’s wife Luci who, the previous Thursday, gave birth to the couple’s third child, Charlotte Lucinda.
On the mark twice over jumps was Danny McMenamin, who also visited the winner’s enclosure at Carlisle on Sunday and that at Ayr the following afternoon. Both of his winners were trained by Nicky Richards.
IT was disappointing to see Pat Sloan’s Blake being so narrowly beaten in the Bar 1 Betting Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday, by the former Paddy Turley-trained Koktail Brut, but there was a win last Thursday week at Thurles in the Listed Racing TV Club Day Chase for the Philip Polly-owned Affordale Fury.
Local owners have been enjoying a bit of success at Dundalk where, last Friday evening, the Rory Cleary-ridden 14/1 shot Beau Army landed the six-furlong nursery for owners Nigel O’Hare, Martin White and the Kabin Racing Syndicate.
On Wednesday, Claire Wylie, Mark McGuckin and Mark Devlin saw their Galileo Gold filly Nikki Swango justify even-money favouritism in the seven-furlong handicap.
Roughly 30 minutes later at the Co Louth track, the four-year-old Profitable gelding I’m Spartacus also rewarded favourite-backers when winning the six-furlong handicap by three-parts of a length for Conor and Paddy McKeever. The two Wednesday winners were ridden by Adam Caffrey, while all three are trained by Ado McGuinness.
Paddy McGettigan rode a winner at both Dundalk meetings, his Wednesday success coming in the concluding extended 10-furlong handicap on the Brian and Ann Marie Kennedy-bred nine-year-old gelding Walhaan (Dark Angel - Back In The Frame, by Dutch Art). Also on the mark on Wednesday were Luke McAteer and Dylan Browne McMonagle.
In Britain, Patsy Cosgrave rode a winner at Southwell on Friday and one the following day at Wolverhampton, where Conor Orr struck on Monday. The Kennedy-bred three-year-old gelding Bownder (Belardo - City Vaults Girl, by Oratorio) won at Lingfield on Tuesday when Barry McHugh and Darragh Keenan were on the mark at Newcastle.
Last Thursday week, there was a win at Chelmsford for the McCracken Farms-bred four-year-old gelding Stratocracy (Inns Of Court - Vexatious, by Shamardal).
EVENT riders Joseph Murphy, Holly Ross and Lucca Stubington are heading down to the Emerald Equestrian Centre on the Meath/Kildare border next Thursday, December 11th, for the team competition at the annual Treo Eile Christmas Show.
Lucca will compete for Team Randox on the unraced September Storm gelding Quingenti, who she has produced up the eventing grades to CCI4* level; Joseph, a twin brother of Co Westmeath trainer Ciaran Murphy, rides Ask Ted, another unraced gelding now eventing, for Team Elliott; and young Holly Ross is due to line out for Team Cromwell on Angely, who ran three times in point-to-points for her father Kevin.
FROM last Thursday week to Wednesday just gone, there was a locally-bred winner every day in Britain. The first to strike at Taunton was the J.J. Taylor-bred five-year-old gelding Chief O’Hara (Doyen - Folly Dat, by Generous). On Friday, it was the turn of the Colm McHenry-bred eight-year-old gelding Keable (Fame And Glory - Sarahs Quay, by Witness Box).
There were two winners on Saturday, the Neville Reid-bred five-year-old gelding Storming George (Order Of St George - Nickel, by Presenting), who scored at Doncaster, and the John and Margery Adams-bred nine-year-old gelding Panic Attack (Canford Cliffs - Toto Corde Meo, by Galileo), who won the featured Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles for the Dan Skelton yard.
Carlisle
On Sunday, the Edwin Carlisle-bred eight-year-old gelding Getaway Master (Getaway - Grange Oscar, by Oscar) won at Carlisle; on Monday, the William Houston-bred seven-year-old gelding Wholly Boley (Conduit - The Sophster, by Helissio) won at Ayr; on Tuesday, there were wins at Clonmel and Southwell respectively for the David Laverty-bred seven-year-old gelding Staffordshire Knot (Shantou - Ned’s Joy, by Oscar) and the Stephanie Metcalfe-bred six-year-old gelding Always A Reason (Elusive Pimpernel - Gaye Annie, by Tikkanen); on Wednesday, there was success at Haydock for the Elizabeth Hamilton-bred seven-year-old mare Lets Go To Vegas (Getaway - Danielle’s Journey, by Presenting).
The only point-to-point winner we spotted was the Joseph Cunningham-bred Norristown Lady (Affinisea - Didn’t You Know, by Trempelino), who landed the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden at Borris House last Sunday.