MANY congratulations to Tom Foy who, along with the Lope De Vega Syndicate, bred last Saturday’s Jersey Stakes (Group 3) winner Noble Champion. Sent off a 25/1 shot, the Ed Walker-trained, Kieran Shoemark-ridden three-year-old Lope De Vega colt is out of the Diktat mare Cute who is dam of four other winners including the eight-time scorer Pogo (by Zebedee).
Two days earlier, there was a win at Chelmsford for the Andrew McNally-bred four-year-old gelding Ziggy’s Missile (Blue Point - Shafaani, by Green Desert) and one at Leopardstown for the Hardys of Kilkeel-bred three-year-old gelding Faoladh (Kodi Bear – Lumiere Astrale, by Trempolino).
McCracken Farms bred three winners recently. The four-year-old mare Circe (Kodiac - Northeast Moon, by Sea The Moon) scored at Newmarket last Saturday; another four-year-old mare, Si Senior (Bungle Inthejungle – House Of Roses, by New Approach), was on the mark at Ballinrobe on Monday; and the four-year-old gelding Stratocracy (Inns Of Court – Vexatious, by Shamardal) won at Newbury on Tuesday.
BRIAN Hughes, who was, of course, apprenticed to the late, great Kevin Prendergast, takes pride of place this week as far as North of Ireland-born jockeys are concerned.
Three times a winner of the British jump jockeys’ title, Hughes partnered five winners in the period under review. He recorded a double at Market Rasen on Friday, followed this with a quickfire double at Bangor on Saturday for the Donald McCain yard and then a single win at Hexham on Sunday.
Danny McMenamin was also on the mark at that Market Rasen meeting while fellow Downpatrick native Caoilin Quinn partnered a winner at Newton Abbott on Tuesday.
On the flat, Oisin Orr landed a double at Wetherby last Thursday week when Darragh Keenan rode a winner at Ripnon, following up with one the next day at Newmarket. Here, there were wins for Dylan Browne McMonagle at Ballinrobe on Monday and at Naas on Wednesday.
Thankfully, Andy Oliver - with the help of the stewards - saved the day, or rather the days, on behalf of local trainers at last weekend’s BoyleSports Summer Festival at Down Royal. On Friday evening, his Bamako was beaten one and a quarter lengths in the second division of the concluding seven-furlong handicap but the three-year-old Sands Of Mali gelding got the race following the demotion of Purring Along. Oliver’s 100/30 favourite was ridden by Billy Lee.
THERE were fewer North of Ireland exhibitors than usual at last week’s Royal Highland Show on the outskirts of Edinburgh but hopefully those who were in attendance watched the racehorse to riding horse classes where the champion was the Gary and Stephen Kerr-bred Rich Man Poor Man. Ridden by leading Scottish producer Kirsty Douglas, the 12-year-old Robin Des Champs gelding is the only foal recorded with Weatherbys out of the unraced Jimble mare Mistaken Identity, a half-sister to the Grade 2 winner, and Grade 1 placed, Winged Love gelding Magnanimity and from the family of Amberleigh House.
Rich Man Poor Man was consigned by Ballyash Stud as a foal to the 2013 November National Hunt Sale at Tattersalls Ireland where he was knocked down for €15,000 to Rathbarry Stud. He ran five times over hurdles between January 2017 and March that year for Phil Kirby, pulling up on four occasions and finishing ninth of 10 on the other. However, he has done extremely well in his second career with multi ex-racehorse titles to his credit.
He can also hold his own against sport horses and at the Royal Highland finished third in his middleweight hunter class to the Irish Sport Horse gelding Edenagor Ned who, bred in Co Donegal by Jim McNulty, went on to be crowned hunter champion.
On home soil
Back home last weekend, there were Treo Eile and Tattersalls Ireland-sponsored ex-racehorse classes at Enniskillen Horse and Pony Show held at Castle Irvine, Necarne. Here, the winners were Ava Stubbs on the former Keith Watson-trained Landue, a 10-year-old British-bred gelding by Champs Elysses who topped the final line-up in the novice section, while the open winner was the Edel Whyte-ridden Dontbegonelong, a six-year-old gelding by Arctic Cosmos.
There were also racehorse classes at the 80th Saintfield Show held at the Lawson family’s Glenbrook Farm, Boardsmills where the Killyleagh winners, Alison Macartney and Don’t Matter Now finished third in the ridden class but, when the racehorse working hunter class was amalgamated with the regular working hunters at 80cm level, she and the Stephen Magee-bred 10-year-old Ask gelding came out on top and went reserve champion.
The next target for Macartney and Don’t Matter Now is the Randox Health-sponsored Treo Eile clinic with Debbie Byrne and Joanne Jarden which is being held at The Meadows on Thursday next, July 3rd.