IT has been another memorable flat season for Denis Hogan and he made it an impressive six stakes wins for 2020 as Lady Princess and Joey Sheridan upstaged some better fancied rivals in the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes over six furlongs.
This Bellewstown maiden winner, who carries the colours of John Quigley, needed to step forward from her third in a Navan nursery earlier in the month but did so in fine style to defeat the Group 3-winning New Treasure.
After looking on from the rear, Lady Princess made good headway on in the inner from early in the straight and she came through on the inside of New Treasure to lead entering the last furlong.
The latter stuck to his task but he was giving 10lb to the winner and couldn’t match her late on as the daughter of Exceed And Excel went on to triumph by a length and a quarter.
“The six furlongs was a worry as she has just sharpened up so much but at two minutes to 10 on Saturday morning I saw that there were only seven declared so I said we’d declare her and have a look. I must thanks the owners who leave it all up to me and I’m delighted for them as they are breeders and will be thrilled with this,” reflected Hogan.
“She got an outstanding ride from Joey and the race worked out great for her. The original plan was to skip this and go for the Legacy Stakes at Dundalk next month and I’d say that is where she will go now.”
McAteer again
Apprentice Luke McAteer has been enjoying a sensational September and his latest double made it nine victories this month and moved him on to the 15-winner mark for the season. The in-form rider completed his brace on Anthony McCann’s That’s Not Me who came back to form in the first division of the 45-65 rated six-furlong handicap.
The very well-backed 100/30 chance held a clear advantage entering the last furlong and this enabled her to withstand Manhattan Dandy’s late charge by a neck and record her first win since November 2018. That’s Not Me is owned by Emlyn Patterson.
McAteer was also successful on Sure Cert (28/1) in the 45-75 rated apprentice riders’ handicap over seven furlongs.
A first flat winner for Tom Foley in four years, this Dandy Man filly had shown ability on her three maiden runs and was clearly all the better for a significant drop in trip.
In a race where very few horses were ever involved, Sure Cert came out the right side of a lengthy battle with Tony The Gent which spanned the duration of the straight.
Foley trains this four-year-old for his daughter Sharon. The runner-up’s rider Paddy Harnett picked up a two-day whip ban.
A WELCOME change of luck was in the offing for Darren Bunyan in the Tattersalls Ireland-sponsored six-furlong nursery where the Chris Hayes-ridden Dreams Delivered gave the trainer his first winner of the season.
This Do Well Syndicate-owned son of Morpheus, whose intended rider Leigh Roche failed to complete the health screening requirement to take part at this fixture, was backed from 25/1 into 14/1 for his handicap bow.
In first-time blinkers, he got the better of the top-weight, Tar Heel, inside the distance.
“My horses were all sick last year and we’ve had a fierce amount of placed horses this year. Hopefully this changes our luck because they are in good form and running well,” reported the trainer.
Jessica Harrington’s Choice And Chance (9/2) put an unplaced effort at Naas last month behind her to claim the six-furlong Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Maiden under Shane Foley.
This Alpha Racing-owned filly was a 9/2 shot to return to the form that saw her finish third on her debut in an Irish Derby-weekend maiden and she cruised through this race before taking over in front with over a furlong to run.
The favourite, Prairie Dancer, closed in somewhat inside the distance but the leader hit the line with a length and a quarter to spare.
“She just wasn’t right after Naas and this was what we were meant to see in Naas. She’s a proper six-furlong filly,” commented the trainer.
The card concluded with a victory for Jack Davison and Ronan Whelan as Too Hard To Hold (7/1) secured the second divide of the 45-65 rated six-furlong handicap.
The Garrett Freyne-owned son of Camacho, who was adding to a victory for Mark Johnston last season, took control of this race with over a furlong to run and maintained his effort to hold the market leader Sestriere by a neck.
TRAINER Patrick Hayes has now won with both two-year-olds that he has run this season after Moonhall Girl struck at 25/1 in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Claiming Race.
This 63-rated daughter of Make Believe, who is owned by Charles McIntyre, had shown ability on several occasions this season. She didn’t help her cause with a slow start in this seven-furlong affair but finished strongly to take charge inside the distance and defeat the favourite Zoffany’s Delight by two and a quarter lengths.
Jim Bolger’s impressive form continued into this fixture and he made it 25 winners for the season when the 78-rated Theophile, who had run with credit on her first five outings, picked up the Sands Of Mali @Ballyhane Fillies Maiden over seven furlongs.
The Jackie Bolger-owned and Kevin Manning-ridden 2/1 favourite was wearing blinkers for the first time and she was not found wanting when it mattered as she edged out Lilandra over the course of the last furlong to score by half a length.