Portmarnock Sunday

TRIM-based farrier Patrick Kane jnr was the driver in form at a sunny Portmarnock last weekend.

The racing is still fairly subdued with the Covid restrictions but there was a healthy entry of 83 horses across 12 races.

Only one of Patrick’s trio was trained by his father Paddy. The Kanes are one of the best yards for getting one ready first time out, and so it proved as Stakes On The Pan won a hot-looking Grade D pace.

At least three of the runners were backed in the ring. The Kane runner drifted to 6/1 then came in for good support. On the track, Patrick had the horse ‘always prominent’ and 1.59.5 was an impressive time.

The winner is part-owned by Patrick’s wife Rachel, and is from her father Kit Bousfield’s breeding stock at Appleby, Cumbria. Kane’s treble began in the Grade E trot where he picked up the catch drive aboard Banderillero Piya, the bad boy of the Murphy yard in Baltimore.

Indeed, in a race full of doubtful starters, the liver chesnut looked like one of the most excited behind the gate. He benefitted from Patrick’s quiet style of driving and wore down the gallant Urbano Des Selles with regular driver Billy Roche.

The middle leg of Patrick’s treble came on Lawrence Stewart’s Master Plan, a horse that he regularly drives. Patrick gets on well with the former Gilvear of Stirling-trained gelding.

Alan Wallace attempted to make all with Newtown Rock, but Master Plan races well ‘off cover’ and won decisively in the end from Panam Colt (Billy Roche). The time was 1.59.4. Any animal going sub 2.00 at Portmarnock this year is really flying.

Great weekend

The exploits of Master Plan capped off a great weekend for the Stewarts who hail from Coleraine. Father Walter has most to do with Ladyford Dollar (or ‘Young Dollar’ as Walter has christened him). The gelding took the four-year-olds’ Breeders’ Crown in North Wales on the previous evening. The meeting was dominated by Irish visitors and a brief summary appears on the left.

Billy Roche had only one win from 23 races in Lyre. The ‘Red Baron’ seemed pleased with his double on the day. Billy opened his scoring with a well-timed swoop on the mare Beach De Bellouet, nailing the Martin Loughran-driven Curly Du Layon in the shadow of the post for the A to C trot.

“The horses have been out of sorts – it’s nice to see her coming back to herself,” was Billy’s post-race comment.

Four races later, only this time going right-handed, The ‘Red Baron’ struck again. Bingo Speed was backed in from a best of 5/2 and Roche steadily ate up the 60-yard handicap. First-time blinkers seemed to have the desired effect on Belkalinja (Donal Murphy). She even rallied having been passed by Bingo Speed. However, Billy’s gelding trotted to the line.

One form guide stated that ‘on breeding he should lap these’ with reference to Bequest in the Grade G1 pace. Sharpasatack (John Richardson) nearly punctured that theory and led everywhere but the line. In the straight. Donal Murphy pulled the only son of Betting Line in Europe out to pass Sharpastack who was one of 11 sired by Kikicolt on the card.

The race saw a two-year-old beat older horses, noteworthy under any code. Despite three races and a couple of qualifiers, Bequest looks to be still learning and will surely be better at three.

Second win

Sean Kane is having a decent season and gained his second win in three meetings with Feugeres Erem owned by Andy McTaggart of north Belfast. The five-year-old mare is lightly made but tough. In the F and G trot, she saw off Umbratica (Noel Ryan) who was coming back after injury.

Another northern owner making the job pay is Omagh man Cathal Kerrigan. Cathal followed up a good third in the final at Lyre by taking out the Grade D trot with his own Coumbaya Wind.

Cathal was quick to thank Alan Wallace who gave advice on shoeing, and his own brother Niall ‘who does all the hard work’ according to Cathal.

Ruairi McNulty went to a hefty price to buy Oakwood Cowboy and so far the three-year-old looks top class. ‘The Cowboy’ can be excused a second placing in Lyre as a grass track would blunt his speed.

Banging off the quarry dust on Sunday, he went 2.01.2 in the grade G pace. The gelding was owner driven. The connections have contacts in the US and as UK horses with weaker form have done well over there, who knows where Oakwood Cowboy would end up?

Gavin Murdock trains Oakwood Cowboy for Ruairi. The trainer opted to drive Ladyford Buck himself. The son of For A Few Dollars More duly obliged under a patient drive. The three-parts of a length margin probably flattered the runner-up Amy Camden with Alan Richardson.

Portmarnock is home to John Richardson in many ways and he rarely leaves the venue without a winner. This week it was Meadowbranch Duke, unusual in that at five years of age this was only his second win. “He had an awful lot of setbacks as a young horse,” offered John by way of explanation. Over the years, JR has been known to clock up a sequence in the autumn with these unexposed types.

The Behans will be delighted with the showing of IB Maximus in second place. The race was a conditioned pace for horses unplaced in their last four starts, an interesting concept, and popular in America.

John Richardson is also associated with the winner of the apprentice race, Crazy By Noce, driven by Miss Charlie Flanagan. Charlie gave this a peach of a drive, rewarding those who availed of the 3/1. Valanzana and Oisin Quill were a gallant second.

Charlie might well be ahead in the apprentice table. The volunteers who run the racing are always hard pushed but it would add excitement to the racing if the senior drivers’ and apprentices’ standings were published in the racecard or website. Every year the standings only get publicised at the last two meetings.

The season continues with a meeting today in the Cork region and tomorrow at Portmarnock. Covid restrictions apply. See www.portmarnockraceway.ie for results and meeting details.