THE classy hunter chaser Staker Wallace took centre stage on the rescheduled final day of the Limerick Christmas Festival as he deservedly and finally got his turn on the track in the Earl Of Harrington Memorial Maiden Hunter Chase.
The Enda Bolger-trained and J.P. McManus-owned nine-year-old was beaten in point-to-points at Dromahane and Mainstown on his first two starts this season but he was fourth in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham on his most recent racecourse outing.
That calibre of form along with his second to Billaway at Naas last January was going to make Staker Wallace hard to beat and he justified 4/7 favouritism in leisurely fashion.
Barry O’Neill moved his mount to the front with four to jump and Staker Wallace was travelling smoothly on the bridle for the duration of the straight as his rivals struggled to get on terms. He was just nudged along in the closing stages for a smooth one-and-three-quarter-length success over Super Citizen.
“He’ll come on for that as he is a big, gross horse. We’ll follow the hunter chases route with him but they are very hot and at the back of my head I think he could win a Ladies Cup at Punchestown. He has been jumping banks since he was four,” reported Bolger.
A very rare winner over jumps came the way of Johnny Levins as Wishmoor bagged the Goggin Buckley Veterans Handicap Chase under Ricky Doyle.
This 10-year-old hadn’t won in almost three years but he had been placed on four of his six starts since joining Levins after being picked up for £9,000 at Doncaster in September 2019. The well-backed 11/4 joint favourite jumped a bit slow initially but produced a typically willing effort from the front and contained Lean Araig in the straight to carry the day by two and a quarter lengths.
The DMS Partnership-owned winner was providing Levins with his first winner over jumps since Res Ipsa Loquitur won at the 2014 Listowel Festival.
“I really enjoy training him and to get a winner on the board with our last runner of the year is great,” said Levins. “As he’s older he takes a bit more getting fit and he needed a couple of runs to put him right this year but over the last 10 days or so he has really been on song. He jumped a bit sticky but I’d put that down to the ground and Ricky gave the horse a lovely ride.”
Gearoid Brouder followed up his double the previous afternoon with a victory aboard Moonlight Glory (5/2) in the 80-102 rated ConverMax Handicap Hurdle which added further lustre to trainer Eoin McCarthy’s best season to date.
A gambled-on winner at this track in November, the Saorcha Fitzgerald-owned mare defied a 10lb hike in the ratings on this occasion. She got the better of the front-running Alice O’Byrne by half a length.
HENRY De Bromhead ended the four days at Limerick on a bright note as he sent out a final-day double which began when Kalkas bagged the David Fitzgerald – Take It Easee Maiden Hurdle.
This Sean and Bernardine Mulryan-owned gelding was third on his debut in France just over a year ago and he looked all the better for his Irish debut at Navan in early December when he was fifth to Legacy Thor. The Kapgarde four-year-old led before halfway under Rachael Blackmore and he showed a really fine attitude in the straight to repel the 11/10 favourite Rajsalad.
“He’s a lovely horse. It’s tough going out there but he did it nicely and Derek O’Connor said after riding him the last day to bring him back in trip from two and a half miles. He’s a lovely, big horse and should make a nice chaser in time,” reported the rider.
De Bromhead and Blackmore then added to their haul as Atlantic Fairy dominated the Roches Feeds Mares Maiden Hurdle.
This Mark Phelan-owned daughter of Jeremy boasted a fine piece of form in her second to Master McShee at Cork just over three weeks previously and she built on that with a commanding display from the front. The 6/4 favourite kept up a strong gallop throughout to finish some 20 lengths ahead of Nelly’s Money.
“It’s fantastic to ride a winner for my sponsor. I was a little worried she wouldn’t settle over this trip on that ground but she looks a nice prospect. Hopefully there will be plenty more good days with her and she has a nice future over fences too,” said the rider.
Grady Hollow went close to giving de Bromhead a treble in the Mr Binman Christmas Racing INH Flat Race where he turned for home travelling smoothly in the lead. However, he couldn’t fend off the challenge of the Charles Byrnes-trained Blazing Khal (7/2).
Under the trainer’s son, Philip, this Byrnes Bloodstock-owned four-year-old gamely wore down Grady Hollow to get on top in the last few strides and prevail by three parts of a length. The winner was having his fifth start in bumpers having shown promise on each of his first four runs. A winners’ bumper is likely to be next for Blazing Khal.