ABBEYFEALE Races is always one of the best meetings on the southern circuit and last Sunday was no exception as an excellent day’s racing was held on a well-presented track. Darragh Moriarty and Tom Kelly both recorded their first ever wins, while Ed Vaughan gained his first win on Irish soil, although he has had numerous winners on the UK pony racing circuit.
Darragh Moriarty achieved his breakthrough when the 12-year-old from Caragh Lake, near Glenbeigh in Kerry partnered his own Obe One Knobi to a shock but thoroughly deserved win in the 14hh race.
Darragh, who is a brother of the Keith who rides as an apprentice, rode a well-judged race as he brought the improving pony through before the furlong marker to lead and sprint clear from Tell The Story and Daniel King with Raynuso back in third.
Tom Kelly made his first trip to the winner’s enclosure following the 13.2hh race which was easily the most dramatic of the day. Tom who is from Listowel and who rides out for Enda Bolger, took full advantage of the drama that ensued as Sore Loser and Hello Star both contrived to run-out letting their unfancied stablemate in for an unlikely win. Well-known UK trainer Tim Vaughan was on hand to see his son Ed take the 12.2hh race on Another Tiger as they made pretty much all of the running to win in style.
The local race saw another first as Castlegregory, Co. Kerry rider Dylan Fitzgerald rode made his first ever trip to the winner’s enclosure as he partnered Go For It to win for the Batsy Maher stable.
Batsy Maher trains his horses in Duagh which is between the track and Listowel and he had a memorable day as he claimed four races in total, three of them being part of a Mikey Sheehy four-timer.
Included in this was the feature race of the day, the Feale Derby over two miles which went to the Batsy Maher charge The Boss.
In a strongly run race, Mikey was always in the leading group before leading from three furlongs out and coming home in front of Killian’s Pride who ran on strongly for Gavin Brouder. This made it two Derbys for the Sheehy brothers as Danny had won the Apprentice Derby at the Curragh on Friday evening.
Man Of Steel had earlier kicked off the Sheehy/Maher day with a hard fought win in the 10-furlong race as he got a run up the inner to get home a half-length ahead of the Michael O’Connor-ridden That’s Our Grouse.
Who’s Your Daddy was the other success in their three winners as he powered clear in the first divide of the 12-furlong race to win from the Rory King-ridden Ballybrown Boy.
Sheehy completed his four-timer when he stretched clear over the final furlong to win the first divide of the maiden race on Wild Wind.
Shane Crosse was the third brother of a current apprentice to partner a winner on the day, as the brother of Nathan continued the fine partnership he has built up with the Alex Hamilton-owned On The Edge. This produced the most exciting finish of the day as the winner and the Michael O’Connor-ridden Farmer Boyce went head to head over the final half-mile with possession of the rail proving decisive for On The Edge.
Philip Byrnes followed up his double of the previous week with a win for his mother Cora in the first division of the 12-furlong race. Once Philip sent Bash It On about his business, they powered away up the straight and entered the notebook of many as a leading contender for next month’s Dingle Derby.
Tralee rider Ross Sugrue continued his fine run with a winner in the finale, the second division of the maiden race as Top Of The Hill saw off the challenge of Close Encounter and Joey Sheridan to win for his dad Ray.
Joey didn’t go home empty-handed however, as he had earlier won the 14.2hh race on One Of The Boys. Mikey Sheehy and Sandycove set a strong pace and from over four furlongs out she had burned off all her rivals except One Of The Boys for whom a test of stamina is ideal.
With nothing more left to give Sandycove had to give best to One Of The Boys who win by three lengths.
Midlands: The region race in Ballygluinan near Tuam, Co. Galway tomorrow, Sunday, July 9th.
North-West: The region race in Finn Valley near Ballybofey, Co. Donegal tomorrow Sunday with a 1pm start.
Southern: The next meeting is in the picturesque village of Courtmacsherry in West Cork where racing takes place on a sandbank on Sunday, July 16th, starting at 4pm.
RESULTS
Sunday, July 2nd
12.2HH Race (7F): 1, Curly Syndicate’s ANOTHER TIGER (Ed Vaughan); 2, J.J. O’Keeffe’s TEMPLEHILL TAMARA (Mikey Sheehy); 3, Three County Syndicate’s TAIL TO TAIL (Luke Burke Ott).
13.2HH Race (10F): 1, P.A. O’Sullivan’s HELLO THUNDER (Tom Kelly); 2, W. McGrath LITTLE MAXI (Daniel King); 3, J. Doyle’s MYSTERIOUS LADY (Michael Doyle).
14HH Race (12F): 1, V. Moriarty’s OBI ONE KNOBI (Darragh Moriarty); 2, P. Sexton’s TELL THE STORY (Daniel King); 3, Five County Syndicate’s RAYNUSO (Conor Walsh).
14.2HH Race (10F): 1, Five County Syndicate’s ONE OF THE BOYS (Joey Sheridan); 2, CKC Syndicate’s SANDYCOVE (Mikey Sheehy); 3, P. O’Connor’s LA BELLE GROUSE (Michael O’Connor).
15HH Race (10F): 1, A. Hamilton’s ON THE EDGE (Shane Crosse); 2, Three County Syndicate’s FARMER BOYCE (Michael O’Connor); 3, A. Browne’s DODGE THE BULLET (Ross Sugrue).
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Mikey Sheehy); 2, P. O’Connor’s THAT’S OUR GROUSE (Michael O’Connor); 3, Three County Syndicate’s GOOD TIMES AHEAD (Joey Sheridan).
Open Horse Race (12F) Div 1: 1, B. Maher’s WHO’S YOUR DADDY (Mikey Sheehy); 2, Deelview Syndicate’s BALLYBROWN BOY (Rory King); 3, F. Hand’s CATCH HIM (Tom Kelly).
Open Horse Race (12F) Div 2: 1, C. Byrnes BASH IT ON (Philip Byrnes); 2, A. Browne’s I’VE GOT IT (Shane Crosse); 3, A. Browne’s YA WEE SKITTER (Ben Kennedy).
Abbeyfeale Derby (2M): 1, B. Maher’s THE BOSS (Mikey Sheehy); 2, K. Murphy’s KILLIAN’S PRIDE (Gavin Brouder); 3, P. Hand’s FORGOTTEN SOLDIER (Ross Sugrue).
Local Horse Race (1M): 1, B. Maher’s GO FOR IT (Dylan Fitzgerald); 2, J. Dore’s FOOTSTEPS IN THE SAND (Joey Sheridan).
Maiden Horse (10F) Div 1: 1, H. Carey’s WILD WIND (Mikey Sheehy); 2, D. O’Sullivan’s FOUR PENNY ROAD (Gavin Brouder); 3, T. Cahill’s HORAN’S CROSS (Shane Crosse).
Maiden Horse (10F) Div 2: 1, R. Sugrue’s TOP OF THE HILL (Ross Sugrue); 2, Soft Touch Syndicate’s CLOSE ENCOUNTER (Joey Sheridan); 3, J. Collins’ THE POACHER (Gavin Brouder).