CHAMPION owner J.P. McManus captured his second Ladbrokes Munster National winner at Limerick last Sunday when his latest acquisition Shanpallas denied the same owner’s better-fancied and always prominent representative Tom Horn in the hands of Davy Russell.
McManus fielded a total of four runners for the €100,000 event and Tony McCoy was in line to partner the eventual 7/1 winner for Charles Byrnes until ruled out by injury. However Russell, who has ridden a handful of winners for the owner, mainly in his amateur days but is still an unfamiliar sight in those iconic silks, proved to be a more than able deputy.
Biding his time, the former champion improved into second behind Tom Horn approaching the turn-in and gained the upper hand halfway up the run-in for a three-quarter length success. The staying-on favourite Bose Ikard was a neck away in third.
The outcome provided McManus, who only bought Shanpallas from his former owner Barry Healy two and a half weeks earlier, with a memorable one-two in the race. Byrnes, who was also winning his second Munster National, having won the race in 2000 with Super Franky, said: “It’s hard luck on Tony McCoy but I was delighted when they said Davy could ride him.”
Shanpallas was a very popular winner and received a great reception from the crowd. His trainer continued: “I thought Listowel would suit him but he was just very inexperienced in the Kerry National and is probably more of a two and a half mile horse than a three-miler. He needs good ground so he’s going to be fairly limited but he got the job done today and it’s a very special day.”
All eyes were on Gigginstown’s number one rider Bryan Cooper, who was returning after a seven-month absence in the Dunraven Arms Hotel Hurdle but the race produced a surprising twist as it was won instead by the same owner’s Claracam, the mount of Kevin Sexton and the horse who, ironically, had dealt Cooper such a cruel blow when falling at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Kerryman had sat on Gordon Elliott’s short-head winner the previous week but opted to remain loyal instead to his former boss Dessie Hughes’s runner Guitar Pete. He explained: “I felt Claracam would need the run after being off since Easter but on the day he obviously proved fitter.”
Guitar Pete had to settle for third place, just over seven lengths behind 3/1 chance Claracam, the mount of Kevin Sexton, and Cooper remarked: “It was a great start for both horses.”
Elliott commented: “I thought he would need the run and didn’t expect it. I thought Guitar Pete was the horse we had to beat and it’s just unfortunate for Bryan. He missed the last but so did the second and it’s great to get him back. He’s a grand big horse and more than likely he’ll go chasing.”
Local hope Hash Brown, another relatively recent purchase by J.P. McManus, continued on his upward curve by landing the Grade 3 O’Briens Wines Novice Hurdle under Barry Geraghty. The 1/2 favourite jumped into the lead at the final flight and went on to win by an easy two lengths from Sang Tiger.
Despite the five-year-old’s success, trainer Michael Hourigan seemed rather disappointed. He said: “It was a poor race. I suppose but I thought he was in trouble passing the stands first time. I thought Barry was niggling him a bit.
“I thought he was a fair horse but he didn’t look a good horse today and I thought he would be better. He’s a novice for the whole year and has only had four or five runs altogether so he has plenty of options and ground doesn’t bother him. He might go chasing next year.”
Geraghty, in contrast, commented: “He’s a lovely horse and I was always happy on him. He’ll make a smashing chaser.”
Jockey Mikey Fogarty notched up his third win since his comeback from injury when taking the McMahons Builders Providers Branches Nationwide Mares 80-109 Handicap Hurdle with Solita from the Paul Nolan yard.
Home bred by Robert Hennelly just outside Castlebar, the 12/1 shot pounced before two out. Drawing clear from that point on, she was driven out to follow-up her Listowel success with a two and a half length victory over the favourite The Bold Beckey.
The trainer’s brother and assistant James reflected: “The ground at Listowel was a bit quick for her and Mark (Walsh who rode her there) said she was feeling it. It’s beautiful ground here and they’ve done a fabulous job. She jumped like a stag and settled well – that’s the key to her – and it’s great to have Mikey back.”
Ruby Walsh was an eye-catching booking for Eric McNamara’s runner Sir Harry Cash in the Anglo Printers 80-109 Handicap Hurdle and the 8/1 shot, jointly owned by Michael Hannon from Clarina and the trainer’s brother Jimmy, got the better of Stonehall Jack before the last to score by one and a half lengths, with the long-time leader and favourite Buster Dan Dan only third.
The Rathkeale handler was full of praise for Walsh afterwards and said: “That was a great ride, he’s the best jockey in the business and I was glad to get him. I don’t get to put him up on many of my horses these days but I fancied this horse today and Ruby said that was good enough for him.
“It’s his first time over two miles six and Ruby said once he could put him to sleep he felt it was his trip. He’s been a very consistent horse and was unlucky in Listowel where he got murdered. He’ll run in something similar.”
Robbie Power had the leg-up on Jessica Harrington’s talented mare Burn And Turn (5/1) in the Pricewaterhousecoopers Rated Chase, a race that produced only two finishers and the partnership yielded a sixth victory for the trainer’s long-standing patron Joe O’Flaherty.
Sizing Italy headed the betting for this contest but the 2/1 favourite paid the ultimate price for a bad blunder at the third from home and was put down after suffering a fetlock injury. Burn And Turn, meanwhile jumped the final obstacle better than Seefood and was five lengths too good for her rival at the line.
Power said: “She’s a fabulous consistent mare and deserved it. She ran a cracker in the Galway Plate and ran well behind Sizing Europe last week. Her only bad run was in the Kerry National but there was a genuine excuse for that because she didn’t handle the track.
“She got there sooner than I wanted because she jumps and travels so well and I could see her going back over hurdles for the mares hurdle at Cheltenham. She’s a tough mare and she tries hard.”
Trainer Colm Murphy combined with David Casey to take the six-runner Racing Post EBF Beginners Chase with Clareman Mark McDonagh’s all-the-way two and a quarter length 2/1 scorer Mister Hotelier. Murphy admitted: “It probably wasn’t the best contest but I’d imagine he’ll go for a little novice somewhere before the ground gets really bad. We’ll let him tell us when he’s had enough.”
Two-day fixture
NEXT year’s meeting is a two-day fixture and new manager Conor O’Neill is already planning a Munster Champions Weekend for those dates.
ACTING STEWARDS
J.G. Moloney, D.H. Gavin, A.J. Molloy, M. O’Driscoll, P.W. Murtagh
HORSE TO FOLLOW
SANG TIGER (J.J. Lambe): Sang Tiger was no match for Hash Brown in the two-mile five-furlong novice hurdle but stuck with him until the last. The German-bred seems to relish a trip and there should be more races to be won with him.