PETER Fahey’s less experienced Bay Of Freedom upped his game at Wexford on Bank Holiday Monday to make it two from two over fences under regular rider Kevin Sexton in the Listed M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase.
Clear of the field before the last the 8/1 shot contained the staying on effort of Presenting Mahler by eight lengths, leading his trainer to comment: “It was a good performance, giving weight to the older horses on only his second run over fences. When we schooled him at home he turned into one of those horses who loves fences and he’ll go on softer ground as well.”
Bay Of Freedom’s English owner Paul Leech flew over from his Boston base to see him run and also flew over last week to see him work. Fahey added: “He has to have time between his races and Gavin Lawlor, who does everything with him, has done a brilliant job, because he suffers from ulcers.”
“I’d love to go for a nice handicap with him, because that’s what I think he’ll be – one of those good staying handicap chasers.”
Champion jockey Ruby Walsh, who rode two winners on the first day of the October meeting, was full of praise for Wexford’s chase course after coming away with a treble, the last leg being Ball D’Arc’s fluent success for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud in the Jim Whitty Memorial Beginners Chase.
He remarked: “I hadn’t ridden here much left-handed and was sceptical about it but, from what was a very average track, it’s turning into a proper chase track. All the fences are in the right place and it’s a good test of a horse.”
The Gordon Elliott-trained 4/7 favourite looked to have plenty going for him in this two-mile event and was never out of the first two, asserting from the final obstacle to defeat the equally prominent Our Dougal by three lengths.
Walsh said on his return: “They went a good gallop and he travelled well and jumped well. You couldn’t knock him – his form is strong and he’s a very, very good jumper.”
The jockey had earlier secured Gigginstown’s first win on the card when teaming up with Fairyhouse runner-up Burndown, from Henry de Bromhead’s stable, to justify 4/5 favouritism by the narrowest of margins from Call The Taxie in the Paddy and Chrissie Donohoe Memorial Maiden Hurdle.
PRESSED
The five-year-old son of Presenting led before the turn-in, but was strongly pressed by Call The Taxie from the final flight. To his credit, he stuck to his guns on the far side to shade it by a head. De Bromhead commented: “It was a super ride from Ruby, as usual.
“He only just got up, but he’s a big baby and still very green and immature. He can only improve and the sooner he can meet a fence the better. We’ll step him up in trip and Ruby said the better the race, the better he’ll be.”
Call The Taxie’s rider Rachael Blackmore is having a great run at present and added to her tally of winners when going one better with a three and a half-length success aboard ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s Audrey McGrath Memorial Rated Novice Hurdle scorer Magna Cartor, who was driven out to beat joint-favourite Bobarlee in good style.
The winning trainer, who was attending the sales at Doncaster, was represented by his father Willie, while Hanlon’s partner Rachel O’Neill, who owns the 4/1 winner, was busy with the stable’s runners at Galway.
Blackmore said of Magna Cartor: “He took it up early enough, but had more experience than the other horses and it stood to him.”
Market leader Sanibel Island, a beaten favourite at Gowran last time, opened the batting for Walsh and Elliott when jumping to the front at the second last in the Peter Nolan Bloodstock Maiden Hurdle and having two and a half lengths to spare over Guitar George, despite the unwelcome attention of a loose horse who came across him before the last.
The 4/5 favourite carries the familiar colours of his London-based Co Mayo owner Tom Doran and his jockey stated: “He did it well. The loose horse didn’t help us between the last two, but he picked up to win and that’s the main thing.”
Chris Timmons gave the six member Heads Or Harps Syndicate from Dublin and Limerick reason to cheer when bringing their 5/1 chance Tellthemnuttin from the tail of the field to capture the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle by five lengths from Whitber’s Choice, with the favourite Summerhill Lewis back in fourth.
The winner was collecting for the third time and her trainer Willie Codd said: “She’s just been an incredible superstar for the syndicate who have had great fun with her over the summer and really enjoy their racing.
“She was so badly hampered at the first in Punchestown last time that she lost 15 lengths, but still came back to finish second. She might just have an entry in a conditional riders handicap hurdle at the Paddy Power meeting in Cheltenham, but the minute the ground turns that’ll be it until the spring, because I don’t want to go to the well too often and end the season on the wrong note.”
Curragh handler Mark Roper struck in the Garryrichard Stud (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race with 20/1 outsider Play The Part, the only NH horse he has in training, who gave 22-year-old Archie Macauley from Blessington his first winner on only his fourth ride here when reeling in the odds-on favourite Gleesons Tipp in the home straight to nail him on the line by a head.
“We always thought quite a lot of this horse, but he disappointed us last time in Tipperary, where the ground was tacky,” the trainer explained. “Then, before that, he was brought down at Punchestown, so we hadn’t much to go on racecourse performance-wise.
“I’ve been friendly with Archie’s father Rupert for a while and it was a little bit of a surprise, but a nice surprise. Unfortunately his owner Peter Newell, who bred him, isn’t here, but Play The Part will go hurdling now.”
ACTING STEWARDS
W. M. Halley, N. Wachman, Ms Corballis, N.P. Lambert, P.D. Matthews.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
CALL THE TAXIE (E. Holden): Showed a good attitude in throwing down a determined challenge to Burndown in the two and a half mile hurdle on his first outing since a point-to-point success back in February. Open to further improvement.