ON the jockey front this week, kudos again must go to the reigning British jumps champion Brian Hughes who recorded a treble on the nine-race jumpers’ bumpers card at Newcastle on Wednesday.
Also under National Hunt rules, but at Ayr on Monday, Co Sligo native Derek Fox landed a handicap chase on Strong Economy. A winner over three miles at the same venue in December on his previous start, the nine-year-old Sandmason gelding is trained by Co Antrim-born Ian Duncan.
Last Saturday, Co Donegal’s Conor Orr landed the two-mile–five-furlong rated novice chase at Fairyhouse on the French-bred gelding Enjoy D’Allen. This six-length success provided former amateur Ciaran Murphy (a twin of Killyleagh Olympic event rider Joseph) with his first success as a licensed trainer.
Also at Fairyhouse, Larne trainer Stuart Crawford saddled his mother Edith’s Scorpion mare La Chanteuse to win division two of the mares’ maiden hurdle on her fourth start over timber. The seven-year-old bay won a bumper at Ayr in November 2019.
On the flat, Patsy Cosgrave rode a winner at Meydan last Thursday week and another on Saturday, while Templepatrick’s Sam Ewing maintained his good record at Dundalk Stadium when recording a double for the Gordon Elliott yard last Friday week. It was good to see Dylan Browne McMonagle back in action at the Co Louth track where Luke McAteer rode a winner on Wednesday.
THERE were northern-bred winners over jumps and on the flat in Britain last Thursday week when, first up, at Bangor-On-Dee, the Sean Bowen-ridden Pennyforapound landed a maiden hurdle for the Rebecca Curtis yard.
The seven-year-old Winged Love gelding, who was bred by Newry’s Pat Elmore, is the second of seven foals, and the only track runner to date, out of the Presenting mare Recession Lass who comes from the family of Man On The Line, Silver Birch, etc.
Pennyforapound, who won both of her starts between the flags when trained by Colin Bowe, is a full-sister to Home Farm House who, trained by Kieran Roche, won a five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden at Knockmullen House last February on her only outing.
Later on Thursday, at Chelmsford, Kieran O’Neill guided the Robyn Brisland-trained Power Over Me to victory over six furlongs on his fourth start. Previously trained by Johnny Murtagh, the four-year-old Ivawood gelding was bred by Dean Harron, in partnership with Ciaran Conroy, and is the fifth of six foals out of the Stravinsky mare Bridge Note, an own-sister to the Group 1 winner Soldier’s Tale and the dam of three other winners.
Previous Northern-bred winners to score again in the period under review were the Brian and Ann Marie Kennedy-bred Born To Finish and the John and Margery Adams-bred Lady Breffni.