THERE was some ultra-competitive fare at Sunday’s United Hunt fixture at Ballindenisk and Barry O’Neill, already assured of another overall championship, joined Jamie Scallan at the head of the southern riders’ title race on 14 winners by partnering a sparkling three-timer.
O’Neill, who won the Dan Kissane Memorial Cup as the meeting’s leading rider, got off to a perfect start aboard the Jonathan Fogarty-trained Time To Give (3/1 - 4/1) in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Time To Give was going to post for the third time here, having made an excellent career debut by finishing third to Fairy Park at Dromahane last month and she was bounced out upsides in front.
The daughter of Blue Bresil led from the second fence and was travelling best with a four-length advantage over runner-up Hello Johnjoe when jumping left-handed at the final fence. Soon back on an even keel, the winner still beat Hello Johnjoe by two and a half lengths.
The winning rider remarked of the Gaynestown Stud Partnership-owned Time To Give who was bought back for €35,000 at last year’s Derby sale: “She had a nice bit of form as she ran well first time out to come third in Dromahane. She jumps and stays, I’d say that she’ll probably now be sold.”
Following up
Both of O’Neill’s two remaining winners were provided by Colin Bowe, the duo initially combining to collect the first division of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden with Axel Bleue (2/1 - 5/2).
A creditable fourth on his previous start at Fairyhouse three weeks earlier, Axel Bleue was always prominent and he assumed command at the penultimate of the 12 obstacles.
The long-time leader Bigcitylights was held in second spot, some four lengths adrift, when exiting at the last with the winner then crossing the line with eight lengths to spare over Affinaka.
“He ran well in Fairyhouse when he made a mistake with me and he should be a lovely summer horse,” remarked O’Neill of the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd-owned Axel Bleue, a €40,000 Derby sale graduate.
Hat-trick
O’Neill signed off aboard the Bowe-trained Practice Run (5/1 - 7/1), similarly sporting the familiar Milestone Bloodstock Ltd silks, in the winners of one.
Ex-hurdler Practice Run, who was under Bowe’s tutelage when making a winning debut in a Fairyhouse four-year-old geldings’ maiden in April 2023, atoned for pulling up on his Curraghmore comeback effort last month by sweeping to the front two out.
The victorious six-year-old, a 2022 Goffs Land Rover sale acquisition, returned with seven lengths to spare over Barton Sky. It’s possible that Practice Run could run again this weekend before being offered at the Tattersalls Ireland point-to-point/horses in training sale on May 29th.
CORMAC Doyle was on the mark with Jewel Hope (4/1 - 6/1) in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. Jewel Hope, purchased unraced from Godolphin for 25,000gns at the Tattersalls July sale last summer, made amends for pulling up on his initial career outing at Curraghmore last month by hitting the front with Sean Staples after four out.
The son of Masar, representing the Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership, then returned with 25 lengths to spare over newcomer Legend De Touchete, after Matthew Flynn O’Connor’s charge, who was sitting four and a half lengths away in second, fell at the last.
Debut success
Cormac Doyle’s brother Sean meanwhile sent out Royale Rocker (5/2 - 3/1 joint-favourite) to make a victorious career debut under Jamie Scallan in the second division of this same contest.
Royale Rocker made progress from well off the pace to lead approaching two out. The son of Getaway, however, then gave his many supporters near heart palpitations as he displayed clear signs of greenness after this penultimate obstacle by coming off a straight line on a couple of occasions.
Runner-up Mon Sheriffe though wasn’t able to capitalise and was still three lengths adrift at the line.
Royale Rocker was bought for €17,000 from the late Michael Cullen at last year’s Derby sale and the Monbeg Partnership-owned son of Getaway is a half-brother to former Grade 1 placed hurdler Campeador.
Wexford winners
There was yet another Wexford-trained winner in the second division of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden as Darragh Berry’s Anyoneforsnacks (2/1 - 3/1 joint-favourite) returned to the coveted number one slot with Brian Dunleavy.
Anyoneforsnacks, who finished third to Adonedeal at this same venue on May 4th, disputed the running virtually throughout and got on top from the last fence to dismiss Jetovango by a length and a half.
Anyoneforsnacks, tracing back to Total Success and Native Endurance, was due to be offered by the Run For Fun Partnership at this past Wednesday’s Goffs UK sale in Doncaster.
THE biggest field of the afternoon, with 16 runners lined up for the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, with victory going to owner/trainer Jim O’Neill’s Connies Hill (4/1 - 9/2), the mount of Jack Hendrick.
Connies Hill stepped forwards from her third-placed Durrow debut effort in late March by mastering newcomer Something Fabulous on the flat to score by three-parts of a length. The five-year-old Connies Hill is a sister to two track winners, also being closely related to Grade 2 bumper winner Red Harbour.
The Garrett Ahern-trained Mount Rinjani (evens - 5/4 favourite) attained reward for the consistency that saw him finish second on three previous occasions this term by landing the five-year-old and upwards confined maiden under his owner Patrick Pyne’s grandson Jack Collins, a Leaving Cert student at St Colman’s College in Fermoy.
The six-year-old Mount Rinjani disputed the running until edging ahead from two out, then asserting from the last to thwart Owbeg Sunshine by two lengths.
Horse to Follow
Something Fabulous (S. O’Gorman): Making her debut in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, this daughter of Mahler came from off the pace to fractionally lead before two out and was only headed in the closing stages when beaten three-parts of a length into second. The close relation to Waiting Patiently strikes one as a sure track winner.