DANNY Mullins made all on the Paul Hennessy-trained Ocean Of Mercy (6/5f) to win the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle at Ballinrobe on Monday. Off the track for over two and a half years prior to finishing fourth at Limerick in May, the Turner family’s nine-year-old asserted from two out to score easily by 13 lengths.
Mullins said: “The form he had shown before his break would have been good enough to win this, but it was nonetheless a good performance to go out, jump well and put it to bed nicely.
“Paul has done a fantastic job training the horse. The Red Mills Series is great as it has great prize money and it justifies a horse like this to keep going.”
Fellow frontrunner
Shaboozee (7/2 favourite) stepped up on his recent second-placed finish at Killarney to win the Broderick’s Electric Handicap Hurdle for Joseph O’Brien. The Annus Mirabilis Syndicate-owned gelding made most of the running under J.J. Slevin and rallied well when strongly pressed by Tea It Is on the run-in, going on to run out a comfortable two-and-three-quarter-length winner.
Stable representative Michael Halford said: “He kept it simple and the plan was always to ride him handy.
“He had been a bit unlucky in Killarney as J.J. lost his irons at the first hurdle. We’ll keep tipping along and see where it takes him.”
THE John Patrick Ryan-owned and trained Ad Caelum defied topweight to land the Burleigh Accountancy Handicap Hurdle under Dara McGill. The 13/2 shot came through to head Ladiam after the last flight, before staying on strongly to score by four and a quarter lengths.
Ryan commented: “I was sick that she didn’t get into a listed hurdle at Galway, as she was second reserve and the first reserve got it. She is high class and progressive. I didn’t break her until she was a five-year-old, so she is seriously progressive and has a great pedigree.”
Improving outsider
Simon Torrens delivered the Philip Rothwell-trained Dontgowithjoe from off the pace to cause a 40/1 upset in the Cummins Homevalue Hardware Handicap Hurdle. The Fairwood Racing Syndicate-owned gelding went second entering the home straight and was pushed along to head San Aer over a furlong out, before keeping on well to score by three lengths.
Torrens said: “He has been learning away and it has taken him a few runs to get his act together. We didn’t go overly quick today, so it gave him an ideal opportunity to jump away and he had the gears to pick up and go.
“He is a nice enough horse and hopefully he’ll keep progressing and improving. I rode a winner for Philip last month too, although winners are hard to come by these days.”
Penny dropped
Having belatedly recorded a first win over jumps only last Friday, the Ger Keane-trained Mephisto followed up under Shane Fitzgerald in the concluding J.J. Burke Peugeot Handicap Hurdle. Dropped out in the early stages, the 15/2 shot moved through to track the leaders after two out and went second approaching the final flight. Despite a less than fluent leap, Mephisto led entering the straight and went on to win by five and a half lengths.
“He had been disappointing since we got him, but has turned the corner now,” Keane said of the Restricted Movement Syndicate-owned grey. “We were running him over two miles over hurdles all along and we didn’t think he needed further, but it looks like we were running him over the wrong trip.”
THE Tom Gibney-trained Leave In Secret made virtually all to win the Bank Of Ireland Brendan Maloney Memorial Maiden Hurdle under Darragh O’Keeffe. Sent off even-money favourite, the Ballinrobe To Laytown Partnership-owned gelding overcame a mistake at the last to score by one and three-quarter lengths.
Tom Gibney said: “His jumping fell apart in Galway the last day but, overall, he is a brilliant jumper. He was down to a very ordinary maiden hurdle today and, while he would prefer further, everything else was in his favour.
“It is brilliant for the syndicate, as there are two Ballinrobe men, Damian Conway and Eoin Rowe involved, along with Leonard Kinsella, who is the Laytown connection, and has been with me a lifetime. He’ll go over fences sooner rather than later.”
New syndicate
Hopes Are High made a winning start to his hurdling career when landing the C.J. Sheeran Ltd 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle on his first start for Bill Durkan.
The 14/1 chance tracked the leaders under Philip Byrnes, before moving second after two out and was pushed along to lead before the last, keeping on well to win by three-quarters of a length.
Assistant trainer Gary Bannon reported: “It’s a new syndicate (Don’t Tell Your Mother Syndicate) set up by Bill’s grandson John Durkan and includes friends from Mayo and New York.
“We thought he’d run a nice race; he had been doing nice bits of work and schooled quite well. We think he’ll improve a ton and will go to Listowel now, so we’ll see how far he can climb.”