IT was another late finish at Bartlemy with 90 runners on the nine-race card, and Derek O’Connor moved a step closer to registering a record-extending 12th The Irish Field point-to-point riders’ championship success with a double moving him six clear of Barry O’Neill in the title race – 42 to 36.
O’Connor, donning his handler’s hat, was successful with his wife Carol’s newcomer Jasper Crystal (4/1) in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden under jockey Evan Nugent, a key member of staff at O’Connor’s Fiddaun academy.
Jasper Crystal, one of seven debutants in this contest, moved second after three out and jumped past runner-up Bloomsbury Boy at the final fence. The €38,000 Goffs Arkle sale graduate then forged clear on the flat to oblige by an increasing five and a half lengths.
“Evan and the other lads that are with me have been working like Trojans all winter. It means more to me to give the likes of Evan a winner than if I were to ride a winner myself,” commented O’Connor.
Doubling up
O’Connor was earlier on the mark aboard John Staunton’s newcomer Riptide (3/1) in the first division of this same contest. Always positioned close to the pace, the €15,500 Goffs Arkle sale acquisition edged ever closer in second spot before the last as De Inovator, who led from before two out, still held the call.
The winning son of Galileo Chrome hit the front on the flat and was always in command thereafter, two lengths separating him from De Inovator.
“He’s a horse that was babyish all year, but he really started to come over the past month. He’ll be a lovely horse after a summer’s grass,” said owner/trainer Staunton of Riptide.
The John O’Donovan-trained newcomer By The Order (2/1) provided O’Connor with an initial success of the afternoon in the second division of the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Another to benefit by being ridden close to the pace, the €9,000 Fairyhouse July sale purchase picked up the running two out, and she asserted on the flat to dispose of fellow first-timer Purple Fountain by a widening seven lengths.
It’s handler O’Donovan’s amateur rider son Chris O’Donovan who owns By The Order, and he indicated that the winner will now be sold.
ADAM Feeney, likewise, had an afternoon to savour, and the 27-year-old was another to partner two winners. He got the ball rolling aboard owner/trainer Tom Keating’s Common People (5/1) in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Common People, runner-up on his previous start at Durrow in late March, overtook long-time leader Back To Sea on the descent to the third-last of the 14 obstacles. Back To Sea, however, moved back to the front after two out, and held a one-and-a-half-length advantage over Common People when overjumping and falling at the final fence.
Common People took advantage as the son of Yeats, a €23,000 Goffs Arkle sale graduate, crossed the line with a length to spare over patiently-ridden newcomer Master Locksley.
West makes amends
Feeney then won the second division of this same race aboard owner/trainer John Nallen’s Minella West (5/1), who was lying third when hampered and then unseated at the last on his initial outing in Ballysteen a fortnight earlier.
The final fence likewise played a crucial role here as Treasure Born had overtaken some six rivals from two out to storm into the lead just before the last, only to come to grief when holding a narrow advantage over Minella West.
The winning son of Westerner, a €34,000 foal purchase at the 2021 Goffs December Sale, asserted to dismiss favourite Shah by three lengths.
The Colin Motherway-trained Queen Of The Gales (5/1) provided her owner Pat Pyne’s 18-year-old grandson Jack Collins with a sixth career success by landing the mares’ winners of two.
The ultra-consistent six-year-old, having finished third on her penultimate outing in the Gain Mares’ Final at Ballynoe, overtook the front-running Time In A Bottle at the last to win by four lengths.
THE Cormac Doyle-trained Crystal Bee (5/2) vindicated the promise of her third-placed Loughanmore debut effort over Easter by recording a virtual pillar-to-post success under Jack Hendrick in the first division of the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
The daughter of Crystal Ocean was in command from two out as she drew clear to account for the staying-on Bless Your Heart by four lengths in the colours of the Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership that includes breeder John Flavin.
Eamonn Doyle’s Fiercestone (7/2) went one better than she did on her debut behind What’llido at Ballysteen last month by landing the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 14 runners.
The daughter of El Salvador, owned by Michael Murohy from Bunclody and homebred by his wife Annete Murphy, hit the front two out.
She sealed victory by throwing a fabulous jump with Alan Harney at the last.
The five-year-old then asserted to beat Mrs Glam by three lengths, and she will now be offered at next week’s Goffs UK sale in Doncaster.
Ex-track performer Mr McWhinny (7/2) made his initial start for owner/trainer Tim Townend a winning one by running his rivals ragged from the front in the five-year-old and upwards confined hunt maiden.
The eight-year-old led from the second fence with Ollie Gilligan and he duly returned with 38 lengths to spare over Grand Sourcier.
Horse to follow
Back To Sea (S. Curling): This son of Affinisea, having pulled on his Ballycrystal debut in December, was clearly travelling best in the lead when falling at the last in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. The bay appears to possess definite track potential.