REGALLY-bred Closutton brought up a brace of winners for Willie and Patrick Mullins when making a winning debut in the Racing TV Free Month Trial INH Flat Race.
The daughter of Shantou raced towards the rear and gradually made headway inside the final half-mile. The champion amateur really got to work off the home turn and the 6/4 favourite got up in the closing stages to deny former point-to-point winner Walks The Talk by half a length for the Whitegrass Racing Syndicate.
Patrick Mullins said: “Very green early on. She’s very small, probably the smallest in the yard, and we have been training her very softly.
“Her dam (Screaming Witness) was my first ever ride on the racetrack and she’s the eighth bumper winner from eight runners - one of them (foals) never ran.
“We have one more, a Jukebox Jury four-year-old sister, and she’s the last one. Hopefully, we can bring up the nine-timer! It is a great pedigree. They are natural racehorses and want to win.”
Pillar to post win
Persian Daughter made all for a decisive victory under Sean Cleary-Farrell in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle for the Closutton Racing Club.
She was sent off 1/2 favourite to confirm the promise of her runner-up berth when switched to hurdles at Bellewstown earlier this month.
Portetta tried to throw down a challenge approaching the final flight, but the Mullins representative galloped away on the run-in to score by 13 lengths. Clongorey kept on for pressure to just snatch the runner-up spot on the line.
Cleary-Farrell said: “She ran the last day off the front and she seemed happy, so the plan was to let her off in front and find her own way nearly. She’s brilliant, there’s no asking her for her jumps, she is doing everything herself there.”
Finn’s perfect fractions
Kamikaz Du Plessis followed up a maiden hurdle win at Wexford by justifying 8/13 favouritism for Robcour in the Join Racing TV Now With A Free Trial Rated Novice Hurdle.
Kamikaz Du Plessis ran wide off the home bend, but Finn Brickley’s mount kept on well against the stands’ side rail in the closing stages to beat Derryville by a length and three-quarters.
Gordon Elliott said: “He was leaning off the rail a little bit. He showed a bit of greenness with Jack (Kennedy) the last day in Wexford, so he’s still a baby but he has got plenty of pace.
“Probably wasn’t ideal making the running, but it just looked like there was going to be no pace. I told Finn if he was to make it to go steady and he did, so he got his fractions right.”
GEORGIA Celena held on in a thrilling finish to the Follow Tote On X Handicap Hurdle over an extended two miles and five furlongs. The seven-year-old mare reappeared after a break of nine months and travelled well to lead after two out.
The 13/2 shot came under a strong drive from Ben Harvey after the last and kept on gamely to just fend off Custers Mistake by a fast-diminishing head. Trainer John McConnell said: “She ran some good races last year. After her last run we found an issue and she needed a bit of time off, so she went back to the owner (Mrs Brenda Cunningham).
“Fair play to the owners, they have been very patient and very loyal to me. They gave her back to me and Brian Hamilton has done a great job. He was doing a lot of the pre-training with her. She came back in super shape.” Harvey got a three-day suspension for whip frequency on the winner.
Hat-trick
Woodstream Lad (8/1) recorded a third career win when taking the Randox Handicap Hurdle in convincing fashion under Calum Hogan.
The eight-year-old gelding gelding had all his rivals in trouble after the penultimate flight and a mistake at the last had little impact as he drew clear on the run-in. He galloped on strongly to beat Divilabother by 14 lengths for owner John Leckey.
Philip Rothwell said: “When I got him, we dropped him in and he won two hurdles for us. We went over fences, he lost his confidence a little. He turned in going very well in Tipperary but from a slow pace just stayed going. We said we would make the running and try change his mind a bit.”
Buckley goes three from three for Murray
“THAT’S three rides, three winners – I don’t think you can do much better!” Adrian Murray quipped after jockey Kieren Buckley enhanced his unbeaten record for the trainer when taking the Download The Tote App Mares Handicap Hurdle on Hurricane Honey.
She made headway into fourth at the penultimate flight and improved to lead narrowly over the last. From there, she asserted by six lengths in the final 150 yards. From as big as 28/1 in the morning, she went off at 15/2, albeit three horses were ruled out of this extended two-and-a-quarter-mile contest.
Murray added: “She had a little bit of wind surgery over the winter and it is after really turning her around. She’ll go chasing, the owner (Robert Downes) is adamant to go chasing. It was a struggle to get him here to go to a hurdle!”
Portarlington was strong off the front in the Denvir’s Of Downpatrick (Q.R.) Handicap Hurdle for the Pipe Down Syndicate. The 7/2 shot faced a challenge from Order Of The Dance before the last, but found gamely for Josh Williamson on the run-in to score by a length and a half.
Ian Donoghue said: “He’s for sale. I put him to a few lads in England and they are all texting me now! I told them he is still for sale. He’ll be a fun horse, he can run on the flat, he can run over hurdles and he can run over fences.”