THE first Cork meeting of the season took place on Sunday in the form of the Duhallow-Kanturk fixture at Dromahane and Sam Curling’s 2025 Cheltenham Foxhunter hero Wonderwall hardly broke a sweat by making a stunning return to action with Derek O’Connor in the open that was restricted to non-graded winners.
Wonderwall (evens - 4/5 favourite) always travelled supremely well on the outer, as King Alex mostly took the 12-runner field along. The eventual winner moved closer approaching the third-last of the 13 obstacles and coasted into the lead after two out.
With just a fraction of an inch of rein let out, the triumphant nine-year-old stylishly asserted on the flat to beat last season’s Killarney hunters chase winner Bartlemy Boy by two and a half lengths.
“He’s better than ever, I’d say,” smiled rider O’Connor on his way to weigh-in, whilst Curling carried the air of a most contented handler following the post-race debrief.
Classy
The Skehanagh Stables operator remarked of the John O’Leary-owned Wonderwall: “He had been working well and his work has nearly been better this year. He’s a class horse and he will probably now go to Belharbour (in February) before hopefully going back to Cheltenham.”
The four-year-old mares’ maiden proved to be an extremely dramatic affair, as Kiltybo was still bowling along merrily in front and holding in the region of a three-length advantage when erring at the third-last fence and unseating her rider after the obstacle.
Emiko and Arm’s Of An Angel were then left disputing only for the latter to be cruelly carried out by a loose horse approaching two out. Emiko (7/1 - 10/1) then stormed clear with Frankie Murphy to beat Fine Thing by an increasing 14 lengths in the colours of the Its Gonna Happen Partnership.
The Walk In The Park-sired Emiko, who was led out unsold for €24,000 at last year’s Derby sale, possesses an interesting pedigree as her dam is an own-sister to Jessica Harrington’s former dual Queen Mother Chase winner Moscow Flyer.
Clonroche-based handler Harley Dunne’s graduates have certainly gone well in recent times, as he started off last season’s Irish Grand National winner Haiti Couleurs in points, plus Eoin Griffin’s recent Cork Grade 3 novice chase scorer Ol’ Man Dingle, not to mention They Call Me Hugo that won a Ffos Las maiden hurdle for Olly Murphy on Sunday.
Bumper bound
Handler Garrett Power struck with his initial runner of the season as newcomer Nells Princess (3/1 - 4/1) captured the five-year-old mares’ maiden in the hands of Eoin O’Brien.
Nells Princess, sporting the silks of Patrick Casey, crept into contention on the inner descending to four out and surged to the front between horses approaching the last only to then blunder here.
Runner-up Lucky Valley duly moved back to the front, but the winning daughter of Shirocco was in no mood to be denied, as she surged back to the fore on the flat to account for ‘Trixie’ Barry’s charge by a widening three lengths.
Nells Princess, a sister to a dual hurdle winner in It’s Hard To Know that traces back to Grade 3 chase-winning mare Greenflag Princess, will now contest a bumper.
THE biggest field of the afternoon lined up in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden with Harry Goff returning to the coveted number one slot aboard his father Mick Goff’s debutant Red Acres Max (4/1 - 5/1).
The Maxios-sired Red Acres Max came back to lead after four out and he was tracked turning into the home straight by fellow first-timer Stick To The Board. There was then little to separate them when Stick To The Board fell at the last, hampering the pursuing Soul Asylum.
Red Acres Max drifted left inside the final 75 yards as Soul Asylum stayed on to terrific effect to get to within a head of him at the line with a gap of 21 lengths back to Gold Star Status in third.
Red Acres Max, owned by handler Goff’s wife Catriona but in whom breeder Tommy Frisby from Mullinavat still holds an interest, is now likely to be offered for sale and the bay should prove popular as his unraced grandam is a half-sister to the dam of Ballyburn.
There was another family success later in the afternoon as Finian Maguire guided his mother Sabrina’s The Mall Man (7/1 - 10/1) to victory in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.
The Alex Ott-trained The Mall Man made smooth progress from two out and he hit the front on the flat to thwart stable-companion The Happy Huntsman by one and a half lengths. The Mall Man, a five-year-old son of Malinas, is now likely to be aimed at a winners’ race.
JOHNNY Barry, having partnered Ka Mate Du Brivet to victory for Maike Magnussen at Quakerstown on Saturday, combined with former amateur rider Pat Crowley to collect the five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard Tap Tap Shamie (3/1 - 4/1).
A half-brother to Noel Meade’s former Kilbeggan Midlands Grand National winner Idas Boy, Tap Tap Shamie vindicated the promise of his only previous effort when finishing seventh behind Ma Jacks Hill here at Dromahane in April 2024 by leading from after four out to beat the fast-finishing Cool Consul by four lengths with all of a 57-length gap back to the third-placed finisher Tea In The Park.
“He had a lovely run as a four-year-old, but he just took time to mature,” said Ballinamult-based handler Crowley of Tap Tap Shamie, representing Stephen Ahearne from Dungarvan.
Horse to follow
Stick To The Board (Sean Thomas Doyle): A son of Crystal Ocean and a half-brother to listed placed hurdles mare Belle The Lioness, this fellow was challenging with every chance when falling at the last on his debut in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. An imposing physical specimen, he’s likely to hold a bright racetrack future.