THE Sam Curling-trained Wonderwall (4/7 - 4/6 favourite) provided further credence to the accepted maxim ‘once a good horse, always a good horse’ by destroying the opposition to oblige in the open at Sunday’s Duhallow Foxhounds fixture in Dromahane.
Wonderwall won a thrilling renewal of last year’s Cheltenham Foxhunters’ and, having made a victorious return to action here at Dromahane in November, he more than acquitted himself by finishing seventh to Barton Snow when attempting to defend his Cheltenham crown last month.
The victorious 10-year-old was sent off at odds-on to beat his seven opponents here and was waited with as Earths Furies and Call The Tune cut out the running until moving closer before three out under Derek O’Connor.
The son of Yeats then effortlessly picked up the running after this third last fence, and was well in command approaching the last. He coasted clear on the flat and, whilst eased in the closing stages, still beat former Greatwood Hurdle runner-up Gin Coco by four lengths.
The Skehanagh Stables handler remarked of the John O’Leary-owned Wonderwall: “Things just didn’t happen for him at Cheltenham this time as he got a bad start. He’s a real class horse, and it’s great to have him back.
“I wanted to get a run into him before Punchestown. Now, we could also give Punchestown a miss and give him a run in another open before going to Stratford for the hunters chase there at the end of the season.”
Derek’s double
Derek O’Connor was the only individual to partner two winners as he earlier combined with long-standing ally Robert Tyner to collect the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden aboard One Day In May (6/4 – 11/10 favourite), much to the dismay of the 10 bookmakers present.
One Day In May, having finished second on all three previous starts, picked up the running at the third of the 15 obstacles. The victorious six-year-old gave an assured round of fencing and was clearly travelling best in the lead from two out.
Whilst edging somewhat right-handed in the closing stages, she still accounted for Medina Blue by three lengths in the colours of the Nohoval-based Time Will Tell Syndicate.
“She really deserved that and settled better in front today,” said Tyner of the Idaho-sired One Day In May. “She will now hopefully go for the mares’ point-to-point bumper at Wexford next month.”
SEAN Doyle seems to have a smart recruit in Mifa D’airy (4/1 - 5/1), who came home as she pleased on her initial outing under Jamie Scallan in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the day in 10 runners.
The Masked Marvel-sired Mifa D’airy, a €70,000 graduate of the 2025 Derby Sale when offered from John Costello’s Fenloe House, was always positioned close to the pace, and she picked up the running turning into the home straight before three out.
She then stormed clear from after two out to return with 16 lengths to spare over Amber Alert with a further 10 lengths back to A Fine Chick.
“Today is the first day that I have been nervous going racing in a long time,” reported handler Doyle of the Monbeg Partnership-owned Mifa D’airy. “I have a lot of nice young horses this year, but she is different gravy.”
The winner was quickly added to Thursday’s Tattersalls Ireland sale at Cheltenham.
Amber Alert’s rider, Rob James, didn’t leave empty-handed as he returned to the number one spot in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard owner/trainer Gearoid O’Loughlin’s C’est Le Capri (4/1 - 6/1), who was pulled up after sustaining interference on his Monksgrange debut two weeks earlier.
C’est Le Capri assumed command after four out here and the 2024 Tattersalls Ireland May sale graduate stuck to his guns in from two out and, whilst not overly clever at the last, the chesnut son of Capri drew clear in the closing stages to beat The Weighbridge by four lengths.
JONATHAN Fogarty is another Co Wexford-based operator in the midst of a purple patch, and he sent out well-supported-favourite Chanson Du Jury (5/2 – 6/4) to record a narrow success in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden, a race in which all eight contestants were newcomers.
Chanson Du Jury edged ahead from three out, with three challengers in close proximity on the run to the last. The €55,000 Goffs Arkle sale purchase Chanson Du Jury wasn’t found wanting as he dug deep for Finian Maguire to eclipse All I Focus by a head.
“He’s a lovely horse that’s one of my best four-year-olds this year, and he’s by a great sire in Jukebox Jury. His homework has always been very good, and he’ll now go to a sale,” said Fogarty of the Gaynestown Stud Partnership-owned Chanson Du Jury.
Big smile
Doneraile-based owner/trainer/breeder Paddy Cronin wore the biggest smile of the day following the success of his seven-year-old The Boysofairhill (7/1 - 10/1) in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.
The Boysofairhill, having a fifth start of the campaign, overcame a few minor errors by surging back to the front for Darragh Allen before the last. He then asserted on the flat to dispose of Bens Baby by an increasing two and a half lengths.
“I want to thank Tommy and Paul O’Flynn as I often use their gallop and also Brendan and Johnjoe Walsh as well,” disclosed Cronin, a long-standing regular on the Cork circuit, as he was virtually mobbed by well-wishers.
“We might go inside the rails’ with The Boysofairhill now, but first of all, he could come back to Dromahane next Sunday to run at our Doneraile Harriers meeting.”
Horse to follow
All In Focus (M. Goff): An imposing son of Telescope and the listed placed hurdles mare Lady Of Lamanver who physically radiates ‘chaser’, this foal purchase stayed on to purposeful effect when only beaten by a head into second spot on his debut in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. He should ultimately blossom into a very smart chasing prospect.