TRAINER Eoin McCarthy completed a Limerick double on Thursday with two cheaply purchased horses, beginning with Elusive Ogie’s success in the opening Red Mills EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle.
Ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe, Elusive Ogie led from the second-last and, while ‘long’ at the last, comfortably beat The Man’s Room by two lengths.
McCarthy commented: “He is a lovely horse, we bought him as a store for only €4,000 last year and he has a great pedigree, being out of a blacktype mare and is a half-brother to a blacktype horse.
“He was in for under €5,000 today, so had the bare minimum weight and it was a great prize fund. These races are great, as this horse was also available for any of the big lads to buy. He will have a little break now and we’ll see then after that.”
McCarthy’s double
McCarthy later won the Richard Egan Electrical Handicap Hurdle with Shadow Paddy (15/8 favourite), which proved a popular winner for the local Complete Package Syndicate.
Ridden by Gary Noonan, Shadow Paddy – himself just an €8,000 three-year-old purchase, improved from mid-field to eventually score easily by five and a half lengths from Boston Rajj.
Shadow Paddy received a warm welcome from a large gathering in the winner’s enclosure, with trainer McCarthy quipping: “I thought there were only six in the syndicate! They’re a good bunch, so I’m delighted.
“The syndicate showed patience, as he is a big tall horse who initially showed a bit, but then he fell apart. He is repaying them now and the syndicate are local and are a real racing group: they’re really enjoying this. He looks to be progressive and he’ll go for a little break now.”
TRAINER McCarthy missed out on a treble, as his runner-up Regards To Rose was defeated by eased-down eight-and-a-half-length winner Emily Love (4//7 favourite) in the Rayn Safety & Security Mares’ Maiden Hurdle.
Emily Love was trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden to victory by Sam Ewing for owner James Reilly, whose son Eoin Reilly reported: “We are very lucky to be involved, Gordon got her from Denis Murphy’s and she is very well bred and is a lovely big specimen.
“She had the form, although the non-runners made it handier for us. Onwards and upwards now hopefully and Sam thinks she will stay three miles and she should also jump a fence in time.”
Emily Love was one of two horses to pick up a €7,500 ITBA bonus for winning at the meeting, having been joined by the Peter Fahey-trained Atomic Queen (12/1), which won the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Bumper, for the Straffan Racing Partnership.
Ridden by Adam Ryan, Atomic Queen was ridden clear of her rivals in the final furlong and scored by three and three-quarter lengths from Barra Rua.
Fahey reported: “We always thought she was a very nice filly, but I never got a clear run with her. It mightn’t have been the strongest of bumpers, but she works fairly well at home and she has a lovely pedigree. Whether or not we go for another bumper or a maiden hurdle, I don’t know yet.”
FAMOUS 35-time winning hurdler Limestone Lad was recalled following the success of his relative Kiln Time (5/1) in the Frankie Dunworth Memorial Handicap Hurdle, as the Bowe family’s gelding scored for trainer Harry Kelly, and under a cracking waiting ride from jockey Cian Quirke.
Held up off the pace, Quirke smuggled Kiln Time into late contention with the pair leading in the final 100 yards, to beat Southgate Avenue by a length and three quarters.
Michael Bowe revealed: “This horse’s dam Sweet Kiln and Limestone Lad had the same grandmothers.
“It turns out Limestone Lad was a direct, 10-steps straight-down descendant from Pretty Polly (one of the great fillies of the early 20th century).
“There was no reason why Limestone Lad should have been a good horse as he was by Aristocracy, who was breeding show jumpers and hunters, so it just goes to show pedigrees carry on and that winners will breed winners.
“The cross with Aristocracy bred a freak. It was close to being the ride of the century today.”
Breaking through
Gatehouse Boy overcame lifetime form-figures of ‘00000’ when causing a 28/1 upset in the McMahons Builders Providers Handicap Hurdle (div I), scoring for trainer Philip Rothwell and last season’s champion conditional jockey Tiernan Power Roche.
Rothwell wasn’t present and afterwards Power Roche revealed: “He had been disappointing, as his work at home had been good, so it was head-scratching why he wasn’t delivering.
“I was hoping he’d be in the shake-up today, but the race fell apart and he stayed going. He is still very raw and backward.”
The Kieran Purcell-owned and trained You Done Well caused an 18/1 upset to win the second division of the same race, scoring a hard-fought head success under jockey Danny Gilligan.
Afterwards Gilligan reported: “I’m delighted to get one over the line for Kieran and it was the horse’s first go with the blinkers, which I think made all the difference.
“He bounced off that ground and hopefully there will be more fun to be had with him.”