THE Galway Blazers staged their second meeting of the season in Dartfield amid showery conditions. A small field of five headed to post to kick start proceedings in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, which saw the Mick Goff-trained Fortunate Miss prevail.
A daughter of Soldier Of Fortune (4/1), the winner justified her quick turnaround, having departed at the halfway point in Bartlemy a week earlier.
Patiently ridden by Matt Gahan, the winner tracked the leader for much of the contest before moving to dispute the lead three from home and forged on approaching two out to score by ten lengths from Maxi Mirage on what was just her third start in the colours of Catriona Goff.
“I wanted to ride her second and get her to relax and get into a rhythm of jumping, and that’s exactly what she did,” Gahan reported.
“I joined the leader three out and went on, she’s a tough mare, it’s a long way from home here in Loughrea, she’s tough. She slipped up the last day, and it was just out of pure greenness; she was good today.”
Intriguing contest
The four-year-old geldings’ maiden was an intriguing contest from the off as Don’t Fusseme went off at an electric tempo, holding a commanding 30-length advantage at times.
He was ultimately unable to sustain it and dropped out tamely on the run to two out before Myself D’Agrostis (5/1) produced a taking performance on debut to defeat Tipu Sultan by five lengths under Stephen Connor, who was registering his 15th winner of the season.
Always towards the front of the chasing pack, he moved through to lead from that second last fence, and he held a slender advantage over Unfamiliar Poet before quickening smartly to the last, as the son of Brave Mansonnien obliged for handler Stuart Crawford and owner Shane Wilson.
“We always liked him, we were hoping coming here there would be a cut in the ground, and it would be safe, and we took our chance,” Connor said. “We were going to put him away but the ground was safe today. He’s a bit of class and a turn of foot on top of it.”
Impressive
The five-year-old geldings’ maiden went the way of the John Staunton-owned and trained Shah (5/4 favourite). The winner could not have been any more impressive as he routed his rivals by some 10 lengths to score under Derek O’Connor to reward favourite backers.
Patiently ridden in mid-division, the winner made smooth headway after jumping three out and could be called the winner approaching two out, such was the ease with which he travelled before asserting from Clondaw Sergeant with minimal fuss approaching the last in what was a hands and heels ride from O’Connor.
Having made his debut at this fixture a year earlier, the winner was having just his third career start and justified the decision of connections to turn him out quickly, having finished second in Bartlemy a week earlier.
WILLIE Murphy and Pa King enjoyed a successful afternoon as the pair teamed up for a double. The first leg came in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden as Leading Rose (4/1) brought plenty of experience into this on what was her eighth start of the campaign. The winner had placed four times this season to ensure she was not winning out of turn.
Having made virtually all, she was joined approaching two out by the eventual second Hello Below, who threw down a strong challenge but was never able to get past the daughter of Leading Light who scored by a length and a half in the colours of owner Stephen Campion.
The double was sealed in the concluding event of the afternoon, a winners’ of two contest when Revolut Ned (4/1) scored by two and a half lengths. The son of Doyen was last seen when pulling up in Limerick over Christmas, but with this return to better ground, benefitting from a break and reported to have had a wind op since his last run, he was delivered with a well-timed challenge by Pa King.
A line of five almost formed jumping the last before the winner asserted close home to defeat Pros And Cons by two and a half lengths. “He probably would prefer nicer ground,” Murphy said. “He’ll probably go back to the track again now he ran in Limerick, and it was bottomless, and it didn’t suit him. He needs summer ground, that’s the key to him. Pa King gave him a peach; he’s riding super all season.”
THE open lightweight race for novice riders went the way of the in-form Ian McCarthy yard as the odds-on favourite Hearts And Spades struck (4/5 favourite) under a confident Cormac Byrne ride.
Patiently ridden by the Wexford native, the winner moved into a share of the lead on the long run for home, before kicking on with a slight advantage jumping two out and the pair quickly extended on the long run to the last to defeat Life In The Park by eight lengths.
The seven-year-old continued his sensational run for the season to record his eighth victory of the campaign in the colours of McCarthy’s wife Nicki. “He takes his racing very well, he’s a fair bit of a horse,” the winning handler reported.
“He’s a great fun horse, hopefully we’ll aim him towards the Foxhunters. He’s a horse as well that’s just starting to learn how to race properly. I’m delighted to get a winner here, it’s my local hunt. They have done a great job on the ground too; it’s a credit to them.”
Horse to follow
Unfamiliar Poet (M. Flynn O’Connor): This son of Poet’s Word, who was a €42,000 store purchase, had fallen in Stowlin two weeks earlier, and he looked booked for second before weakening close home to ultimately finish fourth.