THERE was a terrific atmosphere at Tuesday’s post-Christmas Duhallow Kanturk fixture at Dromahane and newcomer Golden Current continued the excellent run of handler Jonathan Fogarty by destroying the opposition in the truly-run first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Clondaw Buster and Dan’s Allstar were the ones primarily responsible for the generous pace until the former edged into a narrow advantage approaching the fifth-last of the 13 obstacles. Golden Current (3/1 - 4/1) moved second behind Clondaw Buster four out and the British-bred then effortlessly picked up the running for Barry Stone well before the third-last.
It was all plain sailing from two out as the son of Golden Horn, whose dam was a listed flat winner at Nantes and is also closely related to a former Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks winner in Amorama, readily rose his effort on the flat by bounding clear to beat the gallant Clondaw Buster by 12 lengths.
Handler Fogarty’s brother Mikey remarked of the Gaynestown Stud Partnership-owned Golden Current, a £28,000 vendor buy-back at last year’s Goffs UK spring store sale in Doncaster.
“We’re delighted with that performance and he’s a very straightforward horse that’s by a brilliant sire. We fancied him coming here and he was just a bit green when he hit the front. He will now be sold.”
Robert Tyner struck with newcomer Limestone Liberty (3/1 - 7/2) in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Smooth manner
The daughter of Order Of St George, who is a half-sister to three track scorers including Fergal O’Brien’s listed bumper winning mare Lilting Verse, impressed by the smooth manner with which she travelled and she eased into second behind Queens Up four out. The eventual winner surged to the head of affairs at the third last and was well in command when throwing another fabulous leap with David Doyle at the last.
The bay, also closely related to Commanche Court, then stormed clear to dismiss favourite For My Lady by five lengths with Queens Up hinting that her turn is imminent by securing the minor honours, a further one and a half lengths adrift.
“She’s a smashing mare that we’ve always liked and she was spectacular there as she jumped from fence to fence,” said Tyner of Limestone Liberty, who was bought by her Clarina-based owner James Roberts for €8,500 at Goffs as a foal.
First-timer
On what was an excellent afternoon for newcomers, the first-timer Wilton Mills Trier (5/2 - 3/1) provided handler Paul Pierce with a fourth success of the campaign by landing the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden in the hands of Luke Murphy.
The physically-imposing five-year-old Wilton Mills Trier, a maternal granddaughter of the Grade 1-placed novice chaser Savitha who was sourced for €22,000 by bloodstock agent Darren O’Dwyer at the 2023 Goffs Arkle sale, had just moved through to dispute the lead when she was much the faster at the third-last.
Though she blundered at the final fence, Wilton Mills Trier was in no mood to be denied as she fought off seasonal debutante Nelly O by one and a half lengths.
The winner carried the colours of the Blackhall Stables Partnership and ther was all of a 50-length break to the third-placed Lucky Valley.
Sam Curling wraps up autumn season in style
SAM Curling cemented his position at the head of the handlers’ championship by saddling Wrappedupinmay (4/1 - 6/1) to record a bloodless success under Derek O’Connor in the open, a race that was restricted to non-graded racecourse winners.
Wrappedupinmay, who made a stunning winning debut in a four-year-old geldings’ maiden here at Dromahane in April 2022 prior to being purchased to join the Paul Nicholls stable for whom he won two races, made a pleasing return to points duty by finishing second in a ladies’ open at Moig South in late November and he picked up the running approaching the fourth-fence in this 10-runner contest.
The winning chesnut gave a super display of fencing at the head of affairs, apart from blundering two out where his closest pursuer was his Moig South conqueror Hunters Yarn. g
The Skehanagh Stables inmate however, was already in command when producing another stellar leap at the last and he drew clear on the flat to account for Ryehill, also runner-up in this same race last season, by five lengths.
Thrilled
Curling was understandably thrilled with this performance and he considers Wrappedupinmay, bought by Tom Malone for the Mayhem In March Syndicate for just £14,000 at Doncaster last May, as a possible Cheltenham Foxhunters candidate especially if ground conditions come up soft.
The closest finish of the day occurred in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden as owner/trainer Tom Keating’s newcomer Global Tariffs (4/1 - 6/1) came out best under Adam Feeney.
Global Tariffs was engaged in a ding-dong battle in front with runner-up Junior Minister for most of the race, the winning British-bred digging deep in the closing stages to thwart Dominic Sheehy’s charge by a half-length with a similar margin back to fellow debutant Seeyasunday, who was doing all of his best work at the finish, in third.
Global Tariffs was bought for €32,000 at the 2023 Tattersalls Ireland July sale and the son of Frammassone is a half-brother to Mickey Bowen’s dual bumper winner Axel Bleue.
THE Michael Winters-trained homebred Handmedownastar provided punters with their only source of cheer on the afternoon by justifying 5/4 favouritism (from 7/4) under Luke Burke Ott in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, the race that attracted the day’s biggest field in 14 runners.
Handmedownastar, runner-up on his only previous start in a vintage Loughrea contest in October, had just moved through to join issue with Sledgehammer when the latter exited three out.
The Diamond Boy-sired Handmedownastar was always in command thereafter and he returned with six lengths to spare over Cloughmoyle Jewel, who admittedly was badly hampered by the fall of the departing Sledgehammer.
“The late Paul Kavanagh did some of the schooling on him and, if he’s not sold, we will probably run him in another point before maybe going for a bumper,” disclosed Winters of his daughter Laurie’s Handmedownastar that was bred by wife Patricia.
Tommy Aherne, a 20-year-old from Ballyclough, brought his career tally to three aboard Eugene O’Sullivan’s Friendly Foe (6/4 - 100/30) in the adjacent hunts’ maiden for novice riders.
Friendly Foe, runner-up in a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at this same venue on December 6th, took advantage of the penultimate fence fall of fractional leader Black Dakota to eclipse The Happy Huntsman by two lengths in the silks of P.J. Hammond from Dromahane.
Seeyousunday (S. Osborne): This homebred son of Tirwanako was doing all of his best work at the finish on his debut in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden when beaten just a length into third spot by Global Tariffs.
He should effortlessly win his maiden point en-route to sampling track success.