THE Island Foxhounds returned to the picturesque surroundings of Ballycrystal last Sunday, where fine weather drew a large crowd that was treated to an afternoon of excellent racing. The opening four-year-old maiden went to Denis Murphy’s newcomer Ferocimo (5/2 – 3/1), an imposing and eye-catching son of Order Of St George who is out of a half-sister to the 2020 Champion Bumper winner Ferny Hollow.
Purchased for €48,000 at Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, Ferocimo showed clear signs of inexperience in the closing stages but still did enough to repel runner-up Legendary Status, scoring by one and a half lengths under Shane Cotter.
Speaking afterwards, Murphy said, “We were waiting for a bit of nicer ground for him. He’s a horse that works very easily at home. Cotter said once he got to the front, he was fine and green. Every time he went away to work, he went very well, and I’d imagine there’s plenty of improvement left in him. He’ll go to Goffs Aintree Sale now.”
Lucky sire
Another debut success came in the five-and-six-year-old mares’ maiden, where Lady Jukebox (5/2 – 6/4) produced an eye-catching performance for local owner/handler Matty Flynn O’Connor. The €25,000 Tattersalls Ireland May Sale graduate tracked the leaders throughout before moving into a clear lead on the run to three out.
From here, she stayed on powerfully in the straight under Brian Lawless to record a comfortable two-and-a-half-length success over An Puca Liath, who finished strongly to take second close home.
“She’s a lovely filly with a nice pedigree who came from the Tattersalls Ireland May Sale,” revealed the winning handler. “We fancied her coming here, and it’s great that she’s gone and done it. We’ve had a lot of luck with Jukebox Jury - he was a great stallion. She’ll go to the sales now.”
Sounder surface
There was plenty of local success over the course of the afternoon, and the concluding older maiden was no exception as Maison De Balzac (7/4 joint-favourite) made all under Rob James, providing winning handler Colin Bowe and owners Milestone Bloodstock Ltd with an across-the-card double, having also taken the opening race at Ballynoe.
Racing lazily at the head of affairs throughout, the seven-year-old son of Doyen required all of his rider’s experience to be kept up to his work. However, he responded when asked and eventually came home five lengths clear of runner-up Josies Dylan.
Speaking afterwards, the winning handler’s representative, Brendan Walsh, said: “His two below-par runs this season were probably down to soft ground. He appreciated being back on a sounder surface today, and I’d imagine he’ll go down the winners’ route now.”
A FIELD of 13 lined up for the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, which was run at a strong tempo from the outset and ultimately fell to Baz And Stokes (6/1), who led home Riseandcall to provide handler Sean Doyle and owners Monbeg Partnership with a one-two.
In doing so, he recorded the fastest time of the day and initiated a double for rider Ross Sugrue. A €74,000 graduate of the Goffs Arkle Sale, Baz And Stokes showed marked improvement from his debut at Dungarvan in January - a run his handler later admitted he was not fully right for.
The son of Blue Bresil displayed a determined attitude here, battling on well in the closing stages to fend off the sustained challenge of his stablemate.
“It’s a one-two at our local meeting,” said the winning handler. “We tried to support it as best we could. I would have liked it to divide, but in fairness to the horse in second, he had a couple of nice bits of form. This horse was just wrong the first day he ran. He was a fine, big store, cost plenty of money, and he’ll make a fine, big staying chaser in time. He’s for sale now.”
Double up
Sugrue completed his brace in the open aboard What Path (5/2), trained by Michael Mangan, who continued his rich vein of form by holding off the late challenge of Catalani in the closing stages.
A winner on soft ground at Knockanard earlier this spring, What Path appears versatile regarding going conditions and transferred his strong recent banks form to this conventional open, registering a second success of the season for owner John Griffin.
Speaking afterwards, Griffin said: “We bought him out of Willie Mullins’, and he just loves jumping and racing. Gerry Mangan has him in great form, and Ross is flying too. We’ll have a chat now and see what we’ll do next - we’ll keep all options open.”
THIS season’s leading handler Sam Curling was well represented in the winner-of-one, sending out three of the nine runners, and that strength and depth paid off as Depalma (3/1) came out on top.
Now experienced at this level, the seven-year-old son of Ocovango led or disputed throughout, putting his rivals under pressure before the turn for home before staying on strongly in the straight to assert, providing regular partner Nicole Lockhead Anderson with a seventh success of the season as she continues her pursuit of a first lady riders’ title.
Speaking afterwards, the handler’s representative and head lad Liam Kelly said: “He’s in great form. He doesn’t really like soft ground, so we were actually delighted with his recent placed efforts on slower surfaces. He’ll continue in winners’ company now, step up into a winners’ of two, and hopefully Nicole can get a few more wins out of him.”
Bombay Pat (C. Doyle) is a newcomer son of Blue Bresil, out of a King’s Theatre mare, who ran with great credit to be third on debut, staying on eye-catchingly near the finish.
With this initial experience under his belt, he should have no problem shedding his maiden tag in the near future and will be a threat to all wherever he turns up next.