THERE were some stellar performances at Sunday’s Bartlemy meeting, hosted by the United Foxhounds, with the Tom Keating-owned/trained newcomer Homegrown Hero justifying his lofty home reputation by making a taking winning debut in the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
A 10th winner of the season for Adam Feeney, who is experiencing his best campaign to date, Homegrown Hero (7/2 – evens favourite) was always positioned close to the pace as fellow debutant Berkie set out with the intention of making all.
The son of Jukebox Jury had to be briefly pushed along in second spot on the ascent to the penultimate of the 14 obstacles, as Berkie still held sway at the head of affairs.
Homegrown Hero, however, led after this second-last fence and readily swept clear over 50 yards out to beat the valiant Berkie by two lengths. The Borris House debut runner-up I Walked The Line, meanwhile, returned a further three lengths adrift in third.
Best all year
“He’s a nice horse and I thought that he was my best four-year-old all year,” disclosed Keating of Homegrown Hero, whom he purchased for €36,000 at last year’s Goffs Arkle sale and it was fitting that breeder Liz Kiernan was on hand to congratulate the Co Tipperary-based figure post-race.
Homegrown Hero’s dam Shesafoxylady was a smart bumper performer for Willie Mullins as the daughter of Trans Island won three such races within a five-week period in 2013 culminating in the listed mares’ bumper at Navan that November.
The late Mick O’Toole’s 1981 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Hartstown also features further back in this pedigree.
Darragh Higgins is another that remains on course for a best-ever season and the 23-year-old Ballymacoda native recorded a seventh success of the term aboard Michael Murphy’s Recite A Poem (4/1 - 6/1) in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
The imposing Recite A Poem, having exited at half-way on her only previous start at Fairyhouse two weeks earlier, led until headed on the descent from the sixth-fence in this 10-runner contest.
The daughter of Poet’s Word stormed back to the front on the inner before two out and, with runner-up Walkingmayotomilan erring at the final fence when coming off second best at the time, she drew clear on the flat to oblige by an increasing five lengths.
“She’s a lovely filly that we bought privately off her breeder in Northern Ireland as a two-year-old and the plan probably now will be to sell her,” reported handler Murphy of the Redbridge Stables-owned Recite A Poem, a half-sister to two track winners and closely related to French Grade 3 jumps victor Stodoun, who won some 31 races in total.
Biggest cheer
The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Adrian Browne who steered his own horse Cloneen To The Max (7/4 - 2/1) to a comprehensive front-running success in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts’ maiden.
Trained by 23-year-old Browne’s father Don Browne outside Carrigtwohill, Cloneen To The Max stepped forwards from his second-placed effort at the Brownes’ local Ballyvodock fixture in early February by storming clear from the last to dismiss Mount Rinjani by six lengths.
The younger Browne, who also won three points this season on the family flag-bearer West Of Carrig, suggested that Cloneen To The Max may now run in a winners’ contest at Ballingarry next weekend.
HANDLER Ellen Doyle, nursing a broken bone in her foot at present, was all smiles following the facile debut success of debutant Pointofdifference in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Pointofdifference (5/2 - 3/1) set off in front and, having got into a lovely rhythm with Brian Dunleavy, he was tracked by Out In The Wild when erring two out.
The son of Crystal Ocean, a mid-May foal who was acquired for €80,000 at last year’s Goffs Arkle sale, was just getting the better of the argument with runner-up Out In The Wild when throwing a spectacular leap at the last and duly powered clear to score by four and a half lengths with Texan Outlaw indicating that his turn is imminent by returning a similar margin adrift in third in a race that saw newcomers occupy the first three placings.
The Baltimore Stables Syndicate-owned Pointofdifference is already a half-brother to seven flat winners, including Dubla, who was trained by Sir Mchael Stoute when finishing second in two Group 3 contests for fillies in 2017.
Eventful renewal
On an excellent afternoon for Wexford-trained horses, Texan Outlaw’s handler Sean Doyle struck with October Curraghmore debut third Old Comrades (6/1 - 8/1) in an eventful renewal of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
The Shantou-sired Old Comrades, an own-brother to blacktype performers in Brechin Castle and Minella Sixo, was lying a close fourth when two of those in front of him Blazing Nelson and Twofoursixohone departed at the last.
The eventual winner though secured a terrific leap with Jamie Scallan here and he surged past Keep Joy some 75 yards out to triumph by two and a half lengths.
Doyle indicated that Old Comrades, representing the Monbeg Partnership, will now be offered at next week’s Goffs UK sale in Doncaster.
PADDY Turley made his initial visit to Bartlemy a memorable one, as his wife Mary’s five-year-old She’s Delighted (6/4 - 13/8 favourite) supplemented her Portrush maiden success in late March by landing the mares’ winners of two.
She’s Delighted was given an exemplary waiting ride by 21-year-old Darragh Hanlon and she still had some five rivals in front of her at the third-last.
Hanlon refused to panic and he produced his mount to lead just before the last with the daughter of Vadamos asserting to dispose of Kilmoral Coral by two lengths. She’s Delighted could possibly now contest the Downpatrick point-to-point bumper later this month.
The Jennifer Lee-owned/trained Halo Halo (7/1 - 10/1) vindicated the promise of her excellent fourth-placed effort behind I C U In My Dreams at Dawstown just six days earlier by capturing the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.
Halo Halo came through from mid-division with Luke Burke Ott to go third approaching the last with the five-year-old daughter of Lucky Speed sweeping to the fore as the line loomed to deny Lady Tia by a nose.
Rattle N Roll (J. E. Walsh): A newcomer by Telescope, this half-sister to three track winners and also closely related to Major Rumpus, led before two out in the four-year-old mares’ maiden and was still lying a close third when unseating after the last.
She should easily attain consolation in a maiden point before slotting in over hurdles.