THERE was some stellar fare at Saturday’s Clonmult/Dungourney meeting in Boulta, one that was staged under the auspices of the United Hunt, and handler John Murphy struck with his initial runner of the season as newcomer Old Coast Road impressed by displaying a powerful turn of foot to win the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Old Coast Road (6/1 - 5/1), one of nine debutants in the contest, was put to sleep by Johnny Barry towards the rear of the 13-runner field and he still had seven horses in front of him after four out. The son of Crystal Ocean, a half-brother to Dan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase winner Ball d’Arc, edged ever closer from after the third last of the 13 obstacles and he swept to the fore approaching the last.
It was all plain sailing thereafter, as the €10,000 Goffs Arkle sale graduate bounded clear on the flat to dismiss Ar Ais Aris by two lengths. There was a further break of two and a half lengths back to dead-heaters’ Hi Ho Idaho and Merry Away in third.
Super jumper
Upton-based handler Murphy, he of White Birch and Newmill fame, was represented by his son George. The younger Murphy remarked of the Highfort Partnership 1-owned Old Coast Road: “He has always been a nice horse and fair play to Fergal Hogan who bought him for us. He has loads of pace and is a super jumper.”
Old Coast Road was quickly added to this evening’s Goffs UK sale, which takes place after racing at Newbury.
Another that’s likewise bound for the Berkshire boutique sale is Eamonn Doyle’s Maxios Des Champs (3/1 - 7/2), who made a winning career debut in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
The physically-imposing Maxios Des Champs was always positioned close to the pace and she picked up the running for Rob James at the second last.
The daughter of Maxios was always holding runner-up Tutu Twist from the last, one and a quarter lengths separating the pair. Queen Lily meanwhile benefited from the final fence departure of The Mighty Mags to return a further seven and a half lengths adrift in third.
Showing plenty
“She’s a lovely big mare that has always been showing plenty and we were hoping that she would do something like that,” reported handler Doyle of the Mossy Fen Stables Partnership-owned Maxios Des Champs, a €23,000 Derby sale graduate whose grandam is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Merry Gale.
Terence O’Brien, having won the previous Sunday’s Troytown Handicap Chase with former pointer Answer To Kayf, sent out a 1-2 in the adjacent hunts’ maiden as The Grey Venture (3/1 co-favourite) landed the spoils under 5lb-claimer James Coffey.
The Grey Venture, a creditable fourth to last weekend’s Fairyhouse bumper winner Unflinching at Dromahane in April, stepped forwards from his fifth-placed return effort at Curraghmore on October 26th by assuming command before three out to beat Abbie Twomey’s mount Dancing Duke by three lengths.
The Grey Venture, a five-year-old son of Milan that’s owned and bred by Eric Mulryan, is now likely to be sold.
SAM Curling is experiencing an outstanding campaign and the Skehanagh Stables operator sent out The Great Unknown (2/5 favourite) to record her second success of the season in the mares’ open and her seventh in all, which is remarkable considering that she only resumed her hunt racing career this past February.
The Great Unknown, still just a six-year-old, was always merely in cruise control with Derek O’Connor and she moved through to dispute the running approaching three out.
The daughter of Walk In The Park edged ahead on the descent from this third-last fence en route to defeating Queen Of The Gales by an unextended six lengths with a three-and-a-half-length break back to the third-placed Hero In The Sky.
Handler Curling remarked of his mother Adelia Greer’s The Great Unknown, a former track performer with placed form for Henry de Bromhead that he purchased for €17,000 at Goffs 2024 December sale: “She’s a great mare and we will keep running her in mares’ opens, we will probably find a hunter chase for her in the new year.”
THE newcomer Barnpark (6/4 - 4/5 favourite) initiated the opening leg of a double for Ian McCarthy and Eoin Mahon by justifying favouritism in the five-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden, much to the dismay of the seven bookmakers present.
Barnpark, a giant-sized five-year-old, who was acquired for €31,000 as a foal, always positioned quite close to the pace as Got The Memo and Mr Frawley vied for supremacy up front. The winner then moved through to dispute with Quakerstown runner-up Kildare D’Irlande from two out.
The son of Walk In The Park was travelling the best in the lead approaching the last and, having secured noticeably the faster leap here, he drew clear on the flat to dispose of Kildare D’Irlande by four and a half lengths, with Desertmore News hinting that his turn is imminent by returning a further two and a half lengths adrift in third.
“He’s a big horse that we’ve always thought a lot of, but he has just needed that bit of time,” disclosed McCarthy of Barnpark, whose dam Golden Gael won the 2012 renewal of the listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon.
Barnpark, representing brothers John and Hugh Bleahen, will be seen in new colours when running again.
Former hurdler Hearts And Spades (5/4 - 6/4), whom handler McCarthy trains for his wife Nicki, benefited from a well-judged waiting ride from Mahon to collect the winners of one.
Hearts And Spades, having been restrained in rear, made smooth progress to pick up the running two out and the Peppards Castle maiden scorer powered clear from the last to beat Revolut Ned by five and a half lengths.
“Eoin [Mahon] rode him with plenty of confidence. We will go for another winners race with him now and then maybe a hunter chase,” said McCarthy of the six-year-old Hearts And Spades, who was under the care of Colm Murphy when finishing fourth in a Navan maiden hurdle a little over a year ago.
Horse to follow
Tuto Twist (Robert Tector): A daughter of Jukebox Jury, she stepped forwards from last season’s fourth-placed Bartlemy debut effort to keep the winner Maxios Des Champs honest in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Beaten one and a quarter lengths into second, she should open her account in the near future before sampling track success.