THE Co Clare Hunt staged their annual Easter meeting at a sunny Quakerstown on Sunday last, and there was a huge crowd in attendance, despite the fact that All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions Clare were hosting Cork, in the opening round of the Munster Championship at the nearby Cusack Park.

Proceedings kicked off with a notable double as the local handler/rider combination of Derek O’Connor took both divides of the opening four-year-old maiden.

O’Connor struck first with Harry Lowes (9/4 - 2/1), a big, imposing son of in-form sire Walk In The Park. He benefitted from a waiting ride to come with his challenge before the last fence to overtake Mighty Park and go on to record a length and a half victory.

“He needed time to mature,” O’Connor commented afterwards. “He had a lovely run at Oldtown in what was probably a very, very good race and just needed time to mature.”

Harry Lowes carried the iconic green and gold colours of J.P. McManus, as did Sound As A Bell (1/1 - 4/5 favourite), the winner of the second division, who was placed on his only previous outing at Oldtown.

Always prominent throughout, this bay son of Getaway began to assert coming into the home stretch to fend off the impressive debutant Boycetown by six lengths.

“Again, he came out of that Oldtown race, a lovely run and the best four-year-old maiden of the year, I think,” O’Connor reflected.

“He was very good and I just happened to hit on those two horses today, and thankfully we had beautiful racing conditions, beautiful track, competitive racing, it’s perfect.”

That handler/rider combination struck again in the concluding confined maiden when Jim Thorpe (6/4 - 2/1 favourite), a son of Wings Of Eagles, never looked in danger when turning for home, and was eased down to record a one and a half-length success over Kastellion.

“It just turned out that Paurick had two very nice horses in the five-year-old maiden. We decided to split them this way, and it worked out very well,” remarked O’Connor.

“I bought him as a foal and I’m five years waiting for today. I bought him off Pat Hayes, and I’d say he rings me every two weeks to see how he is. Lovely man, bought lucky.”

THE mighty O’Connor force continued to roll when jockey Derek and his handler brother Paurick combined to claim both divisions of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

First up for the brothers was Timefortom (5/2 - 2/1 favourite), who raced prominently throughout and asserted from two out to account for Katarcice by two and a half lengths.

“He will go to public auction to be sold,” remarked Paurick O’Connor of the son of Soldier Of Fortune, who ran in the colours of the Three Dudes Syndicate.

“Tom Howley owns him with me. He is a grand horse, did ye see him jumping lads, he is like he is show jumping and everything. Some horse to sell to anyone now. Derek said he loved the ground.”

The siblings took the second divide when debutant Master McGarry (4/6 - 1/2 favourite), a son of Masterstroke, took up the running after the third last and was pushed out to the line to beat Poetic Glory by one length.

“He was a €65,000 store, he will be sold now,” the winning handler said. “We think a lot of him, and I bought his brother out of the Derby Sale, and his sister out of the field three weeks ago.”

TONI Quail enhanced her title credentials aboard The Great Unknown (5/2 - 3/1) as the pair recorded an eight-length victory over I Masked Du Portier in the ladies’ open.

The four-time winning daughter of Walk In The Park kept on well to win going away at the line. “I’m delighted with her run,” said Sam Curling of his mother Adelia Greer’s mare. “We will continue to campaign her until the end of the season in a bid to bolster Toni Quail’s title hopes.”

Wexford handler Donnchadh Doyle continued with his successful raids in the Banner county when the Monbeg Syndicate-owned Goulmichette (3/1) galloped all her rivals into submission under Rob James in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

The imposing daughter of No Risk At All scored by 20 lengths over the more experienced and previously placed Survivors Sister.

“I’m very happy with her run,” Doyle remarked afterwards. “She showed an impressive turn of foot rounding the home bend and won going away. She will go to the sales now and I think she will have a huge future on the track.”

The penultimate race of the day, the older geldings’ maiden, developed into a cracking local duel between the Conor Costello-ridden Diamond Hunter and Derek O’Connor’s mount Stanners Glen.

The pair were locked in combat from the back of the second last fence all the way to the line, but it was Stanners Glen (3/1- 5/2) who got the nod after the judge called for a photo to emerge by a head.

That ensured the day belonged to the all-time winning rider Derek O’Connor, who brought up the fifth leg of an incredible six-timer, fittingly at his local track for handler Robert Tyner.

“He made a couple of jumping errors late in the race, and just the timing of the jumping halted his progress.

“He is a grand horse and will probably do well in one of those point-to-point bumpers. He has loads of pace, and a lovely man owns him [David Cotter], he is with Robert Tyner for years,” remarked O’Connor of the Mount Nelson-sired victor.

Boycetown (P. J. Flood): This son of Capri was a €40,000 Goffs Arkle Sale purchase and is a half-brother to two winners.

He ran an excellent race on debut and progressed well over the last mile to see out the trip and finish in second. He looks promising and is sure to visit the winner’s enclosure over the coming weeks.