THE pony racing travelling roadshow moved on to Navan on Sunday last for the opening meeting of the Midlands circuit. With racing scheduled every weekend nationally from here until September, the jockeys and their families will certainly be clocking up the miles! Jake Cromwell was definitely the man to follow, with another treble to establish himself as the clear early leader in the pony division.
Jake struck first when the debutante Little Mickey put up an impressive performance to see off stable companion Moonlight in the 12.2hh contest. The winner looks destined for a very bright future and will surely benefit hugely from this initial outing. The pair are likely to renew their rivalry in two weeks time at Kells.
The Cromwell bandwagon then caused the upset of the afternoon, when Here For The Craic defeated Little Fiddlers in a cracking 13.2hh race. Jake took no prisoners here from flag-fall and ran on strongly to deny the dual Dingle winner in snug fashion. Both ponies will surely have some battles in the weeks and months ahead.
The Cromwell treble was much more predictable in the 14hh contest, when Little Chief maintained his winning sequence over Justasec. The Brady family-owned pony looks destined for top honours in this division yet again this season.
On the road
Kian McNally and Reese Holohan both returned from Hawick to enjoy further success on the domestic scene. The brilliant Five Stone Of Lead notched up another winning bracket when landing the 14.2hh race over the Southern raider Reuben Jane. Kian was ultra-confident here and the brilliant partnership ran out convincing winners. Mountrath jockey Reese Holohan, fresh from his five-timer in Carndonagh, landed the two-mile contest on Tommy Tango for the high flying Shane Crabbe yard. This newcomer put up a very taking performance to see off Right On Time with the Lee Strand Dingle Derby the long-term target.
Nina Doherty hit the crossbar on both days in Carndonagh, but gained a well-deserved triumph when Sound Of Silence proved too strong for Smooth Operator and She’s Got It in the 10-furlong contest. Under a polished drive, Leona McLaughlin’s charge looked an above average debutante when quickening nicely inside the distance.
Holly Halford, who was runner-up on Smooth Operator, quickly gained compensation half an hour later when Dorey’s Forge landed the mile and a half race over Little Man and She’s A Freebie. The winner had caught the eye in Carndonagh and could well be on the upgrade.
As always in this region, the two local pony races were highly competitive and, with 17 entries, the race was divided. High Time Cool Guy landed the first split for Chloe McNaughtan, just ahead of Star and Polly Geraghy. The second division saw Peter Cremin gain his first victory on Ghost, ahead of Amber and Sean Mallon. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Paddy Finnegan, who took a fall during the afternoon and we hope to see him back very quickly.
Hawick Saturday
As always, the Tradesman’s Meeting in Hawick drew a strong Irish challenge on Saturday. It was a weekend to savour for Conna, Co Cork jockey Eoin Sheehan, who landed the prestigious Tradesman’s Handicap on Jim for the locally based Waverley Racing. Ironically, Eoin denied Kian McNally on Little Heart here in a driving finish. Eoin went on to complete a double when Nobody’s Kimmy won the nine-furlong race for Harry McGee.
Reese Holohan and Shane Crabbe always enjoy their trips to the Scottish Borders and they were on the mark on both days with the hugely impressive Dell Boy. Meath jockey Camillus Byrne made his first visit to Hawick a memorable one when combining with Ger Faulkner for a double. Hidden Springs won the 10-furlong on the opening day, while Coastal View was an impressive winner over seven furlongs on Saturday. It was a fitting triumph for the Faulkner yard, as Ger is the longest standing Irish challenger in Hawick.
Ballybunion races
All roads lead to Ballybunion tomorrow for the first of the Southern fixtures with a 1pm start. Eircode V31 Y166.
12.2hh (6f): 1, K. Cromwell’s LITTLE MICKEY (Jake Cromwell); 2, K. Cromwell’s MOONLIGHT (Cameron Cromwell).
13.2hh (6f): 1, K. Cromwell’s HERE FOR THE CRAIC (Jake Cromwell); 2, Finnerty Families LITTLE FIDDLERS (Kian McNally); 3, T. Beegan’s AISLING’S CHARM (Levi Williams).
14hh (6f): 1, J. Brady’s LITTLE CHIEF (Jake Cromwell); 2, O. Finnegan’s JUSTASEC (Paddy Finnegan); 3, K. Connell’s FLOORING PORTER (Camillus Byrne).
14.2hh (1m): 1, McNally Racing’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, W. McGrath’s REUBEN JANE (Nina Doherty); 3, Team Browne’s DOLLY’S DREAM (Elle Jay Carberry).
Open Horse Race (10f): 1, L. McLaughlin’s SOUND OF SILENCE (Nina Doherty); 2, L. Halford’s SMOOTH OPERATOR (Holly Halford); 3, McNally Racing’s SHE’S GOT IT (Kian McNally).
Open Horse Race (12f): 1, P. Smith’s DOREY’S FORGE (Holly Halford); 2, D. Gildea’s LITTLE MAN (Paddy Finnegan); 3, S. Crabbe’s SHE’S A FREEBIE (Reese Holohan).
Open Horse Race (2m): 1, S. Crabbe’s TOMMY TANGO (Reese Holohan); 2, Holian Syndicate’s RIGHT ON TIME (Camillus Byrne); 3, M. Mulcahy’s COME MR D.J. (Billy Roberts).
Local Pony Race Div 1: 1, HIGH TIME COOL GUY (Chloe McNaughton); 2, STAR (Polly Gerathy); 3, CHICO (Daithi Byrne).
Local Pony Race Div 2: 1, GHOST (Peter Cremin); 2, AMBER (Sean Mallon); 3, OSCAR (Cameron Cromwell).