PERHAPS the most taking of all seven winners at Roscommon on Tuesday evening was Lola O C who made a winning debut in the concluding Brian Keenan On-Course Bookmaker INH Flat Race.
Owned and bred by Philip Reynolds, the strong 13/8 favourite was given the most patient and confident of rides by John Gleeson. She had nine horses in front of her turning into the straight and went by them all in some style.
Leading early inside the final furlong, she scored by two and a half lengths from Mountain Sky at the line. Representing winning trainer Henry de Bromhead, Robbie Power commented: “We’re delighted with that. She’s a nice filly and she had been doing things nicely at home.
“Her mother (Baby Twig) won a bumper first time out as well. We were looking forward to her. It was her first day at school and it was a case of getting a nice education.
“John gave her a lovely ride and she came through nicely at the end, and showed a nice turn of foot. They didn’t go that quick and John thought it turned into a sprint. To come from where she came from was a good performance.”
Reunited
Phillip Enright completed a double, riding winners for Brian McMahon and Oliver McKiernan at combined odds of 71/1 in the only two races not won by favourites.
The Kerry jockey was reunited with the recent Ballinrobe winner She’ll Be Kept who made light of an 11lb hike in the ratings to land the DNG Ivan Connaughton Handicap Hurdle.
Brian McMahon’s 7/1 chance raced clear from the final hurdle to beat the gambled-on 11/2 shot Mavetherave by five and a half lengths in the colours of the trainer’s mother, Anne, earning another 11lb rise from the handicapper.
McMahon said: “Her wind’s not brilliant and she needs a little chance to breathe early and find her feet.
“Once she gets that, and her confidence is up, she seems to be going the right way.
“It was a fortnight since her last run so we might give her a little chance now. We’re absolutely delighted and I’m delighted for Alex Ryan, who went out on a limb to buy her and it’s paid off.”
Another success
Enright was back in the winner’s enclosure after the McKiernan-trained Another Challenge recorded an easy win of his own in the Kepak Handicap Chase.
The 8/1 shot was well on top between the final two fences and was eased inside the final 50 yards to beat 100/30 favourite Ladies Well by seven lengths.
Oliver McKiernan said: “I was talking to Jimmy Mangan the other evening and he said to me that with this pedigree you normally see the best of these horses when they jump fences. I said ‘I hope you’re right, Jimmy’ and he proved it this evening.”
ANOTHER wide-margin winner was the Eric McNamara-trained Tumbling In who ran out the easy winner of the opening Curragh To Curragh Charity Cycle Maiden Hurdle.
Fresh from the first graded success of his career on Shadow Paddy at the Galway Festival, Gary Noonan was on board the 11/10 favourite who raced clear before the second last hurdle to beat Casper Charlie by nine and a half lengths for owners Linda Shanahan and Sue Magnier.
“She’s a very nice mare and I think she deserved her turn,” said McNamara. “There is a two-mile-six novice in Killarney in a fortnight’s time and a good novice in Listowel in September, so there are plenty of races for her.”
Willie Mullins struck with his only runner at the meeting as Clay Pigeons took the James Lohan Engineering Excellence Maiden Hurdle.
A second winner in as many days for Brian Hayes, the well-supported 8/11 favourite raced wide and asserted from the third-last hurdle to beat Goeasyonme, at odds of 125/1, by three and a quarter lengths.
Clay Pigeons was running for the first time since January when he was a beaten favourite at Fakenham. Patrick Mullins said of the Aisling Byrne, Paul Raleigh and Matthew Cunningham-owned winner: “He needs good ground so the better ground helped him.
“Brian gave him a great ride and he definitely jumped much better today and was a lot sharper. I think there is plenty of improvement in him, maybe up in trip. He’ll go jumping fences next year. Maybe Listowel over further might suit him.”
Pretender shows he’s the real deal
HASHTAG Pretender was another winning favourite as he took the J.F. Hanley Groundscare Beginners Chase for Barry Connell and Sean Flanagan.
The 5/4 shot rallied gamely after a mistake at the second-last fence to peg back Killeemore Lad at the last, before going on to win by four and a half lengths, with 11 lengths back to the third, Piccolo Player.
“It was a very ordinary beginners’ chase. We’ve a rating of 124 and hopefully the handicapper will drop us a good bit for that now,” said Connell.
“The third horse was only 104. He was entitled to win it on his rating. He grabbed at the second last and missed it and what I liked today was when he got headed, he battled back.”
Back for more
Il Silenzio returned to land the Campbell’s Bar Ballinlough Handicap Chase as the 7/2 favourite, having won the same race as an 11/1 chance last year. Trained for the Hopefuls Syndicate by Martin Brassil, the nine-year-old was only running for the second time since that success.
Conor Smithers was in the saddle this time and he got Il Silenzio home by half a length ahead of One Way Traffic.
The Curragh trainer said: “He’s a horse that has taken lots of time during his life. He seems to be in a good place since he won here this time last year. We gave him a good long break after here.
“He had a grand run back in Punchestown, where he was a good fourth, but it was a tough race on him and it took him until now to get over it.”
The stewards found that Phillip Enright had “ridden carelessly” after an incident on the run to the third-last fence where the eventual winner had to check and switch.