PAUL Townend and Willie Mullins dominated the National Hunt section of this ‘Super Sunday’ mixed card combining to land all three Grade 3 races with Love Me Tender, Gaucher and Gold Dancer.
Love Me Tender was sent off a red-hot 1/4 favourite for the BoyleSports Novice Hurdle and, after Whimsy briefly threatened to challenge entering the straight, the J.P. McManus-owned gelding soon asserted to easily make all by six and a half lengths.
“He’s three from three now and loves jumping. He’s looking for the next hurdle all the time and that’s a big plus,” said Townend. “Coming back to two miles on a sharp track like this, we were hoping he was going to jump that way and he did. He has the option of going up in trip if he wants. He probably won’t handle really heavy ground, but we don’t really get that any more.”
Unpredictable result
Luck was certainly on the side of Gaucher, owned in partnership by Rose Boyd and Marie Armstrong, in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle. The 13/8 favourite set the pace but was headed after two out by Glen Kiln, who had gone about three lengths clear when blundering at the last and unseating Brian Hayes, leaving Gaucher to come home five lengths clear of Jesse Evans.
Townend said: “We were fortuitous, but he always turns up and puts in a consistent performance. He’s tough and is settling down and starting to grow up a bit.
“Brian is up and the horse is okay. Everyone lives to fight another day, which is the main thing. That’s why we love the sport I suppose, it’s so unpredictable.”
Striking Gold
The Gigginstown-owned Gold Dancer was the final leg of the graded treble in the ODS Engineering Novice Chase and the well-backed 4/9 favourite was also prominent throughout before taking control after the penultimate fence to beat Downmexicoway by eight lengths.
“He likes jumping and the drying ground (officially good to yielding) here suited him.
“It’s a joy to ride him and for a novice to be so sure of himself jumping, it was great fun out there,” said Townend before adding, “I’d say a bigger fence and a more galloping track will only improve him.
“He’ll have stiffer tasks ahead, and I thought cantering back that he deserves to line up in the Drinmore.
“That would look an obvious place to enter him.”
CAPPA Hill followed up a win at Cork in August when taking the Jimmy Hayes Memorial Handicap Hurdle, soon recovering after a slight mistake two out and asserting on the run-in for Jack Kennedy to beat the fast-finishing Littlefoot by a length and a half.
“I’m thrilled with the way he jumped. He didn’t miss a beat bar the second last and I’d say it helped him because he would have been in front too soon.
“He’s only five, so we’ll give him another bit of a break before he runs again. He likes a bit of nice ground,” said Sean Allen, who trains the 3/1 winner for Eileen O’Connor.
Winning debut
Henry de Bromhead added to two winners on the day at Killarney when La Cote Fleurie made a winning debut in the Peppermill Restaurant Nenagh Fillies (Pro/Am) Flat Race.
The Peter Fitzgerald-owned filly led from around halfway and kept on strongly inside the final furlong to beat Red Sea Girl by two and a quarter lengths.
“John (Gleeson) gave her a super ride - he’s riding out of his skin,” said the Knockeen trainer. “She had been working well. She did a nice piece of work in Monksgrange a couple of weeks ago, so we hoped she might run well.”
DEEPONE relished the testing ground conditions (officially heavy, soft in places) on the flat when routing his six rivals in the Coolmore Sioux Nation Concorde Stakes. The Paddy Twomey-trained colt was easy in the market reappearing after a three-month break and drifted out to 100/30 favourite (from 9/4) for this listed event.
Billy Lee soon adopted customary front-running tactics and the son of Study Of Man took command from over a furlong out, staying on strongly to beat Lord Massusus by nine lengths.
“He’d been going well at home and his couple of runs through the year had been fairly decent. We were confident coming back on that ground that he’d be comfortable on it,” said Lee of the Vimal Khosla-owned colt. “He’s gone more professional as he used to be a bit keen, but is settling great now.
“Hopefully that is a stepping stone in the right direction and there might be something to look at before the rest of year is over. He might have to travel and probably a mile on that ground is a good trip for him.”
Above average
Shosholoza, trained by Joseph O’Brien for his mother Anne Marie, looked an above-average colt when scoring emphatically on debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
The son of Australia led over a furlong out and stretched right away under Wayne Hassett to beat better-fancied stablemate Acclamatic by five and a half lengths.
“I didn’t want to hit the front too soon in case he might idle, but he put the head down and stayed at it. He did it nicely in the last furlong and handled the ground well. He was keen and plenty green and will learn a lot from that,” said Hassett of the 10/1 winner.
Sales a possibility
Grey Leader returned to form when recording a fifth career win in the Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel Handicap.
The 12/1 shot challenged early in the straight and, after gradually coming over towards the stands’ side, kept on well inside the final furlong to beat the odds-on Akecheta by three and a quarter lengths.
“He has a little issue with his knees, so the soft ground helped a lot. When he travels well like that, he can be a very good horse on his day.
“He’s in the sales and whether he goes or not we’ll have to discuss it with the owner (Tony Auld),” said trainer Joe Murphy.