BALLINGARRY has long since been synonymous with point-to-pointing and the first day of the two-day Ormond Foxhounds meeting took place on Saturday at the Southpark venue, where racing was first staged in 1976.
Liam Gilligan has experienced a tremendous run of late and the Craughwell native moved alongside Michael O’Sullivan and Sean Staples at the top of the leader board in the under-21 riders’ championship on six winners by partnering a double.
It was the Mick Goff-trained Forward Plan who instigated the Galwegian’s two-timer in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. Forward Plan, having unseated on his debut at Necarne the previous weekend, was always quite well placed in mid-division as Armchair Farmer set out with the intention of making all.
The winner, a son of Valirann, having moved ever closer from before two out, unleashed a powerful turn of foot that took him to the front well before the last and forged clear in the closing stages to account for Caballo Diablo by four lengths in the familiar colours of his handler’s wife Catriona.
In Goff’s absence, stable representative David O’Brien reported: “Mick has always liked this horse and he will now go to a sale.”
Gilligan double
Gilligan then teamed up with Sean Doyle to collect the second division of this same race with Iceburgh Bay.
An embryonic chasing type, Iceburgh Bay acquitted himself on his debut at Tattersalls on May 9th by finishing fourth in the race won by House Of Stories and the towering bay went to the front from the fourth fence here.
The winning Monbeg Partnership-owned bay was closely attended to by Garde Des Champs from five out and, with the latter coming under pressure after the second last, the winning son of Sageburg asserted to dismiss Tommy Tracey by four lengths.
With handler Doyle likewise sitting out the weekend action, it was Pa O’Sullivan who was supervising operations on Saturday. He reported of the 2019 Tattersalls Ireland August sale graduate, a late April foal whose grandam is a half-sister to Jimmy Mangan’s Aintree Grand National winner Monty’s Pass:
”He was a horse that still wanted time at Christmas and he then needed the run at Fairyhouse a few weeks ago. He will now go to the sale in Newmarket on Thursday.”
Roi supreme
The closest finish of the day came in the open as Poli Roi supplemented his recent Broughshane success by recording a last-gasp success over gallant front-runner Some Are Lucky with his handler Stuart Crawford’s younger brother Ben.
Some Are Lucky went to the front from the ninth fence and Poli Roi, a former three-time track winner for Gordon Elliot who realised £300,000 after winning a maiden point in 2016, still had five horses in front of him with three fences remaining.
Some Are Lucky threw a fabulous jump at the last but Poli Roi was almost hitting top gear at this stage and he stormed past in the shadow of the post to oblige by a short-head in the colours of joint-owners’ Raymond Scullion and Martin McGrogan.
Ben Crawford explained that Poli Roi, a creditable sixth to Bob And Co on his penultimate foray in the Champion Hunters Chase at Punchestown, has an appreciation for a sound surface and the nine-year-old should prove capable of sampling further success.
OWNER/trainer Harley Dunne struck with the clearly above-average Emma Blue, partnered by Tiernan Power, in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
Annie Nail edged ahead from the fifth fence and she led until overtaken by the winning daughter of Mahler on the outer before the last. Annie Nail was then destined for the runner-up spot when departing at this final fence and her exit enabled Dime Store Cowgirl to finish second, some three lengths adrift of the close relation to Group 1 Juddmonte International runner-up and successful stallion Norse Dancer.
Light collects
Dime Store Cowgirl’s handler Colin Bowe and rider Barry O’Neill combined to collect the five-year-old mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 16 runners, with last month’s Tipperary debut fifth Lucky Light.
Lucky Light, a daughter of Leading Light, a half-sister to Paddy Corkery’s 142-rated hurdler Master McShee, was sent to the front with three fences remaining and she was much the faster in the air over the last which partly enabled her to beat Clearly Crazy by three lengths in the colours of Martin Murphy.
triumphs for Doyles THERE were five Co Wexford-trained winners throughout the course of the afternoon and Donnchadh Doyle kept his supporters happy by capturing the four-year-old auction maiden with newcomer Tahmuras. The Falco-sired Tahmuras was always positioned at the head of affairs and, despite showing some signs of greenness, he led until briefly overtaken by Hardy Bloke after the second last. Tahmuras was soon back at the head of affairs and he stayed on stoutly for James Walsh to account for the promising Hardy Bloke by a length. Handler Doyle’s cousin Declan Doyle confirmed that last year’s Derby Sale graduate Tahmuras is now sales bound. Exclusive’s form Former track performer Elusive Exclusive returned to the form that saw him finish second on his points debut at Dromahane earlier this month by shedding his maiden tag in the winners of one under handler Josephine King’s niece Susie Doyle. Elusive Exclusive, rated 81 over hurdles, picked up the running after tDwo out. The Willie Gleeson-owned eight-year-old then bravely came again from the last to deny another maiden in Hill Of Hope by a half-length. Horse To Follow Annie Nail (C. Doyle): This daughter of Doyen gave it a good go from the front on her debut in the four-year-old maiden. She was still lying a close second when cruelly falling at the last and compensation should be easily attained.