Eoghain Ward

DONNCHADH Doyle reached a landmark moment in his career when saddling his 100th point-to-point winner with the success of Art Of Logistics (2/1 - 5/2) in the feature Connolly’s Red Mills open lightweight. The achievement of the recently turned 30-year-old is all the more remarkable, as the Wexford native only saddled his first winner in April 2011, when Adios Alonso landed a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Taylorstown. The victory of the former Sandra Hughes-trained 11-year-old was all the sweeter, as his younger brother Gearoid partnered the Monbeg Syndicate-owned gelding to success. A creditable second on his pointing debut at Punchestown last month, behind the also Monbeg Syndicate-owned Sprintingforgold, Art Of Logistics bounced back to form as he defeated the Andrew Walsh-ridden Better B Quick by three lengths.

“It is great to get the 100th winner, particularly with Gearoid riding,” reported Doyle of his ninth winner of this season. “We bought the horse specifically for Gearoid to ride so we will keep tipping away in opens with him and might look at a hunter chase later in the season if something suitable comes up.”

Few races this season will be able to match the drama of the Dicks SuperValu Ballyragget adjacent maiden, as none of the four horses who went to post managed to complete the course. The Joseph O’Brien-trained Karkadann was the first to exit the contest, falling at the fourth fence. The departure of the favourite Oscar Contender at the fourth-last left his main market rival Orchard Lane with what appeared to be a comfortable advantage over his only other rival Military Class. However, that Cathal Healy-ridden Flemensfirth gelding, who finished second in the corresponding race 12 months earlier, stuck gamely to his task to join the Richie Deegan-partnered Orchard Lane in the home straight. Having come together approaching the final fence, the pair came to grief in dramatic circumstances to the gasps of the crowd, leaving the race without any finishers.

The afternoon’s card had earlier commenced under similarly dramatic circumstances, with only four of the 13 starters completing the course in the Tallis & Co. and Aidan Brophy five-year-old geldings’ maiden. A number of the leading fancies in the race, including Ringmoylan and Over Stated, were among the non-finishers, leaving the race wide-open. Managing to avoid that drama in-running, it was the Colin Motherway-trained Johnny Ocean who took full advantage. Under pressure as the tempo of the race picked-up inside the final half-mile, the Whitmore’s Conn gelding stayed-on dourly to deny Donnchadh Doyle a double on the card, as his representative Pauls Hill, trailed in some eight lengths in arrears of the Linda Motherway-owned gelding. The winning handler, who partnered 212 winners between the flags during his career in the saddle, is now set to send his fourth winner of the season to the sales as he remarked: “He has shown us plenty at home but sure you just don’t know how they will go until you get them to the track. Pat (Collins) only sat on him on Friday but he has loads of scope and is electric over his fences. He wants nice ground so we came here today for the fresh ground as it was the first on the card.”

Terrible Beauty

Fresh from saddling former pointing graduate Special Tiara to Champion Chase glory at the Cheltenham festival four days earlier, the Henry de Bromhead yard had high hopes of capping their successful week with a first victory between the flags this season, as they sent out the well-bred newcomer Trojan Lass in the Gain Horse Feeds five-year-old mares’ maiden. The daughter of Robin Des Champs held every chance under Daniel Holden, however she was unable to match fellow newcomer Terrible Beauty, who comfortably mastered her challenge by seven lengths at the line.

The victory for the easy-to-back outsider proved to be a lucky spare ride for Paul Power, who picked-up the mount aboard the Martin O’Gorman-owned and bred daughter of Milan after her intended rider Damian Skehan was forced to sit out the race following a heavy fall in the day’s opener. Winning handler Shay Barry, who has 25 horses riding out at present, was delighted with the success: “She jumped great. Paul (Power) said that she was only in second gear all the way around. We couldn’t run her last year, but in the last month she has really come to herself and is a big hardy mare. She might go to the sales now but I will speak with her owner to see what he wants to do.”

Wexford native Conor Murphy may have the distraction of a busy farrier business throughout the Wexford and Kilkenny region to keep him busy, but he has struck up a winning partnership with the Mark Clifford-trained So Influential (3/1). Success in the Chancellor Mills Kilkenny Winner of One contest provided the pairing with their second successive victory, as the eight-year-old Luso gelding had got off the mark at Tinahely in January on what was his first start in over a year. Racing towards the fore throughout, Murphy always appeared confident in the colours of his father Laurence, as his mount comfortably accounted for the favourite Drimsree Lad by eight lengths. “He can be a bit quirky so we need to make the running with him. He jumps and gallops and is a bit more than just a winners’ point-to-pointer. We might go to Monksgrange next weekend for a winners’ of two. After that we will go to the track,” reported the winning rider having partnered his fourth career success.

The day may have started with disappointment for Carroll’s Cross-based handler Paul McEnery, as his Vivalino came down at the third-last while still holding strong claims in the mares’ maiden, but he certainly ended it in style when saddling his first career winner between the flags with the victory of Quick Pick (3/1 joint-favourite) in the John Phelan and John Holland older geldings’ maiden.

The Vinnie Roe gelding, a €1,200 purchase as a four-year-old, was only narrowly denied with Liam Quinlan in the plate at Borris House three weeks ago, and McEnery retained the faith in that partnership, as Quinlan remained aboard the six-year-old, as they returned five lengths clear of the previously placed Doc Carver. “Myself and Paul are great friends so it is brilliant to get the winner. I have the horse about two years and he had some decent form so he was entitled to win there today,” reported winning owner Louis Dunne of the James Williams-bred gelding who is now set to line-up in a winners’ contest.

Walsh victorious

HUNT Member races are becoming ever-popular additions to a point-to-point card, and the North Kilkenny hunt ended their fixture with a race featuring 10 of their members. With all the participants safely negotiating five fences on the course behind pacemaker Cathal Healy, a lap of the track on the flat soon had the field spread out, and it was 24-year-old Martin Walsh who returned victorious ahead of Tania Heffernan in second. The winning rider was quick to thank his brother Michael for all the preparation work with on his mount.