MULLINGAR owner-breeder Sean Reilly has enjoyed particular success with the horses that he has reared himself, and much of that success has been enjoyed with the local Murphy family. Their long-standing association continued on Saturday when Jack Hackett (6/4 favourite) ran out a convincing winner of division one of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Highlighting the longevity of their association, the son of Beat Hollow is owned in partnership with the winning handler Ciaran Murphy, who himself had partnered the five-year-old’s dam, Corskeagh Shadow, to a Punchestown bumper success during his successful riding career.

Having moved successfully into the role of handler, it was Murphy’s younger brother Aaron that guided the eye-filling bay to an eight-length defeat of Fully Charged.

The younger Murphy had two years earlier partnered his half-sister, the now Punchestown Festival winning Dawn Shadow, to win a Downpatrick bumper for Dot Love.

With the winning handler on-duty Thurles, it was the winning rider who noted: “He took his first two runs to mature up, but it was the run in the Gowran bumper that really crowned him. He is a proper galloper that goes on that easy ground and he is a big three-mile chaser.”

He was one of two winners on the card to have made their debut at last month’s Nenagh card, as Berkerys Enigma (5/4-7/4) later claimed the six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Fifth at the Tipperary venue on his debut, the Gerard Berkery-owned and bred son of Flemensfirth was left clear by the fall of Fiddler Of Dooney at the last, denying Ciaran Murphy a possible double on the card, as Duckphil was left to return six lengths adrift in second.

“He is a nice horse and had a good run the last day. He will improve plenty from that again, and he might run in a winners race now, then head to the track,” said Sam Curling of the Derek O’Connor-ridden bay.

BIG FIELD

The six-year-old mares’ maiden attracted the biggest field of the day when 13 horses faced the starter, and it was the two form horses that pulled clear, as the recent Lingstown runner-up, Getawaytonewbay (3-4/1) and Shane O’Rourke, got the better of the exchanges with the perennially placed Sadhbh’s Delight by four lengths.

The winning daughter of Getaway is a rare horse to be campaigned by Rostoonstown Stud’s Vincent and James Devereux that they did not breed themselves, as the daughter of Getaway had started her career with three non-completions as a four-year-old for Sean Finn.

“A couple of local lads had her and they were running out of patience so we acquired her. I think on good ground she might be good enough for the track, but point-to-pointing is our game, so we will go for the winners race first,” remarked the winning handler.

That fifth placed finish of the season for Sadhbh’s Delight was one of three second-place finishes for Kieran Roche across the two-day fixture, as he had earlier been forced to settle for the runners-up berth when his newcomer, Tony The Bear, was narrowly denied by Brandy Pad (6-7/1) in the concluding division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Carrying the colours of Niall McCarthy, who formerly enjoyed success with the 2015 joint-champion point-to-pointer, Mr Bolt, who was sourced directly from a field as a three-year-old by Ian Ferguson, is also owned by winning handler Caroline McCaldin, and was guided to his narrow success by John Barry.

The Dromara-based handler was engaged elsewhere as her daughter Anna was competing in her first Eventing Ireland competition at Tyrella on the same afternoon, but she was represented at Durrow by her husband Alan who stated: “We think a lot of the horse, so we were confident, but you get so many disappointments that you know not to be too confident.

“I will talk to Caroline and Niall, but he could well be for sale now.”

SUCCESS

Macroom-based Gerry Kelleher was another handler unable to witness their horse’s success in person, as having been called in to work on the previous night in his other role as a psychiatric nurse, he was unable to travel with Maifitz’s Madonna (4-7/2).

However, she did his yard proud when taking the mares’ winner of one contest.

The recent Turtulla winner followed that success up when aided by a foot-perfect round of jumping to get the better of wide-margin Lismore winner Seaside Girl in the hands of rising star Michael O’Sullivan.

Carrying the colours of Lissarda publican’s, Larry Buckley and Jackie Beirne, whose pub and restaurant MaiFitz’s the six-year-old is named after, the daughter of Milan is now likely to head to Cork over Easter to run in a Hunter Chase.

Former rider Peter Flood is certainly making a name for himself as a handler, and his eighth success of the season, which came courtesy of Moore Clouds (3-4/1) in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, has already enabled him to equal his previous season’s best tally.

She made all of the running in the hands of Anthony Fox and had plenty left in reserves to fend off fellow newcomer Imperial View by two and a half lengths.

The DD Partnership-owned youngster is now likely to be offered for sale.

Durrow hosted the second of four four-year-old auction maidens, and like the recent Kirkistown contest, it was a Wexford handler who came out on top.

Cormac Doyle, who has 20 four-year-olds in training for the current campaign, sent out his €15,500 Tattersalls May Sale purchase, Hometown Boy (5-6/1), to get the better of Flying Garry by three lengths.

The Jack Hendrick-ridden son of Curtain Time, who carried the colours of the Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership, will now be offered at one of the upcoming sales.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

TONY THE BEAR

(K. Roche): He made his move early in the home straight, only to get reeled in by a more experienced type. He can make amends in the near future.

Celebration

THERE were scenes of great celebration following the four-year-old mares’ maiden, with the DD Partnership, which consists of Paul Dempsey and former Kildare football corner back Seamus Dowling, two men steeped in the history of Moorefield GAA, enjoying their victory.

With their winning mare, Moore Clouds, being named after that successful Newbridge club, it was fitting that Dempsey, whose sons were home from Canada and present on the day, was sporting the clubs jersey in the winner’s enclosure.

Owner-breeder Gerard Berkery from Toomevarra in Co Tipperary was understandably delighted following the success of Berkerys Enigma.

“Anyone who is involved in horses will tell you, day’s like today take a lot of the pain out of it. It’s a bug, a dream, I’m at it 40-odd years and its brilliant. He was with a very honourable man as a four-year-old in Colin Bowe and went light 12 months ago. I have to give credit to Jim O’Neill too who broke him because he was hard to handle as a younger horse. I give him first-class respect and praise for the job he did.”