Margie McLoone

THE Hard Hat provided rider Ciaran Fennessy with the middle leg of a treble when landing the featured Greville Arms Hotel open for the Barbour Cup at Castletown Geoghegan last Sunday.

The locally-trained Jack Aboo made most of the running with Gullivar (5/2-3/1-5/2) close on his heels or disputing.

Held up off the pace, The Hard Hat (4/1-5/1-4/1) headed that pair four out and stayed on strongly in the home straight to beat the favourite by four lengths.

The winning Beneficial gelding is trained for the Sporting Pointers Syndicate by David Christie who was recording back-to-back victories in the race having saddled The Last Derby to win here last year.

“We’ll stick to pointing with this fellow until the end of the season as the great thing about him is that he’ll go on any ground,” said Christie of the 11-year-old.

“He’s tough and honest and was given a great ride by Ciaran who was riding for me for the first time.”

The Hard Hat was led up by Christie’s son and namesake who, according to the trainer, “is doing all the work” while he, on crutches, continues to recover from a badly broken foot.

Another Northern region trainer, Suzy Barkley, provided Fennessy with the third leg of his treble, Rock On Westie, who made every yard of the running in the concluding six-year-old and upwards maiden.

The hooded bay son of Westerner, who was one of the gambles of the season being supported in late from 6/1 to 2/1, ran green at times before beating the never-threatening Carlingford Prince by 10 lengths.

“He’s for sale but I’d like to go to the track with him,” said Donaghcloney-based Barkley, who was saddling her first runner of the season. Rock On Westie comes from the family of Dante’s Battle, Go Roger Go and Apache Stronghold.

Johnny Barry, who rode the runner-up, also had to settle for second place behind Fennessy in the Tattersalls Ireland five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden. Here, Shanes Star, who made much of the running, went down by eight lengths to Jumpandtravel (1/1-4/5) who hit the front five from home.

FIRST SUCCESS

A first point-to-point training success for Denis Hogan, the successful Millenary mare was greeted back at the No 1 spot by her Castlerea owner/breeder Michael Kelly and his daughter Dawn.

Placed in all but two of her previous seven outings, Jumpandtravel is a half-sister to the three-time track winner Red Rocco. The pair are out of the Eurobus mare Youbetido whose colt foal this year by Yeats sadly broke a leg in the field.

Fennessy had been expected to start the day with a win and it looked as if things were going to plan in the Goffs Bloodstock Sales five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden when Sweettoothtommy (4/5-5/4) headed the longtime leader, newcomer Wolf On The Run, after the third last fence.

However, he made a mistake at the last when being challenged by the Jason McKeown-partnered Takingrisks (6/1-4/1) who kept on resolutely to score by a length from the favourite.

the winner is trained by his owner Martin Kenirons who purchased him around Christmas 2013. “We fancied him today as he was going well the last day,” said the Roscrea handler. “He is by a most underrated sire in Golden Tornado. He could go to sale at Punchestown.”

Takingrisks’ breeder, James Murray, reports the dam, Downtown Rosie (by Good Thyne), to be in foal again to Golden Tornado. Templemills tried to make all the running in the Tullaghansleek Stud confined hunt winners’ race and soon had the five-runner field well spread out.

However, racing downhill for the final time, the longtime leader was challenged on his outer by Castlefort (1/1-5/4), who made a mistake at the last, and on the inner by Oneida Tribe (2/1-6/4) who, getting much the best jump, stayed on strongly to beat Templehills by a length and a half.

CHASER

Trained within easy hacking distance of the track by Martin Lynch whose son Mark was in the saddle, the six-year-old Turtle Island gelding has all the makings of a three-mile chaser and has been given plenty of time to develop.

Steven Clements had a day best forgotten at Castletown-Geoghegan.

His worst moment came in the winners of two where the hat trick-seeking Kayf Supreme (2/5-1/2), who was well clear at the time, crumpled on landing at the last.

The winner of a maiden at Grennan in November 2012, Night Sir (8/1-10/1) was left in front and he provided Niall Redmond with his first success of the season when beating Delusionofgrandeur by three and a half lengths.

Winning owner/trainer/breeder Louis Hill was an absentee but his representative, Helen Markham, said the Needle Gun nine-year-old would be heading to the farmers’ race at Punchestown.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

KAYF SUPREME (J.T.R. Dreaper): This Kayf Tara six-year-old had jumped superbly until his last fence fall and can be considered most unlucky not to have extended his winning sequence to three.