ALL roads led to Dromahane on Sunday for the Duhallow-Kanturk meeting, the only hunt racing fixture over the weekend, and Barry O’Neill edged into a narrow advantage over Jamie Codd (35- 34) in this season’s title-race by steering the Colin Bowe-trained newcomer Hill Sixteen to a clearcut success in the Coolmore NH five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

In the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 14 runners, the giant Carrigmoorna Pine led after a mile and he had Spyglass Hill and the eventual winner as his closest pursuers from before three out. Hill Sixteen (5/1) and Spyglass Hill joined issue at the final fence and the winning son of Court Cave was the stronger on the flat.

He asserted inside the final 100 yards to beat the promising Spyglass Hill by a length. Carrigmoorna Pine meanwhile gave ample indication of ability by returning a further four lengths adrift in third spot.

“He’s a lovely big, honest horse that was bought at last year’s Goffs UK Spring sale, “disclosed Bowe of the Milestone Racing Partnership’s Hill Sixteen, an early-May foal who is related to Ever Blessed and Sumos Novios. Hill Sixteen was quickly added to this Thursday’s Goffs UK Sale after racing at Aintree.

FIRST SUCCESS

James Kenny made his initial mount for Pat Doyle and Gigginstown House Stud a winning one by steering Shot To Hell to a valiant success in the Goffs UK Aintree Sale four-year-old maiden. The race had the biggest number of runners in this age group so far this season with 12 participants.

Shot To Hell (7/1), Doyle’s seventh individual four-year-old winner of the campaign, went to the front on the approach to the eighth of the 14 obstacles and he held a commanding advantage setting out on the final circuit.

This deficit was eroded from the third last, the son of Kayf Tara seemed sure to be swallowed up on the run to the final fence.

However, last month’s Lismore third is a doughty customer and he gamely maintained the tempo on the flat to contain favourite Cobblers Way by one and a half lengths.

Shot To Hell was acquired by Joseph O’Brien for €110, 000 at last year’s Derby sale and the mid-April foal is a half-brother to Grade 2 placed hurdler Meet The Legend whilst his Alflora-sired dam Combe Florey is a half-sister to former Cheltenham festival winner Young Spartacus.

CONSECUTIVE SUCCESS

Pat Doyle departed with two winners for he later sent out Sydney Paget to record his sixth consecutive success of the year in the Duhallow P2P Committee open.

The 11-year-old Sydney Paget (1/2) made virtually all the running and he was clearly travelling best in the lead on the run to the second last. A superb jump at this penultimate obstacle sealed victory in any case and the winning son of Flemensfirth ultimately accounted for Rattle The Cage by a comprehensive six lengths.

“He’s a tremendous horse to train and he looked a million dollars today,” said Doyle of the Roddy O’Byrne-owned veteran, a former seven-time track winner that was posting his 13th points success. “He would have hated the ground out there today, but at the same time, he had no race and he will hopefully run again in a few weeks’ time.’’

DOUBLE

Sydney Paget’s rider Derek O’Connor likewise posted a two-timer, the Galwegian opening his account aboard Robert Tyner’s seasonal debutant Escort’namix in the Tattersalls Ireland five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

Front running tactics once again worked the oracle here as Escort’namix (7/2), who fell two out on her only start last term at Bartlemy in May, recorded a pillar-to-post success.

O’Connor though dictated the pace, increasing and decreasing the tempo to suit his mount, and the winning French-bred was in no mood to be denied as she held on well in the closing stages to eclipse promising first-timer Henrietta Bell by one and a half lengths. Escort’namix, Tyner’s initial winner for owner Walter Connors, will probably be seen in new colours when running again.

Ask Mary is on a definite upward trajectory and the likeable five-year-old supplemented last month’s victories at Horse And Jockey and Durrow by landing the mares’ winners of two.

Ask Mary (5/2 – 9/4) had to be rousted along by her handler Dick Lalor’s daughter Liz in fourth spot on the run to three out as Our Henrietta and Jodies Miss vied for supremacy up front.

The victorious daughter of Ask, representing Galwegian James Killeen, was soon back on an even keel and she took up the running before two out en-route to dismissing ex-park performer Jodies Miss by three lengths. Ask Mary may now well run at the rescheduled Courtown fixture on Saturday April 21st.

THE FAVOURITE

The 16 bookmakers present once again came out on the wrong side when the Michael Winters-trained favourite Papal Present stepped up from his fourth-placed debut effort behind Minella Indo at this same venue last month to capture the closing five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.

Papal Present (5/4 - evens), patiently-ridden by Chris O’Donovan, made smooth progress from after four out to hit the front over the second last. It was all plain sailing thereafter as the five-year-old, sporting the silks of Kanturk native Brian Sweetman, forged clear to dispense with long-time leader Quarry Rebel by three lengths.

The indications are that Papal Present, a close relation to Teaatral, will now be prepared for a tilt at the point-to-point bumper in Tipperary next month.

Weather conditions

Last week’s inclement weather conditions put paid to the vast majority of the weekend’s jumps fixtures with Dromahane, where racing was first staged in March 1990, keeping the show on the road. There is natural drainage at Dromahane and the ground was in excellent shape considering all the recent rainfall.

Conditions were not too testing and there were no leg-weary finishers, a trend that had become increasingly noticeable over the past couple of weeks.

It’s a pity that some of our actual racecourses don’t have the same type of drainage that there’s at Dromahane!