Eoghain Ward
WITH a roll call of previous winners within the last decade that includes the likes of Minella Rocco, Home Farm and Seabass, it is fair to say that the four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Horse and Jockey has a habit of throwing up a potentially smart recruit.
The Meadowview Stables-sponsored 2018 renewal was no different, as Donnchadh Doyle unleashed his The Big Getaway (2-5/2), to run out an impressive winner on what was a day to remember for the Wexford operator.
Left clear at the third-last, the giant-striding Monbeg Syndicate-owned son of Getaway had few moments of concern under Harley Dunne, as he returned a distance in advance of runner-up Hardy Man.
Connections understandably had high hopes of making a profit on the €28,000 which they parted with to purchase him at the Derby Sale nine months earlier, with Sean Doyle, brother of the winning trainer not holding back in the praise he lavished on the winner.
“Derek O’Connor rode him in a piece of work two weeks ago over two miles and what he did over the two miles was mind-blowing. When you see him over three miles it’s just onwards and upwards for this lad. This is a proper horse.”
SCOREBOARD
Out of luck in the race that his local Meadowview yard sponsored when his Sadler’s Way came down at the third-last, Andrew Slattery got on the scoreboard with Castletown Quary (1/1-4/6 favourite) in the Athassel House Stud five-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden. Favourite backers could well have been tearing up their betting slips at the first as the Scorpion gelding had to be picked up off the ground by jockey Roger Quinlan at the back of that obstacle, but swiftly regained his composure at the head of affairs.
Carrying the colours of Castletown House’s Tom Quinlan, a man who holds the honour of having bought Faugheen as a foal, the bay gelding was swallowed up by two challengers at the second-last. However, the favourite was back challenging at the last when Chain Smoker fell, whilst Cragmore-third, Monte Alban, made a costly race ending mistake, to present him with the lead and ultimately a three-length success.
“Roger (Quinlan) said that he blew up at the third-last but said that he got his second wind and was coming back at them. He was doing everything very easy at home and I would say that almost cost us the race as he was a bit undercooked,” reported Slattery of the Frank Motherway-bred individual who is now for sale.
ASK MARY
Slattery had earlier attempted to repeat his feat of nine years earlier when saddling back-to-back winners of the confined maiden in successive years. However, his hopes of repeating the success of An Laoch 12-months earlier, fell short when his representative, Get Help, could only muster a fifth-place finish behind Ask Mary (5/2-3/1) in the Looby Tyre Sales-sponsored race.
The James Killeen-owned daughter of Ask benefitted from a positive rider by Liz Lalor from the front, and this season’s leading lady rider held off Cavalry Scout by half-a-length to provide her father, Dick, with a third success of the current pointing campaign.
The winning rider, who moves onto the five-winner mark in her quest for a seventh ladies title, was taken by the bay mare’s tough attitude to hold on at the line and indicated that a winners’ race may be next on the agenda for the five-year-old, who had finished third at Nenagh back in January.
SIMPLE
Roger Quinlan completed a welcome return back between the flags when picking-up a second success of the afternoon in the Knockinglass Stud and Hotel Minella mares’ winner of one contest.
The local jockey kept it simple aboard Turtulla maiden winner Cloudy Day (6/4-2/1), with Norman Lee’s charge making much of the running, and once extended clearing after the third-last, she soon had the measure of her four rivals, returning 12-lengths in advance of Lingstown maiden winner In Arrears.
Michael Hogan, father of the winning owner Sarah, was delighted to see the Dubai Destination mare bounce back from a disappointing run at Knockanard recently, after which she was reported to be coughing as he commented: “She is very tough and very genuine. I just wish all our horses were like her. She is ground dependent, she likes this ground, so we might just leave her off now as it will probably go against her.”
NEW ADDITION
The opening Horse and Jockey Hotel four-year-old mares’ maiden was a new addition to the card at the Tipperary venue, and the inaugural renewal certainly could be a race to follow, as three well-bred and smart looking future prospects battled to the final fence, with Colin Bowe’s The Glancing Queen (6/4-9/4 joint-favourite), coming out on top under a confident Barry O’Neill.
The daughter of Jeremy, who only cost €8,500 in August, always travelled and jumped with real purpose which aided her to account of Tippingituptonancy, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Mr Whipped who had won his four-year-old maiden on the corresponding weekend 12 months earlier.
“She is a lovely filly that came out of the August Sale. You don’t come from the sales at the end of the summer and then come out and get yourself there unless you have a little bit of class,” reported Bowe of the Milestone Racing Partnership-owned mare.
“Barry (O’Neill) said that she gave him a great spin and that he never had to give her a smack after the last. She is a lovely filly with a good attitude.” The good-looking bay mare was another of the day’s winners offered at Thursday’s Cheltenham Festival Sale.
Sam Curling provided jockey Mikey Tobin with a second success of the season when newcomer Annie Bonny (3-5/1) showed her class to take the Coolmore Stud and Barne Accessories mares’ maiden for novice riders, comfortably.
Well-sourced for just £1,200 as a three-year-old at Doncaster, the Black Sam Bellamy mare, who proved six-lengths too good for Ballinaboola-third Impulsive Leader, is from a family that the winning owner and trainer knows well, as she is out of a half-sister to S For Estuary, a horse that he saddled to finish second in a Durrow maiden three years earlier. The British-bred bay mare may well now return for a winners’ contest, if not sold beforehand.
Homebred winner
THE Killeen family were understandably delighted to welcome back their homebred mare, Ask Mary, to the winner’s enclosure following the confined maiden, as she is the first foal out of their only broodmare.
“Her dam was with Joe Crowley but she got hurt,” remarked winning owner James Killeen. “I have a three-year-old by Westerner, she had two Gamuts after that and is in foal to Kalanisi now. I’m just a small man from Monivea in county Galway and this is as good as a Cheltenham winner for me!”