Eoghain Ward
IT was a day to remember for Co Cork trainer Jonathan Sweeney as his Rathcormac yard enjoyed an across the card double with Minutestomidnight taking the Mary Barry’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant five-year-old mares’ maiden at Lingstown, while Barnahash Rose took the Grade 3 mares’ Novice Hurdle at Limerick to provide him with his greatest success to date.
It was the Vinnie Roe mare Minutestomidnight (2-7/4 favourite) who initiated the double. However, she was forced to work significantly harder for victory than had looked likely, as a slow jump at the last, a feature which had been present throughout much of her round of jumping on debut, handed the advantage to the back to form Queeny (3-5/1) up the run-in.
However, the favourite had too many gears and prevailed by half a length in the hands of Jamie Codd.
Carrying the colours of former jockey Larry Murphy who was also representing the winning handler who had travelled to Limerick, indicated that a bumper would likely be next for his mare.
“I had a 100% record when riding for Jonathan (Sweeney) so it is great to continue that now that I have retired. She was green in jumping and Jamie (Codd) said that she would have won very well otherwise.”
On a day largely dominated by local successes, there was to be another victory for Cork raiders as the Eamonn O’Donnabhain-trained Aztec Chief (4-5/1) overcame a long absence to take division one of the Ire-Wel Pallets older maiden and in doing so completed a double on the card for local rider Codd.
On his first start for O’Donnabhain, having previously been in training with his Downpatrick-based owner and breeder Denis MacAuley, the Great Palm gelding who is a half-brother to the 10-time Grade 1 winner Brave Inca, proved much too good for nine rivals as he ran out the six-length winner over Colgrave Sound (5/1).
“I am too old to be training and Eamonn (O’Donnabhain) is my daughter Victoria’s boyfriend so I sent the horse to him. I only retired his dam who is 23 this year, but I still have five or six broodmares to keep me busy,” remarked MacAuley.
The Codd family, on whose land the meeting took place, kept the honours of the Ire-Well Pallets older maiden within the family, as having witnessed Jamie ride the winner of the opening division, elder brother William trained the impressive wide-margin winner of the second division with the newcomer Pastures Green (3-6/1) with Paul Power aboard.
Showing signs of his inexperience in the preliminaries, the son of Craigsteel raced keenly in the early stages and pulled himself 40 lengths clear at one point before ultimately returning on the bridle to record a facile 15 length success over Wilkie Collins (3-7/2).
The winning handler who also owned the six-year-old was somewhat surprised by the manner of victory following his early antics.
“He is a quirky horse with a big engine, it is just a case of trying to contain him. He will go to the sales now and he will be better on the track over shorter trips where they go a good gallop. I am a bit blown away by that.”
Power was narrowly denied a training success on the afternoon as the former Henry de Bromhead inmate Sizing Australia, whom he now has in his care, was only beaten by a length in the feature Casey Enterprises Open Lightweight over the Banks course.
The 14-year-old, a winner of the Cross-Country race at the Cheltenham Festival in 2011, was sent off as the easy to back 5/4 joint-favourite, however he was ultimately out-gunned by Treo Eile (4/1), who is six years his junior.
Fourth in this race 12 months ago, the Exit To Knowhere gelding jumped supremely well in the hands of J.J. Slevin to provide his father Shay with a second winner in as many weeks.
The winning handler reported that the bay gelding who runs in his wife Elizabeth’s colours, is bound for the Ladies Cup at the Punchestown Festival next month.
Colin Bowe appears to have his youngsters primed for their debuts as his Daklondike (2-3/1) looks a horse to take note of following his impressive success in the opening Home Instead Senior Care four-year-old maiden to continue his fruitful recent run in the division.
A half-brother to the Cheltenham Festival victor Great Endeavour, the son of Gold Well appeared to be travelling strongly into the home straight in the hands of a confident Barry O’Neill who never had to ask his mount for his maximum effort to account for Anchor Man (4-8/1) by three lengths.
The Milestown Race Partnership-owned gelding was due to go through the sales ring at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale on Thursday.
Local rider Mark Scallan recorded a deserved victory in the Rostoonstown Stud winners of one as having hit the crossbar in the opening two contests, he got up in the shadows of the post aboard Finnegans Hollow (2-4/1) to deny fellow local rider Gary Murphy and trainer Denis Moore with a second victory in as many weeks, as their representative St Killenagh (5/2 favourite) was a length in arrears at the line.
The winner of an older maiden at Punchestown last month which also produced that afternoon’s Belclare winner Graces Island, Gordon Doyle’s Indian River gelding who carries the colours of Henry Cleary, appears to have hit top form at present and is now set to line up in a maiden hunter chase at Cork on Easter Monday.
The Paul Nolan-trained Robinroyale (6-10/1) stepped-up notably on his previous two outings to record an all-the-way success in the Slaney Foods International five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Dictating the tempo in the hands of Eddie Keating, the Robin Des Champs gelding, a €55,000 purchase as a store at the Land Rover Sale in 2014 by his trainer, galloped relentlessly to the line in the performance of a staying chaser for the future to account for recent Knockanard third Lough Derg Jewel (1-6/4 favourite) by eight lengths.
Carrying the colours of Malverton Limited, the bay gelding is out of a Roselier mare who won a maiden at Stradbally and is a half-sister to the 144-rated chaser Alexander Taipan.
Alan Dobbs who was representing the winning connections, put forward the better ground he encountered here as the reason behind the improved showing and indicated Robinroyale would now be sales bound.
Suspension
The stewards had a busy afternoon with inquiries called following tight finishes to both the winner of one and open lightweight races resulting in the winning jockeys of both races, Mark Scallan and J.J. Slevin picking up one day suspensions each for careless riding.
In memory
A minute’s silence was observed prior to the commencement of the feature Banks race in respect of Philip Hore, the Honorary Secretary and Fieldmaster for the Killinick Harriers, who was buried just seven days before the fixture, having passed away on March 3rd, the final day of the Killinick’s hunting season.
Aileen retires
It was the end of an era at Lingstown, as Aileen Cardiff, a familiar face within the weigh tent at the Killinick Harriers fixture, retired from her position as Honourary Secretary, after 35 years’ service to the hunt, having been elected to the committee in 1981.