Eoghain Ward

A BIG Monksgrange crowd were not put off by the heavy rain which fell during the opening races and their dedication was rewarded with a high class day of racing to rival any fixture to have taken place this season, headlined by the introduction of Eden Du Houx (4/1-8/1).

Grade 2 winner Maria’s Benefit has advertised James Doyle’s ability to produce young horses in his very short time as a handler, and on the basis of the debut performance that his French-bred produced in the Tattersalls Ireland four-year-old geldings’ maiden, he looks to have a very smart sort on his hands.

Brought to the head of affairs by Harley Dunne after the opening circuit, the Irish Wells gelding was always travelled powerfully and, once setting sail for the winning post rounding the home bend, he was always holding a competitive field, returning in the Baltimore Sales Syndicate colours, four lengths in advance of the well-backed favourite, Tactical Move, a €100,000 purchase out of the Derby Sale.

“He was very impressive there, in fairness to him. We have always thought an awful lot of him at home and he is a lovely sort that came out of the Land Rover Sale from the Bleahan’s.

“His work has always been good, so we were really fancying him coming here,” reported Doyle, whose charge is likely to be next seen in new colours, as he is set to be offered for sale.

Reigning champion Barry O’Neill rarely leaves his local track without a winner and having partnered subsequent sale-toppers Samcro and Madison To Monroe in each of the last two years of racing at the Wexford course, he was aboard another exciting newcomer in The Con Man (5/4-4/5 favourite) in the Goffs UK Spring Sale five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The €50,000 store purchase was sent off as a well-supported odds-on favourite, and the son of Oscar, who carried the colours of the Milestone Racing Partnership, duly delivered on that market confidence, with a commanding six-length defeat of Cragmore runner-up Old Rascals. He too is now set to be offered for sale.

TREBLE

Victory aboard the Maurice and Anthony Smiddy-bred bay gelding had formed the middle leg of a treble for O’Neill, as he had got off the mark for the day aboard Roy Tector’s Turndownthevolume (5/2-3/1) in the Cooney Furlong Grain winner of two contest.

A wide-margin winner on her penultimate outing at Lismore, the homebred for the three-horse handler, was left clear by the fall of Buckie Cullen at the second-last and seemed destined for victory coming to the final fence, only to face a late challenge from Makepoint, ultimately holding on by a head.

Tector, whose colours were carried to success by the seven-year-old, was quick to praise Tom Feeney for pulling-up the Stowaway mare when she ran in a Cork hunter chase over Easter.

“I put a tongue tie on her today as she just got stuck in the mud down in Cork. I have to give credit to Tom Feeney. He pulled her up that day so she didn’t have a hard race. Whereas if he had of battled out the finish it might have finished off her season.” The bay mare is likely to be set for the track following her third success between the flags.

O’Neill had to be at his strongest to get Turtulla-third Soarlikeaneagle (7/4-3/1) up to claim the Ballywalter Farms older geldings’ maiden. Overcoming a number of jumping errors, Mark Cahill’s son of Scorpion, whom he owns in partnership with his brother Paul and Andy Kenehan, was all out to defeat Captains Run by a head.

It has not been an easy task for the Co. Tipperary-based handler to get the six-year-old to the track since purchasing him from the Land Rover Sale, and the six-year-old could reappear in a winners’ race in the coming weeks before being sold.

Narrow defeat in the day’s concluding race denied Rob James a treble, as he had earlier partnered two smart mares to their debut victories, beginning with Mega Yeats (5/4-6/4 favourite) in the Ire-Wel Pallets four-year-old mares’ maiden.

One of five winners across the weekend to carry the Monbeg Syndicate colours to success, the daughter of Yeats, who is out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Snoopy Loopy, was never out of the first two throughout, and once left clear by the departure of her main rival, Methodtothemadness at the second-last, she returned an eased down three-length winner over Caddy Shack.

“She is a real good-looking mare that is a cracking horse. We only got her in August from the sales, but she has done everything very well at home, so we were confident ahead of the run. She will go to the sales now,” reported the winning handler, who moves to the 25-winner mark for the season following the victory.

SECOND WINNER

It was the turn of older brother Sean to provide James with his second winner of the day, as the pair introduced Faithfulness (4/6-6/4 favourite) to claim the Nitrofert mares’ maiden, in what was yet another impressive winner. Bought for €15,500 as a foal by the Punchestown-based former jockey Basil Valentine, the well-related Robin Des Champs mare made her move on the run for home and proved eight lengths too good for the twice-placed Jasper Bear.

“She is a smashing big mare and fair play to Basil (Valentine), as she was a big weak mare that just needed a bit of time and he was in no rush. She has showed us loads at home and is well-related,” remarked the winning handler whom he added had shown him the potential to be a blacktype performer over fences.

Local celebrations

WHILE in the midst of celebrating the victory of his own Turndownthevolume, local handler Roy Tector was quick to congratulate Eddie Keating on his second-place finish in the $100,000 Maryland Cup in America hours earlier.

“I just want to say a big well done to Eddie Keating who used to come in and ride for me. He has been with me all along so it is great to see him doing well.” Keating had partnered Tector’s winning seven-year-old to claim her maiden at Mainstown before Christmas.

The impressive victory of The Con Man proved to be a popular local success, as the son of Oscar is jointly-owned by winning handler Colin Bowe and Marguerite Furlong, the chairperson of the organising Bree Foxhounds.

Furlong has previously enjoyed success with the five-time former champion handler, as their pair won a four-year-old maiden at Dromahane with The Druids Nephew, a horse that has gone on to win at the Cheltenham Festival.