Alan Mahon

THE Route Hunt meeting attracted a fine crowd to Portrush on a blustery afternoon which proved to be a successful day for Barry O’Neill, who recorded a double.

Absainte (4/6-4/7 favourite) got the Wexford rider off the mark with a battling victory in the Maddybenny five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

The Tony Martin-trained mare made most of the running, and having survived a bad mistake three from home, the favourite battled to a neck victory under a strong O’Neill drive from the Mark O’Hare partnered improver Questionation. By Saint Des Saints, Absainte is the second winner out of Niangara, a winner in France.

Owned by the Smile Says It All Syndicate, it consists of four members including local owner John Hegarty, proprietor of the Royal Court Hotel, Portrush who sponsored the open race, Howard McIlwaine, Wilbert George and Samuel Hanna from Saintfield.

A delighted McIlwaine stated: “Tony is in Leopardstown today but we have him to thank for this. She was narrowly beaten at Loughanmore a few weeks ago and finally she got her head in front.”

O’Neill completed his double when One Cool Clarkson (6/1-10/1) took the Ulster Stores three-winner for Neil McKnight. The Clerkenwell gelding has been consistent finishing placed nine times in points but was last seen in the winner’s enclosure over three-years ago at Castletown-Geoghegan.

The Dermot McLoughlin-handled Captain CJ was sent off a short-priced favourite. However, the Westerner gelding, an easy winner at Loughanmore two weeks previously, travelled well to take up the running on the approach to the second last but failed to negotiate that obstacle leaving One Cool Clarkson a fortunate winner. The ever-prominent 10-year-old was best placed to take advantage and he recorded a six-length win from Celtic Thunder in the four-runner event.

Of the winner, who was running in his wife Christine’s colours, Neil McKnight stated: “That was a great run there. He is a proper fun horse and he will go in open company next time.”

COMPETITIVE

O’Neill was narrowly denied a third victory in the Royal Court Hotel open race on board the John Hegarty owned Sabremont for David Christie. The competitive looking contest proved a thrilling spectacle as three of the five runners turned for home together as the Alan Potts-owned Sizing Coal (1/2-4/5 favourite), Sabremont and Yes Tom jumped the final fence in unison.

A great jump from Sabremont looked to give O’Neill’s mount the initiative, but the Derek O’Connor-partnered Sizing Coal battled to gain the upper hand close home by a neck, with Yes Tom settling for third.

Tom Dreaper remarked: “I’m delighted with that, they went a good clip in that ground and I thought he might have been a bit short of work but he has a bit of class. He will be a better horse again the next day. I’m not sure what the plan is now, I will have to speak with the owners.”

The most impressive victory of the day came in the Drenagh Sawmills five-year-old geldings’ maiden, as Karen McNeilly’s Shumaker (2/1-3/1) cruised to victory under Mark O’Hare. Unlucky not to lose his maiden tag last season, the Whitmore’s Conn gelding eased to the lead at the second last and quickly extended his advantage on the run to the final fence. The chesnut gelding recorded a 10-length success from the consistent Some Response.

Shumaker’s three-year-old half-brother by Doyen realised €33,000 to Kevin Ross Bloodstock & Gordon Elliott at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale this year. Shumaker is out of the Fruits Of Love mare Blazing Love who is a half-sister to multiple winners including dual Group 3 winner Lady Springbank.

An elated winning handler, McNeilly said: “He has tended to jump out to the left in the past and Karen Ferris has been doing some work on him and he seems to have improved so I have her to thank for that. He is such a good wee horse he deserved to get his day. I think he could go back to the track now.”

IN-FORM

The opening Dennison Commercials Ltd four-year-old maiden produced a decent winner in the form of Weakfield (8/1-5/1) for handler Gavin Cromwell. The son of Court Cave put in an exceptional round of jumping and was guided to victory by Anthony Fox who was recording his second winner of the campaign.

Warren Ewing’s newcomer Brace Yourself led throughout and held the advantage at the last when making a slight mistake leaving the door open for Cromwell’s Weakfield to record a three-quarter- length success.

From the family of Dancing Tornado, Weakfield is out of Flemensfirth mare Thats The Lot and is a half-brother to consistent performer and three-time winner Sretaw (by Kalanisi), who is also trained by Cromwell.

Ger Fox, brother to the winning jockey, represented the absent handler and commented: “He really thinks a lot of this horse and he is one of the nicest four-year-olds we have in training. We really thought he would be hard to beat today. Anthony said he was always holding off the second horse on the run-in. He could be for sale.”

Only five runners went to post in the concluding Fletcher Torrens & Semple & Sons Ltd older geldings’ maiden as the Stuart Crawford-trained Ballyhowne (2/1-4/1-3/1) won under a textbook ride from the trainer’s brother Ben. The winning Generous gelding was produced to join the well-supported favourite Military Road at the last fence and battled to a length success on the run-in.

Ballyhowne is out of the unraced Saddlers’ Hall mare Izzy Saddler, who is a half-sister to Boyfromnowhere a three-time winner for Rebecca Curtis. “It’s great to see him recording his first win as he could have picked up a few races before now. He is a horse with plenty of ability and we will probably keep him pointing in the near future,” commented the winning handler.

Loud cheers for

Ballyhowne

THE loudest cheer of the day came in the final race as Ben Crawford guided Billie-Jo Irwin’s Ballyhowne to success. Ballyhowne was purchased privately by Johnny Irwin for his wife, Billie-Jo, over the summer. From Beragh, Co Tyrone, the Irwin family enjoyed their first winner and were joined in the enclosure by their two young children, Henry and Emily. An overjoyed Johnny remarked: “That was just class. Ben gave him a fantastic ride.”