ULTRA-competitive fare on a track combined with a diverse range of amenities for racegoers of all ages saw a bumper crowd gather in Quakerstown for last Sunday’s County Clare Hunt meeting. Inside the rails it was a red-letter day for Ballybrit-native Stephen Connor who recorded his first ever double in the saddle.
Connor commenced his afternoon in the best possible fashion as debutant Brewingupastorm (3/1 - 8/1) claimed a cracking renewal of the Goffs Punchestown Sale four-year-old maiden. Handled and owned by Connor’s employer Timmy Hyde outside Cashel, Co. Tipperary, the victorious Milan youngster showed a taking turn of foot after the penultimate obstacle to readily dismiss fellow newcomer Stop The World by eight lengths.
“This is a very nice horse that showed some speed there today. He’s always done everything nicely at home for us. Stephen gave him a good ride and he is a great young lad. Like most of mine, he’ll most likely be sold now,” outlined Hyde of his €35,000 acquisition from the 2016 renewal of the sponsors’ Land Rover Sale.
1148-DAY ABSENCE
The 24-year-old Connor concluded his brace in the closing Hassett Considine Solicitors five-year-old and upwards confined maiden as popular Quin, Co. Clare owner/trainer John L Hassett produced Royal Tara (5/2 - 3/1) to overcome an 1148-day absence.
Having tracked the front-running favourite Stay In Touch for much of the contest, the Kayf Tara-sired bay eventually got the better of a good battle with that rival by two and a half lengths.
Hassett said of his seven-year-old, who was last seen making his debut in a Kildorrery younger geldings maiden: “This horse is a great leaper that also stays very well. He has grown a hand since he has been off and is all of 17hh now so the time off probably did him no harm. I’d imagine he’s for sale now.”
Denied aboard Stay In Touch, local jockey Derek O’Connor scarcely leaves the North Clare venue empty-handed and similarly recorded a double of his own to keep his The Irish Field champion-rider title aspirations alive.
Long-standing patron Liam Burke provided O’Connor with his initial victory as Smugglers Blues (3/1 - 9/2) landed the Sullivans Hotel Gort, Road Maintenance Services Ltd & Gerry Finnerty five-year-old geldings maiden.
Confirming the promise of his Dromahane debut effort last year, Walter Connors’ homebred Yeats gelding showed fine battling qualities to repel the late flourish of Lagganstown by a neck.
“We think he’s a fair horse. We were half-tempted to go hurdling with him to be honest. He was just too keen on his first two runs but settled perfectly today which was good. Walter is a selling man so he’ll be moved on soon,” stated Burke.
Tubber-born O’Connor recorded his 35th winner of the campaign as Checker Hill (2/1 - 4/5F) obliged in the manner expected in the Gort Mart Ltd & Clare Local Bookmakers six-year-old and upwards geldings maiden.
The Black Sam Bellamy-gelding could be called the winner some way from home and readily asserted on the decline to the straight, ultimately carrying the day by a cosy four lengths from the front-running Ajijic.
“This fellow was only broken as a five-year-old. A lot of the credit for today’s win has to go to Paul O’Neill who rode him previously but is currently injured. The horse had some lovely runs under Paul on bad ground but loved that better ground today,” revealed Newmarket-On-Fergus-based Brassil, whose seven-year-old sports the silks of the Four Amigos Partnership.
QUALITY FIELD
The inaugural leg of the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Ladies Open series attracted a quality field including two horses vying for this season’s champion pointer award: Sprintingforgold (4/5F) and Ourmanmassini. It was the Monbeg Syndicate-owned eight-year-old who returned to the head of those standings with a comfortable six-length triumph over Rosc Catha, following the departure of Ourmanmassini at the penultimate obstacle when lying a close second.
This was also an important victory for winning amateur Liz Lalor as it drew her level on three victories with Rosc Catha’s rider Shauna Larkin in the race for champion lady rider.
Triumphant handler James Doyle said: “It was a pity that the other horse fell as it would have been a good battle. Liz was very good on him and knows him well having ridden him to win in Nenagh. He’ll hopefully run away again in a few weeks and it would be great to make him leading pointer.”
The ITBA, Turkey Trotters & The Pier Head Bar & Restaurant five-year-old and upwards mares maiden saw nine participants face the starter with victory going the way of the Joseph O’Sullivan-owned Duhallow Gesture (3/1 - 4/1).
Expertly-ridden by Gerry Mangan, the daughter of Kings Theatre came with a withering late run on the outside of the pace-setting duo of Gortnagirl and Clear Symbol before carrying the day from the latter by a length.
Off the track since contesting a competitive Boulta mares’ maiden won by Rosie McQueen in November, the five-year-old is trained by former leading amateur Damian Murphy, who remarked of his close relation to former top hurdler Rhinestone Cowboy: “We thought this mare would win last time out, but another mare fell in front of her and brought her to a standstill.
“She’s a very good mare, and she is well-bred too. She loves that good ground and we’ll aim her at a mares’ bumper next all being well.”
First winner
THE Four Amigos Partnership were certainly on good terms with themselves following the victory of their Checker Hill in the older geldings’ maiden. Partnership spokesman Tony Donnellan explained how the partnership came together. “It’s unbelievable really as that’s our first ever winner and we’ll enjoy every bit of it. John Hegarty and I are involved together in a metal recycling company called United Metals in Limerick. “We got together with two friends of ours from the Lissycasey area of Co. Clare, Brian Marrinan and Derek Lynch who are involved in the construction industry. John (Brassil) is a top class trainer who brought the whole thing together for us. He is a gentleman to deal with and deserves every success.”
Pony race
A FUN-filled day of activities for the large attendance concluded with the initial running of the County Clare Hunt members pony race. Five young participants face the starter: Emily Costello, Ethan Troy, Eimear Moynihan, Ava Corbett and Tara Diggins. In a thrilling race, Emily Costello, from a family which has been synonymous with point-to-pointing in Clare down through the years, produced her mount, Usane Bolt, with precision timing to lead off the home bend before surging clear to a comfortable victory.