Rest of the Card
AFTER a somewhat shambolic start that left a couple of the runners with no chance when the race got underway the Grade A Guinness Handicap Chase served up a 25/1 surprise as Foxy Jacks struck off bottom weight for Mouse Morris and Jonathan Moore.
When the race did get going after a couple of false starts, Foxy Jacks was always in the firing line.
The Dermot Desmond-owned gelding had indicated that he could be coming back to form lately and although he didn’t always jump fluently, he maintained a good position.
Then to his considerable credit, he turned back one rival after another inside the last half mile and a brave jump at the last enabled him to hold off Pont Aven by a length and three-quarters.
“When he gets it together he was able to win one of these and hopefully there’s another good handicap in him. We might keep him going with a view to the Galway Plate,” commented Morris.
Another good day for the Mullins team concluded with a treble as the Patrick Mullins-ridden Grangee bagged the Grade 3 Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares Flat Race.
The Willie Mullins inmate, who followed her Dublin Racing Festival triumph with a respectable sixth to Sir Gerhard at Cheltenham, brushed aside Choice Of Words in the straight to win by seven lengths.
The victorious 5/6 favourite carries the colours of Syndicates Racing.
“She’s a tough mare, she’s travelled twice to England this season and yet she’s come here and produced a smashing performance.
“She’s had a busy enough season so I would imagine she’s earned a break now,” stated the trainer.
In style
A memorable spring for Peter Fahey yielded another well-endowed prize as Suprise Package shed his maiden tag in style in the €75,000 Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final.
The five-year-old, who cost a mere €4,200 as a three-year-old, had shaped with promise on a couple of occasions including when second to El Barra at Fairyhouse over Easter but this better ground brought about a career best from him by some distance.
Darragh O’Keeffe allowed the 14/1 chance to cruise to the front turning for home and Surprise Package stretched clear to defeat the staying-on It Could Be You by half a dozen lengths. Fahey trains this gelding for Boston-based Paul Leech.
“He’d run well in some decent maidens and this is a great pot to win him. He’s kept improving and I think he is going to be a lovely horse for the summer,” commented Fahey.
“He caught my eye when he was second in a point-to-point one day and we bought him after he didn’t sell at a sale over in Yorton in November.”
APPROPRIATELY, the season’s champion conditional rider Simon Torrens bagged the final of the Adare Manor Opportunity Series Handicap Hurdle aboard Jessica Harrington’s Guiri (9/1).
A dual Group 3-placed flat runner in Germany, this J.P. McManus-owned gelding had shaped up well on his first two handicap outings and he was produced in terrific shape for his first run since Christmas.
In first-time cheekpieces, the five-year-old travelled conspicuously well and he could be called the winner from some way out. He eventually reached the line with four and a quarter lengths to spare and he prevailed in the manner of one who be a force in some decent handicaps next season.
Conor Orr was crowned the leading rider in the season long series, while Henry de Bromhead scooped the leading trainer award.
“The nicer ground, cheekpieces and the step up in trip brought about good improvement from him there. Simon felt he was getting there a bit soon but he saw it out well,” remarked the trainer’s daughter Kate. Jessica Harrington then followed up with Lifetime Ambition (13/2) who has put a frustrating spell behind him with some authority as evidenced by his commanding demolition of the field in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle.
The Linda Mulcahy and Mary Wolridge-owned gelding met with six defeats in maidens this season and was a beaten favourite on three occasions but the tide turned for him when he won nicely at Limerick in March.
Even better was to come here as the son of Kapgarde cruised through this race in second for Robbie Power before taking over the lead with two to jump. He then set about building up an ever-increasing advantage which saw him reach the line a dozen lengths ahead of the French import Fastorslow who shaped up nicely on his first run since September 2019.
“He’s back to what we thought he was in the autumn. He’s a gorgeous big horse and he’s going chasing next season and anything he has done over hurdles is a bonus.
“Possibly he was just a bit weak still when he was running on that really heavy ground in the winter,” observed Kate Harrington.
A LENGTHY stewards’ enquiry followed the Guinness Handicap Chase won by Foxy Jacks after the stewards looked into both false starts and the actual start of the race.
The stewards heard evidence from the starter Paddy Graffin and five of the riders who took part in the race.
The starter reported that in relation to the first false start he had no option but to call a false start as it was before the off time. As regards the second false start he stated that only some of the riders had obeyed his instructions and some had pre-empted the start causing him to call the riders back again.
In relation to the actual start Graffin stated that all riders were facing the right direction when under starters’ orders and a fair start was effected. He added that due to tight space from a standing start some runners were inconvenienced and Mark Walsh, rider of Ten Ten, choose not to take part.
In conclusion the stewards deemed a fair start had been effected but the matter was referred on to the registrar of the I.N.H.S. committee for further investigation.