MICHAEL O’Sullivan can do little wrong at present and the Cork rider’s hugely rewarding campaign continued when he rode a double at Ballinrobe’s first fixture of the year.
Nine Graces (11/5 favourite) initiated the brace when easily winning the BoyleSports (Mares) Handicap Hurdle for owner/trainer Barry Connell.
Having been patiently handled, the daughter of Kapgarde led approaching the straight and soon went clear to beat Ladiam by an eased-down three and a half lengths. Connell commented: “She wants soft ground and we thought there would be a good chance of getting it here. She’s a mare that loves jumping - we ran her in three bumpers and she kept getting worse with every run. She’s totally different with an obstacle in front of her.
“I’d say that’ll be it for the season and she’s a nice prospect for those mares’ hurdle races on soft ground next autumn/winter.
The well-backed Brucejack (8/1) was O’Sullivan’s second winner and the Shantou gelding made short work of his rivals in the Sherry Fitzgerald Handicap Hurdle
Homebred
James Mulhall’s homebred, out of Grade 3 hurdle winner Greenhall Rambler, travelled powerfully through the race, led approaching the last and won eased down by 14 lengths from Tango Theatre. It was a welcome winner for trainer Pat Fahy who said: “When you have a good horse like this and you’re needing one so bad, and have it all go wrong on you, it’s hard to take.
“He was too keen in his point-to-points and used to stand back so far he’d land on a fence. So I’m delighted to get this. I know it’s only an 80-95 but anyone can see he’s going to make a top-class chaser.”
No backing Down as Derek doubles up
DEREK O’Connor was another to visit the winner’s enclosure twice as he was successful in both bumpers. The easy-to-back 5/2 favourite I Wont Back Down was a ready seven-length winner of the DPD Mayo Depot Flat Race for four-year-olds.
The Champs Elysees gelding, sixth on debut at Thurles when also heading the betting, was always prominent and led just after halfway before stretching clear in the straight to beat Desert Halo.
Winning owner/trainer Sam Curling said: “We thought he’d do that the first day and I’d say he was just very babyish. His work has been very good all the way.
“Derek said he was still babyish here and will appreciate a bit better ground. We bought him at the Land Rover Sale and he’s a smashing horse. He’ll go to the sales this summer.
Double
The 7/4 favourite Backtonormal completed O’Connor’s double in the John Madden & Sons Flat Race.
Placed on rules debut at Cork last month, the Milan gelding, owned by trainer Mags Mullins in partnership with Mrs Mary Furlong, raced close to the pace and led on the approach to the straight before staying on well to fend off Alvaniy by three-quarters of a length.
O’Connor said: “He ran third in a real good, competitive race in Cork and he’s after coming forward from it and that’s a nice performance today.
“Mags is a wonderful lady to target races and I imagine a winners’ bumper might be next or he might be offered for sale.”
The five-year-old was unsold at Cheltenham in January shortly after finishing runner-up in a point-to-point at Ballycrystal.
Two-horse race
The Bowers Bar & Restaurant (Mares) Maiden Hurdle was a two-horse race on paper and materialised that way, with Broomfield Bijou (11/8) over-turning odds-on favourite Banntown Girl as the pair pulled a long way clear of the remainder.
Having raced in second, Broomfield Bijou, owned by Raymond Fitzgerald, headed her market rival at the last and scored readily by nine lengths.
Luke Dempsey rode the winner for his father Philip who remarked: “She’d a few lovely runs and was a bit unlucky in Navan where she was travelling very well when a horse fell in front of her.
“She doesn’t want it heavy, but when I walked the track I thought it was lovely ground. She’ll be a nice mare going forward over fences.”
Elliott has Zee winning touch
GORDON Elliott followed up Gerri Colombe’s Aintree Grade 1 success earlier in the day last Friday with a winner on home soil as newcomer Jay Jay Zee (6/1) led home a 1-2 for the trainer in the Tim Kelly (C&G) Maiden Hurdle.
Michael O’Reilly’s homebred son of Jukebox Jury headed odds-on favourite Free Flowing on the inside on the run-in with winning jockey Jody McGarvey’s ground-saving manoeuvre proving the difference as he defeated stablemate Osssifer Hops by three-quarters of a length with Free Flowing third.
The latter’s rider Robbie Geoghegan was hit with a 12-day suspension for infringing the whip rules.
McGarvey said: “He’s only a small horse and it was a bit tight for room but the gap was there and he was game and stuck his head out.
“We went very steady but I was able to get into a nice rhythm, got a nice tow into it and he showed a little turn of foot from the back of the last.”
Well-supported
Also amongst the winners at Dundalk the same evening, trainer Denis Hogan struck with the well-supported Bal De Rio (4/1) in the McGrath Limestone Works Handicap Hurdle.
Ridden by Daniel King in the colours of the Premier Racing Club, Bal De Rio needed minor encouragement through the race but found plenty to lead early on the run-in and beat Wee Charlie by four and a quarter lengths.
Hogan said: “The ground was right and he had a light weight with Dan’s 5lb off him. He’s a 10-year-old so whoever backed him was brave, but he did it nicely after a mistake at the last.”