AFTER booting home a brace at Downpatrick on Sunday it was a case of more of the same for Jack Kennedy the following day at Ballinrobe. His 14/1 two-timer was completed in the featured E.P.S. Handicap Hurdle on 6/4 favourite Walkabout.
Gary O’Brien of Attheraces owns the well-backed winner as part of an alliance with M J Wasylocha, Aiden Murphy and Peter Reynolds. The Papal Bull gelding owed his position in the betting to some decent efforts in all-aged company on recent starts.
In his own age group here, the four-year-old was asked to go and win his race, from the quarter-mile pole, off what seemed a pretty sedate gallop.
Duke Cass (reported by Donagh Meyler to have hung right) closed well on the run-in, but he was never getting there and a length and a half split them at the finish. There was the same distance back to Tagg’s Island in third.
“He kind of threw away a few races with his jumping, but he jumped well today. He might go to Perth now for a novice hurdle,” said winning trainer Gordon Elliott.
Earlier Kennedy brought Pursecco (5/1) home in front in the Maloney & Matthews Mares Maiden Hurdle for the Fin & Feather Syndicate and Prunella Dobbs.
The Roscommon bumper scorer, a daughter of King’s Theatre, jumped better than Wilms Warrior (11/4 2nd favourite) and Bobarlee (8/11), and that helped her to defeat the duo by two lengths and a neck.
“She is owned by a large group of friends, friends of George (husband) and I. One lady came over from the UK just to see her running today,” revealed Mrs Dobbs.
“We are on a bit of a roll. We only have two National Hunt horses, her and Antimatter (bumper winner at Ballinrobe on July 19th).”
BROWNE SCORES
A fortnight on from his big night at Galway, when he took the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders Handicap aboard Joe Murphy’s Swamp Fox, Barry Browne got on the scoresheet as a conditional aboard Call Me Pj (9/1) in the Broderick’s Electrical Handicap Hurdle.
Browne carried the Keep The Faith Syndicate silks on Call Me Pj, and the Oliver McKiernan-trained nine-year-old led after two out on the way to a length success over Manuka.
“I thought the ground might be a bit quick for him and he never went over two mile five before so I had a few concerns,” acknowledged McKiernan.
Jack Kennedy, rider of Supreme Vic, reported that his mount was never travelling, jumped poorly and pulled up.
The betting suggested that Cable (5/4 favourite) was the one to beat in the Cummins & Sons Homevalue INH Flat Race, after an excellent Galway effort. However Willie Mullins’ newcomer Borboleta (6/4) proved to be in a league of her own.
J.J. Slevin was hard at work approaching the end of the back straight on Cable, as Patrick Mullins, in the colours of John Coleman, sat pretty on the Germany mare, Borboleta.
She soon went away to account for Cable and Graineyhill in impressive style, by nine lengths and half a length. Fourth home Thats The News was 22 lengths further back.
“She has been quite hard to keep sound and she was bought two years ago. She has a great pedigree, Germany is obviously a fantastic sire and she is a half-sister to The Romford Pele,” divulged Mullins junior.
“We weren’t sure she’d do that. Because she has been quite fragile we haven’t trained her as hard as usual.
“I’d say the favourite didn’t run to form, but I think there is plenty of fun to be had with her.”
COMFORTABLE WIN
The J.J. Burke Peugeot (C & G) Maiden Hurdle provided its share of incident. Up the front was the place to be and Buachaill Maith (11/1) and Ger Fox made all to account for Wild Sam by a comfortable 11 lengths.
The 11/10 favourite Licklighter (every chance at the time) seemed to jump the second last fine but he crumpled on landing and came down. His rider Tony Kelly gave up his remaining mounts as he was taken to hospital for shoulder x-rays.
“He has had a few niggly problems and that’s why he only ran once in 2014 and 2015. He cracked his pelvis once and it’s good to see him winning a race,” disclosed successful handler Francis Flood’s son Fran.
“He is owned by Margaret and John Comerford and family (the D I Y Syndicate) from Nenagh. They’ve had a few point-to-point winners with us over the years but that’s the first one on the track.”
Philip and Luke Dempsey added to their gains from Downpatrick the previous day with Teacher’s Pet, when Persian Wind (11/4 favourite) deservedly found an opening to shed his maiden tag on start 14 in the Supermac’s Ballinrobe Handicap Hurdle.
Luke Dempsey had to be strong on the Around The Fire Syndicate-owned winner, but he had a willing partner as the Pushkin gelding reeled in Shamat (eventually third) on the run-in, to beat Barney King by a length.
“He’s small but gutsy and he’ll probably step up in trip. He is in at Tramore, and we’ll see,” said Dempsey senior.
After having seconds elsewhere on the card with Duke Cass and Manuka, Karl Thornton and Donagh Meyler struck in the Burleigh Accountancy Maiden Hurdle with James Brennan’s Round Tower (11/8 favourite).
It all came together nicely for Round Tower, often a beaten market-leader in the past, as he gave a powerful galloping and jumping display to dictate matters from early on. He crossed the line with eight and a half lengths to spare over Billy De Kid.
“That’s a relief! He has been called plenty of names but he has had plenty of problems,” said Thornton.
“We will school him over fences now and chasing will be his game.”