MINELLA FAIR blew away the opposition under Sean Flanagan in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle at Tuesday’s rescheduled fixture at Clonmel to claim the €20,000 prize for his Belfast owner Patricia Hunt and trainer Noel Meade.
It was an impressive performance from the 9/4 joint favourite who led all the way to slam High Sparrow by an eased-down 62 lengths, after which the seven-year-old’s jockey said: “He’s a horse who just has that relentless one-pace and he jumps really well. He was very unlucky the last day when he just got caught in a pocket and everything went against me.
“I wasn’t going to get caught the same way today. He won a point-to-point first time and just had a few little problems along the way, but he’s very effective in very, very heavy ground. The key to him is that he’s as genuine as they come.”
The other joint-favourite, Gun Digger, was found to be blowing hard and to have superficial cuts on his near hind cannon bone. Jockey Jack Kennedy reported that his mount was never travelling during the race and was pulled up.
BIRTHDAY GIFT
Cheltenham’s leading trainer and jockey Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell combined to give Gigginstown Stud owner Michael O’Leary the ideal birthday present with success for Back Bar who did the business in the Comeragh 80-109 Handicap Hurdle by a decisive six lengths from Timmie Roe.
Russell said of the 13/8 favourite: “He’s a consistent old sort and he plugged away. He is what he is and has scope enough to maybe jump a fence.”
The Willie Mullins newcomer Poly Rock got off the mark in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle when proving 13 lengths too strong for the more experienced favourite Allardyce.
Ridden by the in-form Paul Townend for the Supreme Horse Racing Club, the 5/2 winner was in the first two from the outset and mastered Allardyce early in the straight, pulling away from his main rival at the last.
Townend remarked: “He jumped well and is entitled to improve a lot from it. We had the best of the ground (officially heavy) today, but It’s dead and hard work. When I landed alongside Philip (Enright), I just had a look around and decided it was time to go about my business.”
HALF SISTER
The New One’s half-sister Shimmer’s Rock, who was formerly in the care of Pat Fahy, proved to be an ironic winner of the Kilsheelan (Mares) Maiden Hurdle as her one and a quarter length success came at the expense of Fahy’s short-priced favourite Awayinthewest.
Adam Short’s mount carries the colours of her trainer Pat Collins’s son Sean, who bought the 4/1 chance privately around Christmas time. His Co. Down-based father said: “A whole lot of the work was done before we got her and I quite fancied her. A step up in trip would suit her and the plan would be to get a bit of blacktype and then go straight breeding because that’s our business.”
First-time cheekpieces worked the oracle for Danse Away, from the T.J. Nagle yard, who finally got his turn for the trainer’s long-time Co Galway supporter Ailish Glynn in the Lisronagh 80-95 Handicap Hurdle. Ridden by Danny Mullins, the 11/4 shot had them all in trouble facing up to the final obstacle and sauntered home 13 lengths clear of market leader Rock On Barney.
The Killavullen trainer commented: “He had good point-to-point form but hadn’t lived up to it and he has been disappointing. This is a small bit of compensation.”
Danse Away was due to bid for a quick follow-up in the amateur handicap hurdle at Cork two days later.
Mullins doubled-up with a prominent display aboard the local hope Betterthanalright in the Racing Again March 29th 0-102 Handicap Chase. Trained just a few miles from the course in Poulmucka by Liam Casey for his father Donal, who bred the 14/1 shot, the 12 year-old put his low-weight to good use when seeing off the challenge of the equally-prominent Whats In It For Me by one and a quarter lengths.
LOCAL SUCCESS
Betterthanalright was registering his first success since the Molony Cup in December 2014 and Casey commented: “He hasn’t run since Wexford in June and has come down a bit in the weights. This is our local track, so we just stuck him in and were hoping for the best!”
The Oliver McKiernan-trained 11/10 favourite Luckyinmilan, with Barry Browne in the saddle, edged out Mindsmadeup in the closing stages of the Carrick-On-Suir 0-109 Handicap Chase to win by half a length.
The duo matched strides virtually all the way and the Rathcoole handler said of the Keep The Faith Syndicate’s five-time scorer: “The other horse beside him helped and kept his mind on his fences. He hasn’t got pace and I just thought the two miles would be easier on him than the two miles seven furlongs of the last race I had him in.
“Barry knows him well and gave him a great ride. He’s a real soft ground horse, so time might be running out for him.”
ACTING STEWARDS
P.F. Ronan, A.J. Molloy, C. Powell, L. Walsh.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
DANSE AWAY (T.J. Nagle): The application of cheekpieces seemed to do the trick for this ex-pointer whose exploits between the flags don’t seem to have been matched by his track form. This latest success will have given the confidence to go on from here.