JOCKEY Mikey Fogarty, who underwent surgery on a fractured vertebrae and a shoulder after a fall at Aintree back in April, made a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure at Tramore. The Wexford native additionally gave trainer Eoin Griffin cause for celebration by landing the beginners’ chase on the 5/4 favourite Pollywollydoodle.

In front from start to finish, Maurice Sheehy’s Oscar mare increased her lead from two out to beat Asockastar by an unchallenged 14 lengths. Royal Chief was the only other finisher and sadly there were two equine casualties in the race, Wells China who slipped up on the bend past the stands, breaking his fore leg and Tikka Light who suffered a back injury when coming to grief at the fifth last fence.

Griffin, who has a team of 16 or 18 horses for the winter, said: “It was a grand opportunity for her. She ran at Wexford back in June where the ground was a bit quick for her and came back with sore shins so I was forced to give her the summer off. She wouldn’t go on real winter ground so we’ll tip away and try and pick up a winners of one. She’s a well-bred mare and in the spring we’ll be hoping to sneak a bit of blacktype for her because Maurice breeds a lot of horses in Wicklow.”

Regrettably, Martin Ferris, who was aboard Wells China was also injured in the incident and was subsequently found to have broken his left wrist.

Fogarty, meanwhile was understandably delighted to be back in action, having made his comeback at Navan almost three weeks ago. The rider was full of praise for the treatment he received at Santry Sports Clinic and said: “They did a great job. I was up there with Ruby (Walsh) and Bryan (Cooper) and all three of us will be back within two weeks of one another. None of us would have been back and as fit otherwise.”

Champion jockey Ruby Walsh is proving to be another great advertisement for the clinic and has a 100% strike rate of three wins from three rides since his resumption of race riding following Old Castletown’s all-the-way success for his father Ted in the www.tramore-racecourse.com Maiden Hurdle.

The 11/10 favourite races in the colours of his breeder Denise Walsh of Entenmann Bakery fame and she was married to the trainer’s first cousin who sadly died a year ago. She spends some of her time in Kildorrery. Walsh senior commented about Old Castletown : “He jumped well and travelled well and there were only 5 or 6lb between most of them. He’s a top of the ground horse and the hood helped him because he’s inclined to take horses on a bit.”

Jody McGarvey notched up his first winner as a 3lb claimer courtesy of the 7/1 chance Daigreen’s two and a quarter length success in the Like Tramore Racecourse On Facebook Handicap Hurdle. Shinrone, Co Offaly-based George Webb has care of the five-year-old for his Nenagh owner Mortimer Gleeson and Dundalk could figure in future plans for their dual flat scorer. Webb remarked: “He was fresher today than he was in Gowran and I might let him off now. He’ll be a nice horse for next year, jumping a fence.”

FULLY FLEDGED JOCKEY

Ian McCarthy partnered his first winner as a fully-fledged jockey when making all on the John Hayes-owned and trained easy-to-back 12/1 shot Kilmurry Kid in the Waterford & Tramore Racecourse Supporters Club 0-95 Handicap Chase for a two and a half-length success over Vicalus.

“Everything went right for him today,” Hayes admitted. “And the ground was lovely for him. He likes a bit of juice and the bit of rain in the week helped.”

The Bold Beckey has been threatening to win a race for some time and her turn finally came in the two-mile, five-furlong Waterford & Tramore Racecourse 2014 Special Recognition Award Handicap Hurdle. A first win at the seaside venue for her rider Shane Crimin. Michael O’Regan’s homebred mare is trained in Killavullen by neighbour T.J. Nagle who observed: “I thought she had a chance the last day but I don’t think she got the three miles. She’s in the mares’ handicap hurdle at Limerick on Sunday where they wouldn’t have winter ground.”

The former Jimmy Mangan inmate Pumbaa got back to winning ways under amateur Roger Quinlan in The @Tramoreraces On Twitter Beginners Chase. Now in the care of Thurles trainer Donal Commins, whose son Mark heads the 16-member Rafiki Syndicate, the 5/2 favourite made every yard for an unchallenged 10-length victory over the equally-prominent Empresario. This success was particularly welcome for Quinlan who missed the bulk of last season after undergoing two operations on his shoulder. He is back freelancing now and rides out for Commins.

Mark Commins said of the winner: “He’d been in training for a long time, needed the time off last year and we had the facilities at home and were all set up.” The syndicate, whose members are mainly from Thurles, as well as Galway and Wicklow, are already dreaming of a trip to Cheltenham next March with the six-year-old Vinnie Roe gelding but will be guided by their trainer.

Local handler Eoin Doyle rarely goes away empty-handed and was on the mark in the Waterford & Tramore Racecourse Ladies Flat Race with Cliffside Park who got a run up the rail to put his head in front under Rachel Blackmore in the latter stages in a gripping three-way finish by half a length from market leader Allez Gold.

Doyle trains his 7/2 winner for a new patron Paul Mangan, junior, owner of that Dublin landmark pub, Dohenny & Nesbitt. The trainer stated: “I fancied him at the Festival but he had sore shins after it. I gave him one run over hurdles and Mikey (Butler) said he wasn’t happy on fast ground so I gave him a break. He’ll probably go hurdling now.”