IT was a day to cherish for Midleton-based trainer Donie Murphy who supplied his son, James, with his first winner on the track as Winter Fog upstaged the red-hot favourite Captain Kangaroo in the second division of the two-mile, three-furlong maiden hurdle.
After being beaten by less than nine lengths in the County Hurdle, the 126-rated Captain Kangaroo was sent off the 1/5 favourite for this contest and he led the field into the straight.
Winter Fog and James Murphy (21) were shaping with real menace in his slipstream and after the last, the 28/1 chance asserted to defeat Captain Kangaroo by just under four lengths.
The Patrick O’Leary-owned winner was making just his third appearance on the track and his first since he picked up a 42-day ban as a result of a running and riding enquiry at Thurles in February.
“It’s great for James and the horse is after improving for a break and he could be a nice horse for the summer,” remarked the winning trainer. “He had struggled in point-to-points and we felt he could be going down the handicap route but the way he has won there suggested we could go for a winners’ race.”
Global obliges
There was better luck for odds-on punters in the opener as Joseph O’Brien’s Global Equity justified her position as the 1/3 favourite in the first division of the mares’ maiden hurdle.
The Annus Mirabilis Syndicate-owned mare’s neck second to Heaven Help Us in a top-class handicap at Leopardstown an obvious highlight and she wasn’t disgraced when fifth to Skyace in a Fairyhouse Grade 1 over Easter. J.J. Slevin made much of the running on the six-year-old who found plenty in the straight to defeat the Wexford bumper winner Eyre Square by a length and a half.
J.J. Slevin endured contrasting fortunes in the second division of the mares’ maiden hurdle as his mount, Roxanya (25/1), came to the second last going nicely in the lead but she overjumped there and crashed out.
Lucy’s luck
This paved the way for Sit Down Lucy to enjoy a straightforward success which continued a memorable few weeks for Peter Fahey and Kevin Sexton.
The victorious Padraic Ryan-owned daughter of Doyen, who was placed on two of her three bumper outings, came home in splendid isolation to defeat the newcomer Robin Scherbatsky by 14 lengths.
“I could have done with the other horse staying up as she was having a look when she was left in front,” remarked the winning rider.
“She stays well, jumps and travelled and she’s come back a stronger and better mare this year.”
Hanlon’s excellent campaign
SHARK Hanlon moved on to the 22-winner mark of a highly impressive season as Teescomponentsyess landed the second division of the two-mile, three-furlong maiden hurdle.
Now a winner of two races for Hanlon since being picked up for £4,000 last autumn, the five-year-old made most of the running for Jody McGarvey building on a satisfactory debut over hurdles behind Salt Wind at Fairyhouse over Easter.
The five-year-old got away from the last much quicker than his challenging 7/4 joint-favourite Il Courra and he defeated that rival by four and a half lengths.
“He got his own way up front and he jumped much better today than he did at Fairyhouse. We’ll up him in trip now for a winners of one,” declared Hanlon.
Storming White
Dermot McLoughlin sent out his first winner since Freewheelin Dylan’s never-to-be-forgotten Irish Grand National triumph as The Great White (5/1) and Conor Maxwell dominated the closing stages of the first division of the 80-95 rated handicap hurdle.
The Slattery Bloodstock-owned grey stormed clear of last week’s course winner and 11/10 favourite Definiteadare to score by 11 lengths.
Ryan’s tally
John Ryan equalled his previous best tally for a season – 15 winners – when That’s Lifebuoy picked up the first division of the 80-102 rated handicap hurdle over two and three-quarter miles.
This Michael Walsh-owned daughter of Fame And Glory looked potentially well treated on her third to Royal Kahala in a Fairyhouse maiden in November and she bounced back to that form under Philip Donovan.
The 16/1 shot was travelling smoothly on the outside of the field turning for home and soon asserted to defeat last month’s course winner Seangoell by an ever increasing 11 lengths on her handicap debut.
Gamble landed by Rathnaleen Tou
THERE was a tidy gamble pulled off in the second division of the 80-95 rated handicap hurdle as Rathnaleen Tou, who was backed from 12/1 into 3/1 favouritism, struck for Athea-based trainer Eoin McCarthy.
The 10th winner of what has been by far McCarthy’s best season to date, Rathnaleen Tou made all the running for Kevin Brouder and she defeated Courting Vickie by just over four lengths.
The winner carries the colours of John Moylan and was making her first start for McCarthy on her first outing since early October.
Artic Light surprises
ALMOST three years after he last won a race, the Tom Mullins-trained Arctic Light sprang an 18/1 surprise in the second division of the 80-102 rated handicap hurdle over two and three-quarter miles.
This J.P.McManus-owned and Mark Walsh-ridden nine-year-old came out the right side of a good tussle with Added Bonus after the pair went toe-to-toe from the second last.
Delightfantastic running and riding enquiry
THERE was a significant postscript to the maiden hurdle won by Global Equity as John Joe Walsh was fined €3,000 and jockey Ambrose McCurtin was suspended for 21 days after the stewards held a running and riding enquiry into the seventh-placed Delightfantastic.
The stewards found the trainer and rider to be in breach of Rule 212 A (ii) and the horse was suspended for 60 days.