THE Edward O’Grady-trained 2/5 favourite The West’s Awake made it two from two over fences within the space of five days in Limerick’s Clare GAA Rates Novice Steeplechase on Thursday evening and could be about to make up for lost time for his owner Sue Magnier.
Paul Townend’s mount, an easy winner of his beginners’ chase over this course and distance last time, was never out of the first three and sealed victory with a bold jump at the last before going on to register a comfortable nine-length success over Fire In Soul.
The six-year-old son of Yeats has been lightly-raced and his trainer observed: “Paul said he thought, coming down the hill, he was beaten, but then the other horse stopped and seemed to run out of petrol.
“He got a very good jump at the second last and won quite well. When he’s done it, he’s been impressive and he’ll have learnt a lot today because, the last day, he never came off the bridle.”
Sean Beston’s homebred Taipan gelding Absolute Grit lived up to his name in the Keanes Jewellers Ladies Day October 8th Maiden Hurdle when grinding it out for Eamonn Corbett by a neck at the expense of Mischievious Max, with the odds-on favourite Iolani only third.
Harry Kelly trains the 14/1 winner for Beston, who was away working on the oil rigs in Cork.
He said: “It’s great for Eamonn who comes in and rides work for us. My brother Jimmy has put a lot of work into this horse and he’s improving, but still weak. He’s green, a big baby still and he’ll be a lot stronger next year.”
BLUE BLOOD
Miss Sapphire, carrying the colours of the Blue Blood Racing Club made up of members of the Gardaí, was eased right down under Danny Mullins to capture the Follow Limerick Racecourse On Twitter Mares Novice Hurdle by a wide margin.
In front from the start, the five-year-old daughter of Flemensfirth opened up before two out and was good value at the finish for her 16-length win for the Willie Mullins camp. “That was a good performance and she’s a great filly going the right way,” said her jockey of the 4/11 favourite.
“Hopefully she’ll win a few more and I wouldn’t worry about her looking around. She would have been better with a lead, but she’s done her job well and stays well.”
Bandon-based trainer James Dullea, whose horses are running well at present, combined with in-form jockey Jody McGarvey to take the Follow Limerick Racecourse On Facebook 80-95 Handicap Hurdle with his own horse Silent Sun.
Throwing down his challenge between horses after the final flight, the 7/2 chance withstood the effort of market leader Whenthewindblows by three-quarters of a length.
Dullea said: “He’s a horse who has been working well, but he’s been unlucky since we first got him and was off for the guts of a season.
“His run the last day was good and Jody said: ‘If he runs like he did the last day, he’ll win,’ so I didn’t have to fill him with confidence. He gave him a brilliant ride and the horse toughed it out. He’ll go for something similar in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Mountrath handler Liam Cusack sent out Snugsborough Benny, with Richie Deegan in the saddle, to register a hard-won two and a half-length success in the McMahon’s Munster Mile 80-109 QR Handicap Hurdle.
Homebred by his Shinrone owner Raymond Loughnane, the 5/4 favourite joined Cusack last autumn and has some nice runs under his belt.
The trainer stated: “I’d say the ground was a bit quick for him the last day – the race cut up a bit today, so we were quite hopeful. This is a very competitive country, so any time you win a race it’s good and he’ll go for something similar.”
Colin Bowe’s in-foal mare Sharlanda was not found wanting for rider Sean Flanagan with her clear-cut 16-length defeat of the favourite Flaviana in the Limerick’s Live 95 FM Mares Beginners Chase on her second start over fences.
Homebred in Gorey by Thomas Hughes, the 2/1 chance had the race sewn up before the penultimate obstacle and both her owner and trainer could be tempted to look for blacktype for the Choisir mare before she retires to the paddocks in a month’s time.
Sharlanda is in foal to Ol’ Man River and Bowe commented: “She’s deadly to jump, but I didn’t know if she would handle cut in the ground, because I only have her since the autumn.
“Sean said she was saving a bit for herself and I’d say she’ll get two and a half miles easily as she gets a bit older.”
The Willie Mullins runner Crumpledandcreased was all the rage for the concluding Ladbrokes Munster National 8th October Flat Race, but met her match in the Declan Queally-ridden Stage Summit (3/1) who came out on top for her Cappoquin trainer Roger McCrath and his wife Helaine, a chemist by profession in Tallow.
McGrath’s first cousin and namesake reported: “He was very well-fancied, but we wanted a bit of better ground for him today.
“We were going to go to Galway with him, but came here instead. I’m a selling man so, if he’s not sold, he’ll go racing then.”
ACTING STEWARDS
T.P. Rudd, J. Horgan, P. McLernon, P. Ronan, M.F. O’Donoghue.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
AT RAINBOW’S END (Paul Nolan): Still travelling well and in touch when taking a crashing fall at the third from home, there was still everything to play for in the beginners’ chase won by Sharlanda.