DENIS O’Regan was seen at his typically patient best when getting Hurricane Darwin back into the winner’s enclosure in the featured At The Races Handicap Chase.
The Westerner gelding has been quite lightly raced since landing a maiden hurdle and a beginners’ chase early last year and, following a summer break, has benefitted from a general return to form of the Alan Fleming yard.
O’Regan produced Barry Connell’s well-backed seven-year-old (14/1 in the morning and sent off at 8/1) to lead at the last and kept on well to beat Whatareudoingtome by a length and three-quarters.
Fleming said: “Denis was really good on him and it suited the horse. He likes good ground, and if we can stick to that there could be another chase in him. He could go back over hurdles as he has a more lenient mark and is a nice fun horse.”
The same connections were pleased with the hurdle debut of long-time absent Edelpour in the At The Races Maiden Hurdle, although he was no match in the closing stages for the 6/5 favourite Mengli Khan.
The Gigginstown-owned gelding, twice a winner on the flat for Hugo Palmer and promising in a couple of hurdle runs last term for Gordon Elliott, stretched clear on the run-in under Jack Kennedy to score by six lengths.
Elliott said: “He did it the hard way as they didn’t go fast enough and he was fresh. He jumped better than he did last year but he was hard enough on himself, and I was happy the way he galloped to the line. With the size of him, I always felt he would be a better horse this year and we’ll look for a winners’ race before something like the Royal Bond.”
FEMALE SUCCESS
Ellmarie Holden and Rachael Blackmore have blazed a trail for their gender in the past year and the pair teamed up to take the Emerald Facility Services Beginners Chase with Call The Taxie. The well-supported 2/1 chance led before two out in this two-mile, four-furlong event and drew clear on the run-in to beat A Sizing Network by nine lengths.
“We were worried about the ground as we thought he wanted it slower. Rachael gave him a super ride,” said Holden of the six-year-old she trains for her mother, Catherine. “I was expecting him to run well but not win like that. He should improve a lot from that run.”
Noel Meade plans to send Moulin A Vent over fences after the grey son of Sagamix showed no respect for his hurdles in the Meath Farm Machinery Hurdle.
“He jumped terrible. I don’t know what it is because he jumps fences well and schooled well on Wednesday morning,” said Meade of the Patricia Hunt-owned 4/9 shot, who ultimately beat the front-running Hi Nellie by a comfortable eight lengths.
“Sean (Flanagan) said he got quite tired but I would have expected that,” added Meade. “That’s it with hurdles now and he’ll run in a beginners’ chase in the next month. To be able to jump like that around Navan and still win then he has to be fairly good. He’s such an athletic horse you would think he would jump for joy.”
Kilkeaskins First (7/1) made all to score at Kilbeggan last month, and front-running tactics again proved just the trick for the father and son team of Philip and Luke Dempsey in the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice Irish EBF Handicap Hurdle.
Philip Dempsey said: “That seems to be the way to ride him. He jumped away well and coped well with the extra 9lbs. He’s a horse that always showed an awful lot at home but was disappointing on the track. We were probably running him over the wrong trip and I’d say he’s a two-miler.”
Let’s Twist Again, as big as 16/1 in the morning and returned at just 9/1, opened his account at the 15th attempt in the Sequence Events Handicap Hurdle. Trained by Joseph O’Brien for J.P. McManus, the son of Galileo led early in the straight and rallied well after being headed before the last to pip Wee Small Hours by half a length.
Winning rider Mark Walsh said: “I got to the front too soon and he was wandering around a bit. I’d something to aim at going to the last and he’s a real out and out stayer.”
Sally Park (7/1) attracted some support when gaining an unlikely victory in the Meath Farm Machinery Bumper. Barry Browne’s mount set the pace in this newcomers’ event but looked a spent force two furlongs out before rallying strongly in the closing stages to beat Peace Party by half a length.
The Flemensfirth gelding is trained for Claire Howes by her husband Paul Flynn who said: “He was going to go point-to-pointing until recently and we’re glad we didn’t now. He galloped all the way to the line.”
Acting stewards
R. Dore, D. McCorkell, Dr F. Gillespie, P. Reynolds, P.W. Murtagh.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
EDELPOUR (A. Fleming): He ran a cracker on his hurdle debut following an absence of over two years. A former dual winner on the flat, he should benefit greatly from this.