IT may have taken her 35 attempts to get off the mark but Dancingwithangels has struck a rich vein of form this year and she made it three wins from her last five outings in the Connolly’s Red Mills Horse Care Cubes Handicap.
Tom Cleary’s charge was well suited by the rain softened ground as she took a significant step forward on the form that saw reach the frame in Limerick and Sligo handicaps on her last two starts.
Robbie Downey produced the six-year-old to challenge with a furlong and a half to run and at this stage she was doing battle with the top weight Stony Grey and Tawseef. Dancingwithangels was far too strong and she maintained an unfaltering tempo to win the mile and a half contest by half a dozen lengths.
“She seems to have improved again and luckily the rain came for her,” said Cleary who trains the daughter of Dark Angel for the Wall To Wall Syndicate. “We’ll try and get another run into her before the weather picks up. Rory (trainer’s son) was disappointed he couldn’t ride her but we had a good substitue in Robbie.”
The card concluded with a reversal for favourite backers as The Housekeeper (15/2) upstaged the odds-on Sambremont in the three-mile beginners’ chase. The Sean Flanagan-ridden mare, who had fallen on three of her four chase outings, made all the running for Sean Flanagan and her jumping held together when it mattered most.
Sambremont stalked the leader into the straight and got almost upsides with two to jump but the Margaret Hayes-owned The Housekeeper kept him at bay and produced a fine jump at the last to seal the outcome.
“She’s been unlucky and I thought she might have gone close at Punchestown last time as she was travelling well when she fell (four out in the race won by Mallards In Flight),” reported Harry Kelly.
PUNTERS’ LUCK
Odds-on punters had better luck earlier as Kaleefa (5/6) turned in a gritty effort for Pat Smullen in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. The 82-rated four-year-old, who was making just the fourth appearance of her career, made the running but from the entrance to the straight she had to contend with the sustained effort of When In Doubt.
Dermot Weld’s charge dug deep from the turn in though and appreciated every yard of this mile and a half as she was at her strongest in the last 200 yards. She crossed the line with three and a half lengths to spare.
“She stays very well and she was entitled to win with her rating. She handled the ground well and, in fairness to her, she dug deep and answered the call,” reflected Smullen.
MOORE WINNER
Whats The Plot supplied Arthur Moore with his second winner of the flat season as the 6/1 chance prevailed in the three-year-old 10- furlong handicap. Moore won a similar contest with One Cool Poet at Limerick last month and, like that horse, Whats The Plot has the capacity to develop into a nice dual-purpose type.
Fran Berry produced his mount early in the straight and Whats The Plot showed the superior resolution in the last furlong to hold off No Way Jack by a head.
“He’s a nice horse and I just didn’t know about the ground for him,” stated Moore who trains the winner for his wife Mary. “He’s out of a Kahyasi mare from a good Aga Khan family and he’s all Kahyasi. I think he’ll make a smashing dual-purpose type and he’s developing all the time. He’ll handle better ground and will run away through the summer.”
HANDICAP WINNER
Leonard Whitmore’s Kilford, who won a maiden hurdle at Clonmel March, successfully turned his attentions to fences in the two miles, five furlongs handicap chase. The three-times point-to-point winner was running off a mark of 104 for his handicap debut and Luke Dempsey had him chasing the front-running De Benno for much of the race.
As the last fence loomed Kilford (7/1) jinked slightly left just as he was getting the better of the pace setter but he quickly righted himself before going on to defeat the well backed The Doorman (7/2) by three-quarters of a length. The nine-year-old carries the colours of the Fort Road Syndicate.
Azzuri (15/8) bounced back from a below par run behind Kilimanjaro at Dundalk last month with a willing display in the 10 furlongs Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C&G) Median Auction Maiden. The Ger Lyons inmate led with a quarter of a mile to run but almost immediately he was pressed by Manitobian who did then edge ahead for a period. However, Azzuri battled well for Colin Keane and he got back on top inside the distance to prevail by a length and a quarter.
Of the Sean Jones-owned winner the trainer’s brother, Shane, commented: “He just went too quick last and didn’t get home last time. He was more professional today and went through the gears and he handled the ground. He’ll get further.’’
The Michael Hourigan-trained That’s Nice, who began his career with a succession of placed efforts last summer, got off the mark in the Kepak-sponsored bumper over two and a half miles.
Finny Maguire was niggling away at his mount heading out on the final circuit but he got the desired response from Thats Nice (9/1) who got to the front inside the last two furlongs. In the closing stages the John Carey-owned gelding held the steady effort of Indian Court by a length and a quarter.
Not so Nice
FINNY Maguire picked up a two-day whip ban after partnering Thats Nice to victory in the bumper while Rory Devine, who rode the runner-up, was suspended for three days.
ACTING STEWARDS
P.J. O’Connor, T. McDonagh, D. Pugh, R. Groarke, P.D. Matthews
HORSE TO FOLLOW
MULTICULTURE (J.J. Murphy): This Mount Nelson colt was beaten just over eight lengths into fifth by Azzuri but he ran far better than his position indicates. He can surely do better next time.