THE ‘horses for courses’ maxim always pays to follow at Tramore, so it comes as no surprise to learn that a number of last Saturday’s winners will be returning to the seaside venue for a second bite of the cherry at the August Festival.
Noel Dooly’s course specialist Coolfighter is one such example who, with James O’Sullivan in the plate, landed some nice bets (25/1 into 12/1) when swooping late from off the pace to capture the 80-109 handicap hurdle by two and a half lengths at Fleury Fort’s expense.
The 10-year-old was winning his 10th race, three or four of which have come at the track, for the Cool Boys Partnership who had the misfortune to lose their other runner, Masterchippy, with a broken leg in the fourth race.
Coolfighter will be making a return to his favourite course in August, with Dooly commenting: “I fancied him all the time but he’s a horse who’s very hard to get fit and there’s nothing better than a race to do that. He ran well in Clonmel where he flew home, but I had to give him a run in Leopardstown last Friday night to get him spot on.
“He hasn’t got the gears for the flat anymore but he loves it around here and we’ll tip away with him and bring him back here in August or maybe go to Galway.”
John Nicholson’s 7/2 chance Ask Susan gained a deserved success when taking command under Mark Enright in the mares’ beginners’ chase at the second last and sealing the issue with a bold jump at the final fence, going on to collect by a seven and a half-length margin from Jaime Sommers. The favourite, Karalee, could finish no closer than sixth.
HOLIDAY MONEY
Tramore has been a happy hunting ground over the years for Nicholson who indicated that an amateur flat race at Leopardstown in a fortnight’s time could be next on the agenda for his Ask mare. He said: “She did it well, but didn’t get away as well as we thought she would.
“That’s twice she’s won around here and two wins in a week is good – I’m going on holidays tomorrow to the Dordogne, so now I can pay yesterday’s fine (passport irregularity) and go and enjoy myself! Mark does a lot of schooling for me and he gave her a good ride – we’re a good partnership and a lot of the family are here.”
David O’Brien’s course specialist Icelip has an even better strike rate than Ask Susan over the course and he was winning for the fourth time when coming from last to first in the hands of Sean Flanagan to take the 0-109 handicap chase by a convincing four and a quarter lengths from fellow 4/1 co-favourite Seskin Flyer in the colours of the Fastey For Fun Syndicate from Waterford. The other co-favourite, Dark Outsider, was third.
The successful Piltown trainer quipped: “I wish there was more racing here! He ran well first time in a handicap in Wexford where he was a bit novicey but luckily he got it right today. John Grant, who is 91 and founded the syndicate, was here last night, but he’s not well today, so that will give him a boost.
“He [Icelip] can go back over hurdles as well, but he’s ground dependent and I’ll try and get him to win somewhere else now – if not he’ll come back here in August. Sean knows him so well now and just lets him pop away.”
Eoin Doyle, who was rumoured to be in Knock, missed out on a winner, in his case Ingleby Mackenzie who came up trumps for favourite backers with his half-length success in the 80-95 handicap hurdle, which brought up a 12/1 double for Sean Flanagan.
The 13/8 favourite is jointly owned by the trainer’s wife, Gemma, and Christine Hughes from Britain who is a new supporter of the Mooncoin yard.
Flanagan reported: “Things didn’t go his way in Down Royal where he got a bit knocked about and, I’d say he just thought about it a bit in Wexford. He deserved that.”
Doyle’s assistant, former jockey Mickey Butler added: “He did it well and he’ll be back here again in August.”
GALWAY TARGET
The local stable of Henry de Bromhead can also be relied upon to strike here and the Knockeen trainer’s runner Rio Lobo did just that when justifying 15/8 favouritism in the two-mile maiden hurdle. The ‘good thing’ responded to pressure from Conor Orr, who only recently returned home from a three-year spell with Evan Williams which yielded 11 winners, to get up close home by a neck from Shakeytry.
The seven-year-old is owned by Chris Jones from Dunshaughlin whose racing manager Gearoid O’Loughlin commented: “He doesn’t handle heavy ground and will probably go to Galway. He’ll probably go chasing in the autumn and I’m delighted for Conor who’s great value for his 7lb claim. That’s his second win for us.”
Longford-based Paul Flynn and his Strokestown owner Mick Regan, who combined to win the two-mile and five-furlong maiden hurdle five years ago, repeated the dose when the front-running Steelambition sprang a 33/1 surprise for jockey Barry Browne.
The Robin Des Pres six-year-old was being challenged by Buck A Trend and market leader Smitty Bacall coming down to the last, but stuck to his task gamely to hold on by a neck. Flynn related: “I don’t know what went wrong with him the last day. We were going to send him to the sales, but he ran so bad, we didn’t and I just put it down to the soft ground.
“He likes this ground and probably just wants to jump. He’s a three-mile chaser who won his point-to-point well and he’s still for sale.”
WINNING DEBUT
Champion trainer Willie Mullins sent out Dramalarma Lucy, the 4/5 favourite, to make a winning debut for the Supreme Horse Racing Club and his son Patrick in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Mares) Flat Race.
The Yeats mare always had the leaders within her sights and kicked for home early in the straight, lengthening away for a comfortable five and a half-length success over fellow newcomer Boragh Beat.
Her trainer remarked: “She did it well and has shown me plenty at home. She got balloted out at Ballinrobe which was disappointing, but it’s great that she got in here. I might go jumping with her because she’s more a hurdles’ mare than a bumper mare, but Patrick might have other ideas!”
Ban for Treacy
RYAN Treacy picked up a two-day careless riding ban on the runner-up Fleurys Fort in the sixth race, following a stewards’ enquiry into possible interference approaching the last.
Acting Stewards
E. Halley, P. Coveney, A.J. Molloy, L. Walsh.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
CARRIE DES CHAMPS (G. Elliott): A drifter in the market, she made up a lot of ground to give chase to two other debutants in the bumper and is sure to have learned plenty from the experience.