CAPTURE The Drama took the starring role in the Eoin O’Gorman Solicitors Novice Handicap Chase at yesterday’s Wexford meeting when bringing his tally of wins to six within the space of a year for his Newmarket-on-Fergus owner/trainer Aengus King.
Five of those have come this season, the latest being an all-the-way success for rider Andrew Ring who had secured a mount in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle, only to be ruled out by age – he is 26.
Capture The Drama was driven out from the final fence to hold the gallant effort of Dr Waluigi by eight lengths, after which King said: “He’s a great horse to have and I’ve lost five stone since I started riding him last January!
“He’s training me at this stage and I thought the distance would be too short for him. I also thought he needed the run, but he’s just getting fitter and fitter and I know him a small bit better. He’ll have his next run over two and a half miles – on that performance I can bring him back.”
It has been a good week for owner J.P. McManus whose Crossed My Mind got off the mark over jumps with a cosy four and a half-length success under Jody McGarvey. It proved to be third time lucky for the Arthur Moore-trained 5/2 winner, who had finished fourth behind Melon last time at Leopardstown and took Monotype’s measure here with a little in hand. His jockey said: “He travelled and jumped great. It was a weak contest and he benefited from it.” Market leader Foxearth had to settle for fourth.
Local trainer Liz Doyle supplied the unconsidered 16/1 winner of the Pinnacle, Tomcoole, Waters & Kelly’s Farmhouse Bakers Maiden Hurdle in Delface who mounted a successful challenge to Leomar on the run-in to prevail by a head in the hands of Brian O’Connell.
The French-bred winner, jointly owned by the trainer’s London-based brother-in-law Glen Howitt and his friend John Bell, is “a big child and just sleepy and backward,” according to his handler.
She remarked: “He ran in a good bumper at Leopardstown in January and the form of that race has worked out well, but it has taken a long time for the penny to drop. He’s getting better with every run he’s had and this was a huge step forward.” The long-time leader Theydon Park faded into fifth place.
O’Connell combined with another Doyle, this time Eoin, to double-up via 14/1 shot handicap debutant Jefferson Davis in the Barry Ennis Memorial Novice 80-109 Handicap Hurdle. Making sustained headway from three out, the four-year-old moved into second off the last bend and led at the penultimate flight, going on to collect by two and a half lengths.
A dual winner on the flat for Kevin Prendergast, Jefferson Davis races in the colours of Doyle’s wife Gemma Murphy. His trainer stated: “He did it well, but probably wants better ground. He’ll be a grand horse for the summer and going left-handed seems to be the secret to him.
“He’ll probably go for another handicap in Killarney and stick to left-handed tracks. He had the race won a long way out.” Here, too, favourite backers were out of luck with the hot pot Like A Demon who had to settle for fourth place.
Crosshue Boy’s future lies over fences, but Harley Dunne’s mount picked up the third hurdle win of his career when coming out best in the Micheal O’Murchadha Memorial Rated Hurdle by one and three-quarter lengths at the expense of the ‘good’ thing Camlann.
Wexford-based Sean Doyle, a brother of leading point-to-point supremo Donnacha Doyle, has care of the 7/1 chance for his Blackwater owner Niall Heffernan who commented: “We’ll tip away with him for now and keep him a novice chaser for the year. Chasing is his game and he’ll be better over fences on nicer ground.”
Katie O’Farrell rode her second winner for Willie Mullins in the Arctic Tack Stud Veterans Handicap Chase when giving the Byerley Racing Syndicate’s The Paparazzi Kid a patient ride from the rear to get to the front after the last.
The 8/1 winner held on by a neck from Lisclogher Lad with his better fancied stable companion, The Crafty Butcher, the 7/2 favourite, a further two lengths away in third.
O’Farrell reported: “I was told to take my time with him and let him enjoy himself, but he didn’t like the ground. He didn’t travel like I had hoped but really started to roll coming down to the second last. He was lucky at that fence, but had plenty of experience and looked after me more than anything.” Harley Dunne had his claim reduced to 5lb after winning the bumper aboard the Peter Croke-trained 20/1 shot Vanellope. Owned by Maurice Sheehy, the daughter of Presenting had been well-beaten on all three of her previous starts but managed to upset the odds-on favourite Burren Life (8/13) by five lengths.
ACTING STEWARDS
M.C. Hickey, P. Coveney, N.P. Lambert, L. Walsh.
HORSE TO FOLLOW
CROSSED MY MIND (A.L.T. Moore): Looked a useful recruit to the hurdling game when comfortably getting off the mark over timber and should be capable of a follow-up.