THERE’S just one place to be on the Wednesday of Easter week and that’s at the Killeagh Harriers meeting.

This year’s renewal took place at Ballyknock for the second consecutive year and, on an afternoon that witnessed quite testing underfoot conditions, the Sean Doyle-trained newcomer D B Cooper impressed by winning a truly-run renewal of the four-year-old maiden.

Joecooker made his way to the front from the third of the 15 obstacles and held a clear advantage from half-way.

The pacesetter however came back to the field shortly after setting out on the final circuit and he was overtaken by the sweet-travelling pair of Prends Garde A Toi and the eventual winner approaching three out.

With the Getaway-sired D B Cooper erring at this third-last fence, Prends Garde A Toi edged into a couple of lengths advantage.

D B Cooper (3/1 - 4/1) however came back to lead for Jamie Scallan on the outer before the last, except that he was outjumped here by Prends Garde A Toi who touched down upsides.

It was D B Cooper that was the stronger on the flat and he gamely asserted inside the final 100 yards to oblige by two lengths from Prends Garde A Toi with the pair returning 30 lengths clear of the third-placed Marching Mason.

Nice horse

“He’s a real nice horse that had been working well with some four-year-olds’ that had already won. I was confident coming here, even if I was still a bit afraid of the ground and he will now go to a sale,” said handler Doyle of the Monbeg Syndicate-owned D B Cooper, a maternal grandson of the listed-placed hurdler Swiss Hill that was acquired for €28,000 at last year’s Goffs Land Rover sale.

Prends Garde A Toi’s handler Colin Bowe and rider Barry O’Neill then combined to collect the five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Painted Wolf (1/1 - 5/4 favourite), the only victorious favourite on the six-race card.

Painted Wolf, absent since finishing second to subsequent Grade 2 British novice hurdle winner Rock My Way on a sounder surface at Castletown-Geoghegan in October, overcame a few jumping errors by making his way past frontrunning newcomer Papillondeluminiere after two out.

It was all relatively plain sailing thereafter as the winning son of Telescope that’s out of an own-sister to Philip Hobbs’ three-timer Grade 1 winner Thyme Hill drew clear to beat dead-heaters’ Papillondeluminiere and Slaney Opera by an authoritative six lengths in the Benjamin Halsall silks.

Bowe reported of Painted Wolf, a €32,000 acquisition as a foal: “He had a great run in Castletown-Geoghegan and Barry [O’Neill] said that he’s a horse that you could drop back in trip.”

Return to form

The Jimmy Kelly-trained mare Cloudy Fountain (3/1 - 6/1) returned to the form that saw her finish third on her points debut at Aghabullogue by benefiting from a supremely-confident waiting ride from Alan O’Sullivan to land the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts’ maiden.

The five-year-old Cloudy Fountain made smooth progress from four out and she went second after the penultimate obstacle.

The winning daughter of Cloudings edged into a narrow advantage approaching the last and, having secured a flier here, she asserted in the closing stages to dismiss long-time leader Our John by two lengths.

“She’s a lovely tough honest mare that wasn’t quite right on her previous two runs and she will now probably go back over hurdles,” said handler Kelly, who also paid particular tribute to owner/breeder James Reaney from Whitegate.

DEREK O’Connor made his only mount of the afternoon a winning one by landing the four-year-old mares’ maiden aboard Sam Curling’s Cobra Queen (2/1 - 3/1).

Having finished a soundly-beaten third on her career debut at Lisronagh in late February, Cobra Queen made smooth progress to dispute the running on the inner with Jewel Of Windsor from before the fifth fence.

Her position in the box seat on the inner was to prove crucial for the winning daughter of Milan and she held a fractional advantage over Bluey and the closing Kiltealy Park approaching the last.

She was much the faster in the air here, drawing clear on the flat to contain a pair of likely-looking winners in Bluey and Kiltealy Park by two lengths and a neck.

“She came on a lot from her run in Lisronagh and is also one that would prefer better ground,” commented handler Curling of the John O’Leary-owned Cobra Queen, whose grandam is a half-sister to former Irish Grand National winner The Bunny Boiler.

Just two horses faced the starter in the winners’ of one, but it still witnessed the closest finish of the afternoon as Gerry Kelleher’s On Lovers Walk (5/4) landed the spoils under 21-year-old Darragh Higgins from nearby Ballymacoda.

On Lovers Walk tracked Minella Blueway for the most of the trip and he got through to challenge on the inner before the last. Minella Blueway secured the faster jump here, but had no reply on the flat as On Lovers Walks asserted inside the final 50 yards to score by a neck in the colours of his handler’s nieces Abigail and Lucy Kelleher.

THE most popular winner of the afternoon was undoubtedly Loughaneala Og (3/1 - 7/2) in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden which wasn’t surprising considering that she’s trained by the meeting’s Clerk of the Course Liam Burke, whose photograph also adorned the front cover of the racecard following his victory aged 66 aboard Teuchters Glory in a Limerick bumper last month.

Former track performer Loughaneala Og, who finished third on her points debut at Bandon in late February, set off in front with Mikey O’Connor and she frequently held a clear advantage.

The favourite Barrons Land appeared the most likely winner on hitting the front after two out, but Mikey O’Connor had other ideas as he sent the Home Before Dark Syndicate-owned Loughaneala Og back into pole position before the last to beat the favourite by a widening four lengths.

Prends Garde A Toi (C. Bowe): A son of Kapgarde, this fellow went out on his sword when beaten two lengths into second spot by fellow newcomer D B Cooper in the four-year-old maiden. He strikes one as a considerably better than average prospect.