ALL eyes were firmly fixed on the opening four-year-old maiden, as the Wexford Foxhounds returned to Ballinaboola for the first time since 2019, as it a race which had been won by subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners Envoi Allen and Telmesomethinggirl in its last two runnings.

This year’s contest saw Colin Bowe’s Ideal Vert sent off the hot favourite but he was unable to pass the front-running Doyen For Money (5/1 - 7/2) who made all in the hands of Harley Dunne.

The son of Doyen is also trained and owned by Dunne, and he had seven lengths to spare over the aforementioned Ideal Vert at the line.

“He did it very well and travelled everywhere. I was expecting to get a toe into the race but it didn’t happen. They were going too slow and he was taking me to the front. He idled a bit up the straight but he was there for two and a half miles on his own in front! He’ll head straight to the sales now,” said a delighted Dunne.

The five-year-old geldings’ maiden was the only race on the card to divide and the opening division was run at a fast pace throughout courtesy of Tapley and Dan Nevin.

In control

The front-running grey looked to be in control of the contest as the runners turned for home but he was unable to keep the fast finishing Wasini Island (4/1 - 5/1) at bay up the straight.

The Sean Staples-ridden son of Conduit ran out a three-length winner at the line over Tapley.

“He would have loved a bit more ease in the ground today. He was good though, and he won well in fairness. We went quick and we quickened up again turning for home. He showed loads of gears down to the last and was tough at the finish,” said Staples of the Mark Scallan-trained and Laura Scallan-owned gelding.

The second division produced a thrilling finish between Colin Bowe’s Chosen Witness (4/5 - 7/2) and Andrew Latta’s Captain Checkdown (3/1 - 5/4 favourite).

The latter held a slight advantage at the last but a crucial mistake cost him valuable momentum and he was joined by Chosen Witness and Barry O’Neill on the run-in. The judge couldn’t split the pair at the line.

“He’s a lovely horse and should improve loads from that. For a big horse, he’s good to shorten into a fence. He’ll probably go to the sales now,” said Bowe of the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd-owned gelding.

“He was very green and babyish the first day. He probably did a bit too much on the heavy ground. He looked like the winner turning in today and if he had jumped the last a bit quicker, he probably would have won outright. He’ll go to the sales now,” said Latta of the Charlie Latta-owned and Jack Hendrick-ridden winner.

UNSURPRISINGLY, local handlers were to the fore on Sunday and Sean Doyle and Jamie Scallan combined for a double on the card, beginning with the debutante Credrojava (6/4 - 4/6 favourite) in the five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

The daughter of Presenting took up the running at the midway point and despite being strongly challenged by the eventual runner-up From This Moment at the last, she managed to keep that rival at bay and score by half a length.

“She’s potentially a very good mare. Henry Chamney only sent her over to me about eight weeks ago. She was with Richie Black and his son, Jim, was after doing a bit of schooling and pre-training on her.

“She’s a very green mare and she’ll come on loads from that.

“I was expecting that today, if Jamie had a bit of company going down to the last, I think we would have picked up and won real well,” said Doyle of the Henry Chamney-owned bay.

“Her half-brother, Sporting Ace, won a bumper in Chepstow last Friday and I’d say this mare is very good.”

Doyle and Scallan completed their double in the concluding winner-of-three contest where Is A Real Champ (4/5 – 4/6 favourite) ran out a comfortable 10-length winner over Michael Murphy’s Midway To Getaway.

The winning son of Getaway travelled smoothly into this contest and once he took up the running after the fourth last, he wasn’t for catching.

“He had a great run in Limerick and I probably shouldn’t have ran him in Clonmel the next day, but he’s a great horse to have. He appreciates that better ground. We’ll go back for a hunters chase now,” said Doyle of the Monbeg Partnership-owned winner.

THE older maiden for novice riders produced the biggest field of the day with 16 runners facing the starter.

In an incident-packed contest run at a good clip throughout, it was the Harry Kelly-trained and owned, and David O’Brien-ridden Uncertain Times (4/1 - 6/1), who came out on top.

The patiently ridden daughter of Well Chosen hit the front up the straight and went on to score by six lengths from Aidan Fitzgerald’s Lessankan.

O’Brien said: “She was struggling from the word go and we hit a flat spot on the second lap. She kept going though, and won well at the line.”

Worthatry (5/2 - 3/1) was another local winner on the day in the six-year-old geldings’ maiden as he scored for Vincent Devereux and Shane O’Rourke.

The son of Publisher ran out a four-length winner over the Dan Nevin-ridden Dream View.

“He ran well the last day, he just ran into a better horse the last day. He showed what he can do today and he did it easily. He still had his ears pricked going to the last.

“He liked that little ease in the ground as he has a big stride on him,” said O’Rourke of the James Devereux-owned gelding.

Horse To Follow

Supreme Johnson (D. Doyle): The son of Elvstroem was always prominent here on his debut before getting tired up the straight in the hands of Derek O’Connor. He can go close next time out with this experience under his belt.