COLIN Motherway, fresh from his first racecourse success as a trainer with Time To Rocco at Tipperary three days earlier, maintained his rich vein of form by saddling his wife Linda’s debutant Pour Les Filles (5/1) to record a taking success under Brian Lawless in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden at Bartlemy last Sunday.

Pour Les Filles, a late May-foaled son of Pour Moi who was sourced for £33,000 at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Store Sale, always took the eye in running as Ivegotdapower tried to force the pace.

The winning British-bred edged ever closer in third spot after two out and a fabulous leap at the final fence took him to the lead past Trooper Thorn and he picked up nicely from here to go four lenghts clear of that rival at the line.

“He’s a fabulous jumper. He will now go to a sale,” remarked Motherway of Pour Les Filles, a son of the blacktype mare Ravello Bay who in turn is an own-sister to Grade 2 hurdles winning mare Marello. Like so many members of that family, the winner was bred by the late Robert Chugg.

Handler Mark Scallan, on the mark with Gametime at Largy the previous weekend, maintained his rich vein of form by saddling the well-bred Bonne Derreen (8/1) to win the second division of the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden in the hands of Tiernan Power Roche.

The previous Sunday’s Dromahane runner-up Talkingthetalk appeared to make a decisive move by edging ahead approaching the last. Bonne Dereen, whose dam is a half-sister to Rathvinden, hadn’t read the script though as she powered to the front shortly after the last to dispose of Gonedairy by two lengths. The five-year-old Bonne Dereen, who pulled up on her only previous start at Fairyhouse last month, represents her Enniscorthy-based owner David Byrne.

James Hannon edged into one-winner advantage over Derek O’Connor and Chris O’Donovan in the southern regional riders’ championship by landing the first division of this contest aboard the David Murphy-trained Just Hannah (5/1).

Having pulled up when favourite on her initial outing in the Dromahane maiden won by Moviddy on April 10th, Just Hannah crept into the race from mid-division and she eased past long-time leader Lost Connections before the last to score by two lengths. Borrisoleigh-based owner Pat Hurley indicated that Just Hannah, homebred by his wife Chrissie and a close relation to Paisley Park, is now likely to be sold.

Mangan Sue powers home for dealer Doyle

OWNED, trained and bred by Pat Doyle in Courtown, Mangan Sue recorded a last-gasp success in what was the closest finish of the afternoon in the mares’ winners of one.

No Babysitter took the runners along at a decent clip in this 10-runner contest and she was shadowed from the fourth last of the 14 obstacles by Ciaran Fennessy’s Gain Mares’ Final runner-up Fiery Brown with the eventual winner making some progress in third spot on the run to three out.

Some Woman secured a dream run through on the inner to pick up the running before the second-last from Fiery Brown with Mangan Sue (5/1), a Borris House maiden winner in March, edging closer in third. Fiery Brown was travelling marginally stronger than Some Woman on the approach to the last and she moved through to lead on the flat.

Mangan Sue, however, hadn’t read the script and she powered to the front inside the final 50 yards for rider Bertie Finn to dismiss Fiery Brown by a neck with Some Woman returning a further three lengths adrift in third spot.

“She might be sold now, if not she could go hurdling,” said Doyle, who rides out every day himself before running a Peugeot car dealership in Courtown.

Finn, an 18-year-old Oulart native, was posting his fourth success of the season. The teenager works with Colin Bowe and that handler kept his supporters happy when sending out Thomas Mor (6/1) to collect the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 15 runners.

Thomas Mor brought one of the best overall pieces of form to the table as he finished second to Dancing City on his debut at Borris House in late November. He was waited with in mid-division as King’s Forest and Shantou Moon vied for supremacy up front.

The winning son of Dylan Thomas, a half-brother to Nick Kent’s Grade 2 placed chaser Erne River whom Bowe likewise started in points, commenced his run from three out and he hit the front with Barry O’Neill on the approach to the last to see off Fortuitous Find by four lengths. It’s likely that Thomas Mor, representing joint breeder Mary Fitzpatrick from Co Meath, will now be sold.

Shark strikes with another cheap purchase

THE Shark Hanlon-trained Ooh Betty (4/1) showed vast improvement from her seventh-placed debut effort behind Rossea at Dromahane the previous Sunday by benefiting from a well-judged waiting ride from Rob James to claim victory in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.

The daughter of Westerner, a €4,800 acquisition as a foal and out of a half-sister to Grade 2-winning chaser Cailin Annamh, moved ever closer from three out and she assumed command over 100 yards out to see off Queen Annie by two lengths.

Ooh Betty, owned by her handler’s partner Rachel O’Neill, was providing Hanlon with a first four-year-old winner of the year.

Tim Townend’s homebred Padjoes Legacy (8/1), who was led up by his daughter Jody, the champion lady amateur rider, vindicated the promise of his fifth-placed Ballyvodock effort in late January by landing the five-year-old and upwards confined hunt maiden. Padjoes Legacy picked up the running after two out for Eoin O’Brien to account for the pacesetting Samos Island by four lengths.

Horse to Follow

Gonedairy (D.E. Prendergast): This homebred daughter of Robin Des Pres came from well off the pace to finish second to Bonne Derreen in a division of the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden. The six-year-old should easily go one better in due course.