THE annual Killeady Harriers meeting at Dromahane developed into a marathon session on Sunday with 120 horses participating on a 10-race card, a one that didn’t conclude until just before 8pm following a couple of unavoidable delays.

The sprightly 15-year-old Fr Humphrey (12/1 - 20/1), a five-time track winner when trained by Mary Hallahan, then Willie Treacy and more recently Neil Mulholland, provided handler/rider Niamh Hennessy with her initial success in points by claiming a notable scalp in the open in the form of this season’s current leading horse Rocky’s Howya.

Rocky’s Howya set off in front as per norm, but the odds-on shot’s jumping uncharacteristically lacked fluency early doors and he was headed by the sweet-travelling winner at the second-last of the 14 obstacles.

There was no immediate response from Rocky’s Howya when Chris O’Donovan went for his whip after the penultimate fence. The winning son of Carlo Bank bounded clear to score by four and a half lengths and by doing so, the veteran was springing one of the biggest shocks of the past couple of seasons.

Ms Hennessy, a native of south Co Kilkenny, works with Brendan Holland at Grove Stud outside Fermoy where she keeps Fr Humphrey and another pointer. She previously sampled track success as she won the 2016 renewal of the Tipperary lady riders’ flat handicap aboard Elm Grove for Willie McCreery.

Competition was intense in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden with the race dividing and the Jonathan Fogarty-trained Captain Bellamy (4/1 - 6/1) had many of those present looking for previously unused superlatives following his stunning debut victory in the truly-run first division.

Captain Bellamy was always positioned on the pace in this 15-runner contest and he edged into a narrow advantage with Barry Stone from the eighth fence.

The son of Black Sam Bellamy had all of his rivals clearly on the stretch two out and he went further clear before the last to beat Union Station by an ever-increasing 14 lengths in the colours of the Gaynestown Stud Partnership.

“This is fantastic, unbelievable. He was unsold at Doncaster as a three-year-old last May and Kevin McAuliffe then sent him to me. He’ll be sold now,” said handler Fogarty of Captain Bellamy, a mid-April foal whose dam is a half-sister to leading US jumps horse Hirapour from the same family as Gordon Elliot’s Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Three Stripe Life.

The Rob James-trained/ridden newcomer Off The Jury (3/1 - 4/1) booked his ticket for this past Thursday’s Goffs sale after racing at Punchestown by landing the second division of this contest. Off The Jury, a €35,000 Goffs Land Rover sale graduate who is a half-brother to listed placed hurdler Au Fleuron, was always well positioned and he went to the front approaching two out.

The son of Jukebox Jury gave his supporters some cause for alarm by running green in the closing stages, but he still defeated the promise Ski Lodge by three lengths.

Lightening strikes as Harry gives Walsh hope

BENNY Walsh experienced a memorable afternoon as the trainer/rider was credited with his initial double as a handler, a one that was completed by the impressive newcomer Lightening Mahler (4/1 - 6/1) in the third division of the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

Lightening Mahler was the one responsible for injecting fresh pace into the race after four out and the Seamus Osborne-owned bay stormed clear from the last to dispense with Emily’s Choice by a widening four and a half lengths.

Tomhaggard-based Walsh was also on the mark aboard Harrys Hope (7/1 - 10/1), representing his wife Jenny, in the second division of this same race. The previously twice-raced Harrys Hope, a creditable fifth on her previous start at Tyrella in late January, got into a lovely rhythm in front and she gave an assured round of fencing to dispose of Morning Star by four and a half lengths.

Denis Murphy was likewise in double form and the owner/trainer initiated his brace courtesy of the Walk In The Park-sired newcomer Binge Worthy (3/1 - 4/1) in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Binge Worthy, an early June foal that’s a half-brother to the Grade 2 bumper placed mare Carrigeen Lotus out of a half-sister to 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo, moved through to pick up the running with Jack Hendrick just before the last with the €40,000 Goffs Land Rover sale graduate asserting inside the final 50 yards to eclipse Itsnoteasy by a length.

Murphy then struck with Wild Side Of Life (4/1 - 5/1), the mount of talented five lbs claimer Joey Dunne, in the second division of this race.

The Soldier Of Fortune-sired Wild Side Of Life returned to the form that saw him finish a somewhat unlucky third behind subsequent Naas bumper winner Ballyburn on his debut at Loughanmore on a similarly sound underfoot surface back in October, by picking up the running from two out to account for Ri Na Cuirte by four lengths.

Minnestota bounces back and sees off Dangan Cloud

ON an excellent afternoon for Co Wexford-trained horses, the Colin Bowe-trained Nt Field Minnesota (4/1 - 6/1) won the first division of the mares’ maiden under Barry O’Neill. Nt Field Minnesota, runner-up to Annabella Magic on her Loughanmore debut in October, picked up the running three out and she maintained the tempo to see off Dangan Cloud by a length in the silks of Co Monaghan-based owner Leo McArdle.

Moira McElliott joined Maxine O’Sullivan on seven winners in the lady riders’ title-race by bringing her husband Willie Murphy’s Barton Snow (7/4-2/1 favourite) from well off the pace to collect the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden, much to the dismay of the 16 bookmakers present. The recent Quakerstown runner-up Barton Snow got on top 100 yards out to deny long-time leader Tuff Days by a half-length.

The low-lying sun ensured that just five fences were jumped in the closing five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts’ maiden with the three fences in the home straight omitted. This will have mattered little to handler Padraig Butler who sent out a first winner from his new Ballinhassig base as the Leslie Beamish-owned/bred mare Imperial Fox (2/1-3/1) readily thwarted Reagrove Lad by two lengths under James Hannon.

Horse to Follow

Dangan Cloud (T. Mellerick): This homebred by Cloudings stayed on well to be beaten a length into second spot on her return from a near three-month break in the first division of the mares’ maiden. She should effortlessly go one better.