DENIS Hogan’s Zoffanien landed quite a gamble before a trip to Galway as he bounced back to form in resounding style in the two-mile Oyster Tavern Handicap Hurdle where he shrugged off top weight to justify 5/2 favouritism.

The Liam Mulryan-owned gelding, who was as big as 16/1 at the start of the day, had dropped 16lb in the weights over the last year and evidently a much improved effort was expected here.

Challenge

The well-backed The Names Jock looked to have taken charge of this race after two out but on the outside Denis Hogan produced Zoffanien with a strong challenge and the five-year-old swept past on the run in to carry the day by three and three-quarter lengths.

“I suppose he was dropping in class and he had been running terrible last season so we gave him a break, freshened him up and he had been working well coming into this,” said Hogan. “I had it in my head to go to Galway with him but Liam said why don’t we go to Killarney with him and he was right.

“I’m thrilled for Liam who has been such a good supporter of mine since I started training. I’d imagine this horse will still go to Galway, probably for the valuable handicap hurdle on the Friday evening.”

McConnell’s run

John McConnell is on quite a run with his bumper horses and he and jockey Ben Harvey notched up their third win in this sphere in six days as Kinbara made a successful racecourse debut in the Killarney Oaks Hotel Flat Race.

A £70,000 purchase after winning a Broughshane point-to-point in early May, this son of Mahler was travelling easily for Harvey when he struck the front early in the straight.

He soon had his rivals toiling and he kept on well to dish out a three-and-three-quarter-length beating to newcomer Nottodaybobo. The victorious 3/1 chance is owned by Caroline Ahearn.

Coeur in finale

Mon Coeur (11/4) produced a lovely effort from the front to bring the curtain down on the evening in the Kelly Brothers Farm Modernisation Ladies (Pro/Am) Flat Race.

Áine O’Connor got Joe Murphy’s charge into a good rhythm up front and the Fame And Glory six-year-old, who carries the colours of Dominick Glenane, avenged his defeat at the May Festival here in some style.

Mon Coeur had all bar Brookie beaten in the straight and he brushed aside that rival with ease over the course of the last furlong and a half to win by 11 lengths.

“I was afraid of the ground as I thought more ease in it would suit him better but he won nicely and I’d say he will switch to the flat for a maiden now although he might get an entry in the winners’ bumper at Galway,” remarked Murphy.

A TRIP to Galway looms large on the horizon for two-horse trainer Dermot O’Brien after his smart mare Molly Wedger bounced back to form to record her second success of the season in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Hurdle over two and a half miles.

This 127-rated mare was sent off the 6/4 favourite under Brian Hayes and she produced a nice display to make the most of an 8lb weight concession from Hollymount. The latter appeared to be going slightly better earlier in the straight and this pair settled down to do battle, but Molly Wedger was quicker away from the penultimate flight and maintained a useful lead thereafter to prevail by two and a half lengths.

“It’s good to see her back after Bellewstown, she just never carried Brian that day. I’d imagine we will look for something at Galway,” stated the trainer whose charge is owned by the enthusiastic 12-man Dungarvan-based Kilbriens Syndicate.

King for Smith

The card kicked off with a well-backed winner for Matthew Smith as Arabian King, who was backed from 18/1 into 15/2 over the course of the day, made a winning Irish debut in the Kerry Drain Services Maiden Hurdle over two and a half miles.

A capable four-time winner on the flat in Britain, the six-year-old provided his connections with an instant dividend on the 4,000gns he cost last October.

The Dorothy Heffernan-owned winner recovered from an error two out to strike the front for Keith Donoghue after the last for a three-quarter-length triumph over Val The Man in a race where the market leaders failed to fire.

ADRIAN Murray maintained his excellent run of form and sent out his fourth winner in eight days as Vale Of Glory (13/2) credited jockey Eoin Kelly with the second success of his career in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

In the colours of the jockey’s father, Michael, Vale Of Glory lined up off two solid efforts in defeat at Roscommon and he built on those by taking charge of this race from the third last. He was chased for the duration of the straight by The Grey Lad and that rival was given a chance to close in when Vale Of Glory met the last wrong.

However, Kelly’s mount righted himself to defeat the aforementioned market leader by half a length.

Blond bombshell

For the second year in succession Naturally Blond (8/1) claimed the first division of the 80-95 rated Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa Handicap Hurdle over two and a half miles.

On his first outing for 11 months, the Patrick Cronin-owned, -trained and -bred 12-year-old made all the running.

The Bach gelding was once again ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe and the pair maintained a commanding lead from the turn in to eventually hit the line with 15 lengths to spare before receiving one of the best receptions of the week.

“He won easier today than he did last year and we’ll come back next year for the third time hopefully. He won’t do much racing in between because he runs better fresh,” remarked Cronin.

Battle wins

The second division of that handicap hurdle witnessed quite a training performance from Ross O’Sullivan who produced Battle Away (14/1) to score off an absence of 1,061 days.

On her debut for the trainer, the Don Rohan-owned daughter of Getaway cruised to the front for Jack Foley after three out and soon opened up a commanding lead which allowed her to withstand the staying-on favourite Sphagnum by half a length.

“I trained her to win a point-to-point and ran her in three hurdles. Covid came in so I left her off - there was no reason but Killian (McCarthy, O’Sullivan’s brother-in-law) was persuading me for the last 12 months to send her to Ross,” stated Dan Rohan. “Killian and myself were neighbours in Midleton in Cork and he learned how to ride horses with me.”