Doneraile’s Darragh O’Keeffe has put in some serious performances at Punchestown, securing two winners with Henry de Bromhead on Wednesday, October 15.
The young jockey landed the Grade 3 BetVictor Chase with the Robcour-owned Heart Wood on his first start of the season.
The 4/9 favourite headed the Jack Foley-trained 7/1 chance Monbeg Park and battled well to see him off by a length and three-parts at the line.
Earlier, they had taken the opening two-mile maiden hurdle with Gameball. Owned by Basil Holian, the 15/8 chance was having his first start for de Bromhead after winning a bumper for Andy Slattery at Ballinrobe in July and he was well on top at the line in, beating Pater Fahey’s 11/1 shot O’Reilly by six lengths.
As a runner-up in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March, Heart Wood took the title, forging ahead to take the win by a length and three quarters.
Darragh O’Keeffe and Henry de Bromhead followed up on Wednesday’s double with another success at Thurles on Thursday. The 11/1 chance Katakana, owned by Duncan Angove, led before the final hurdle and went clear to score by five lengths from the Aengus King-trained 28/1 shot, Midnight Eagle.
The week was rounded off at Limerick on Sunday, as O’Keeffe and amateur rider Josh Williamson rode Henry de Bromhead’s winners.
O’Keeffe was on board as the Barry Maloney-owned 4/5 favourite Walks In June took the two-mile maiden hurdle by two and three-parts of a length from Eric McNamara’s 7/2 chance Torps.
Williamson then won the three-mile John Thomas McNamara Series Handicap Hurdle on the Liz Prowting-owned Kir to give the trainer his second success.
The 7/2 chance led before halfway and was hardly challenged as he scored by three and three-parts of a length from Liam Cusack’s 11/2 shot, Ballyglass Beauty.
O’Keeffe completed his own double and the trainer’s treble when winning the two-mile three-furlong mares’ beginners’ chase with the 8/15 favourite July Flower.
De Bromhead landed a 1-2-3 in the race with 3/1 chance Tareze and 13/2 shot Mystical Goddess chasing the 11-length winner home.
