PUNCHESTOWN – SUNDAY
Thurles amateur rider Susie Doyle recorded her third racecourse success as she took the lady riders’ handicap hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday on the 10-year-old Sargent Lightfoot. A 7/1 chance for trainer Adrian Murray, he skipped a few lengths clear at the final hurdle and scored by three-parts of a length from the Shane Nolan-trained Missus Beeton.
A winner for trainer Charles Byrnes saw Shane Fitzgerald bring his tally for the week to three. Thy captured the three-mile novice chase with the six-year-old Reverend Hubert, owned by James Flaherty. The 9/2 chance led before the final hurdle to beat Enda Bolger’s Solitary Man by two and a quarter lengths.
While John Queally took the two-mile handicap chase at the main expense of Henry de Bromhead. Ridden by Carl Millar, The Banger Doyle led at halfway and battled well to see off his fellow 3/1 joint-favourite Great Bear to win by a shorthead.
PUNCHESTOWN – SATURDAY
Eric McNamara saddled his second winner of the week as the Bill Hawkins-owned Gaelic Des Chastys scored a last-gasp success in the opening division of the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle at Punchestown on Saturday. The trainer’s son Conor was in the saddle as the 10/1 chance got up in the final strides to beat Shane Crawley’s Del Girl by a shorthead.
Trainer Jonathan Sweeney landed the concluding bumper with the six-year-old Fatal Flaw. In the colours of owner Michael McKeown, the 5/1 chance made all the running under Derek O'Connor and he hardly saw a rival in beating the Richard O'Brien-trained Base Of Fire by two lengths.
NAVAN – SATURDAY
Wayne Lordan helped out as Aidan O'Brien notched up a further three winners at Navan on Saturday, bringing the trainer’s tally for the week to eight. He won the opening five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds on the 8/1 chance Celtic Chieftain which led inside the final furlong to beat Michael O'Callaghan’s 11/8 favourite Red Evolution by a neck. Ryan Moore’s mount, the 7/4 shot Alfred Tennyson, could only finish in fifth place, but the jockey went on to complete the trainer’s treble on 10/11 favourite Everlasting in the Listed fillies’ race and on 9/4 favourite Old Faithful in the 10-furlong handicap, O'Brien’s 40th winner in Ireland this season.
Billy Lee was in the saddle as trainer Edward Lynam took the second of the five-furlong handicaps at the meet with the very well-supported 13/8 favourite Keke which is owned and bred by Wood Hall Stud. Losing a little ground from the stalls, the four-year-old raced at the back of the field but came with an impressive late surge for a last-gasp half a length success over the Matthew Smith-trained Eruption.
CLONMEL – FRIDAY
There was plenty of success for Cork jockeys at Clonmel on Friday evening with Mike O'Connor and Shane Fitzgerald leading the way with a double apiece. O'Connor rode back-to-back winners for Henry de Bromhead. The pair won the two and a half-mile beginners’ chase with the Robcour-owned Garde La Peche, a 17/2 chance, and followed up straight away in the three-runner novice chase over the same distance which went to 11/10 joint-favourite Tag Man, owned by Roger Brookhouse.
Making much of the running under Buttevant’s Shane Fitzgerald, Walnut Beach scored a cosy success in the two-mile beginners’ chase for trainer Pat Flynn. The 7/2 chance kicked on from the second-last fence to win by three lengths from the Gordon Elliott-trained Faux Fur which had ruined her chance with a terrible blunder at the final fence.
Fitzgerald landed a second success and also gave trainer John Ryan a double as the nine-year-old Kilashee won the concluding two-mile seven-furlong handicap chase. The Bitview Partnership-owned 11/1 chance made all the running and came home a length and a quarter to the good over her own stable companion Father Jed, ridden by Gavin Brouder.
Conna jockey Richie Condon teamed up with Kildare-based Cormac Farrell to take the opportunity handicap chase on the 11-year-old Druim Samhraidh. A 7/1 shot, he led at the fourth-last fence and made the best of his way home to win by half a length from the Philip Fenton-trained Lake Chad in the colours of owner Nathan Matthews.
Jake Coen rode his second winner over fences and joined his brother Ben as a winner on the day when taking the near three-mile beginners' chase on the Gordon Elliott-trained Sea Aster. A 7/2 chance in the colours of the Around The Fire Syndicate, the six-year-old was clear from the second-last fence as she beat Harry Rogers’ Clifftop by eight lengths.
FAIRYHOUSE – FRIDAY
Wayne Lordan rode a winner for Aidan O'Brien for the third night running when the newcomer Easy Mover landed the opening six-furlong maiden for two-year-olds at Fairyhouse last Friday. A 16/5 chance, she headed the Emmet Mullins front-runner Peregrine Falcon close to the line and held on to beat Ado McGuinness’ 11/1 chance Canto Della Terra by a head.
In contrast to the opening division of the 12-furlong handicap, the Killian Leonard-ridden Numidia ran away with the second leg of the same race. The Peter Lawlor-trained 7/1 chance led in the early stages of the race and was back at the head of affairs before the turn in to the straight. He raced right away from the two-furlong pole and had any amount in hand as he scored by an eased-down six lengths from the Mark Cahill-trained Hinemoa.
Two heads and three-parts of a length had separated the first four horses across the line in the preceding race with victory going to the Noel Meade-trained Charlie Luciano, ridden by Colin Keane.
While Ben Coen and trainer Johnny Murtagh won the 12-furlong handicap with the 11/4 chance Natural Ruler. He led in the final strides to pip the Donnacha O'Brien-trained 9/4 joint-favourite Lady Doris by a neck.
LEOPARDSTOWN – THURSDAY
There were two winners for Aidan O'Brien at Leopardstown on Thursday evening last and again both were ridden by Wayne Lordan and Ryan Moore. For the second night running, Lordan got the better of a Ballydoyle odds-on shot as he won the two-year-old fillies’ maiden over the extended seven furlongs on 5/1 chance Bedtime Story. The daughter of Frankel had loads in hand as she beat her 8/11 favourite stable companion Giselle by a length and a quarter.
Moore then completed the O'Brien double in the Listed King George V Cup which he won on 13/8 favourite Portland. The three-year-old led a furlong from the finish and edged out Jessica Harrington’s 9/4 chance Kinesiology by a neck.
The Galway Girl Syndicate-owned Timourid landed the nine-furlong handicap for Joey Sheridan and County Longford trainer Paul Flynn. The seven-year-old led early in the straight and battled well to see off Dermot Weld’s 3/1 favourite Livio Milo by half a length at odds of 13/2.
CURRAGH – WEDNESDAY
It would prove to be a big week for Aidan O'Brien who shared winners with Ryan Moore and Wayne Lordan at the Curragh last Wednesday. Moore took the six-furlong winners’ race on the strong 4/11 favourite Tunbridge Wells which had a little in hand when beating the Gavin Cromwell-trained Mighty Eriu by two and three-parts of a length.
A tidy winning streak for Lordan began as 13/2 chance Grateful edged out his own stable companion and 4/6 favourite Mother Nature, ridden by Ryan Moore, by a shorthead to complete the Ballydoyle double in the 12-furlong fillies’ maiden.
Chris Hayes was among the winners as Kendall Roy took the five-furlong handicap. Trained in Rosslare, County Wexford by Katie McGivern, the 3/1 shot raced up with the pace and led a furlong from the finish to beat the Adrian Murray-trained Majestic Beauty by half a length and a tilt at a handicap at Royal Ascot is now on the cards for the three-year-old which has won four of his last five starts. Hayes completed a double when winning the handicap over the extended six furlongs on Dermot Weld’s Zaragoza.
The Colvin Ryan-owned 10/1 chance led deep inside the final furlong and scored by half a length from the Mick Mulvany-trained 14/1 shot Rathbranchurch, which was ridden by Wesley Joyce.
Upcoming Fixtures
Leopardstown – Thursday, June 13 (first race 5.20pm); Cork – Friday, June 14 (first race 4.50pm); Fairyhouse – Friday, June 14 (first race 5.05pm); Downpatrick – Saturday, June 15 (first race 1.40pm); Downpatrick – Sunday, June 16 (first race 2.15pm); Gowran Park – Sunday, June 16 (first race 2pm).
