BarryStone, fresh from Cheltenham Festival success with Daily Present, steers HiddenFortune to victory at Ballyragget Reports, pages4-5
‘The Kim Muir defeat was hard to take. Hitting the front too soon was my downfall on Johnnywho’ Page 4
‘I love Keeneland and Saratoga but you can’t beat aday point-to-pointing’
The US-based owner of Farmacaffley winner Soldierstown has deep roots in the sport Page 3
ITWAS an incredible weekat Cheltenhamand greattobe part of the occasion.Ofcourse
Iwould love to have been aboard one of the 20 Irishtrainedwinners.Instead, Ihad to settle for twoseconds,losingout to another Irish runner in the KimMuir and the Festival Hunters’Chase.
TheKim Muir defeat washardto take. Hittingthe fronttoo soon was my downfall on Johnnywho.He travelledsowell butI felt he was idlingbadly on the runtothe last. He lostmomentumonlandingand we weren’t able to hold off Daily Present. Well done to Paul Nolanfor producingthe winner in greatshape, and to BarryStone,who gave him a greatride and deservedhis first festival win.
Ihaveadifferentview aboutthe hunter chase. It wastough luckonIts On TheLinewho hasfinished second in the race three times.Still, I thoughtthis wasclosetobeing a career-best
He’s inclined to race lazily and has often hit aflatspotinhis races.This timeheraced andjumped enthusiastically all the way. He kept findingfor me on the run-in and didn’t go down without afight.
It wasafine trainingperformance by EmmetMullinstoproduce him in such good order after defeats at Down Royaland Naas.Lastseason he recoveredfromCheltenham to winatAintree beforegoingonto retain his championship crownat Punchestown.He’satough competitor and, who knows,maybe nextyear will be fourth time lucky?
In lastweek’scolumn, Isuggested that Wonderwall could be each-way value in the race,eventhough Sam Curling’sother runner Angels Dawn hadsuchstrongclaims as aprevious KimMuirwinner SamboughtWonderwall outofthe Bowenstable for £33,000 at the Goffs UK Sale lastJulyand hadqualified him for Cheltenhambythe firstweek in November with wins at Loughrea and DammaHouse.I rode him both times and liked him,but it wasabold move by Samtotargethim at arace of this standardwithout apreprun. Producingahorse to peak firstrun after abreak at this meetingwas a greatperformance,likesomething youwould see from Willie Mullins Full markstohim and RobJames Third-placedWillitgoaheadalso
deservesamention.Boughtby BectiveStudfromSean Doyle to join Gordon Elliottnot longbeforethe festival, he’s aseven-year-old who could be abig player in hunter chases in the comingseasons
BobOlinger earns topspot Former Irish point-to-pointers contributedmuch to the week. Pride of place goestoBob
‘Itwas
a brilliant week for Mick Goff whosoldthe Lisronagh maiden winner ClondawPark (above)for £320,000 at theTattersalls CheltenhamSale’
Olinger, whokepthis Cheltenham recordintact with afantastic winin the Stayers’Hurdle He wasaTurtulla winner for Pat DoyleinNovember 2019. His stablemateinHenrydeBromhead’s yard,Mares’Novices Hurdle winner AirOfEntitlement, is one of Colin Bowe’s graduates and wasa Lingstownwinner. The Westerner mare is a product of the Carrigeen line associatedwith the Lalor family from Lisronaghin Tipperary.
Threeofthe ten Willie Mullinstrainedwinners startedinpoints. Ryanair winner Fact To File wonatBelharbour for Donnchadh Doyle three seasons ago. Champion Bumper winner Bambino Feverwon at Stowlin lastMay for NickyStokes, and Jasmin De Vaux wassuccessful for StuartCrawfordatLoughanmore twoseasons ago.
TheAlbertBartlettwon by last year’s Champion Bumper hero
Jasmin De Vaux wasagreat advertisementfor ourpoint-topointers as TheBig Westerner (exMatthew Flynn O’Connor) and Derryhassen Paddy(ex-Ian Donoghue) completedthe placings
All three look capable of developing into high-classnovicechasers
Mick Goff wasresponsible for the early days of JangoBaie,whose staminakickedinsodramatically to winthe Arkle for NickyHenderson. Mick also producedthe KimMuir winner Daily Presenttowin afouryear-old maiden at the Tipperary point-to-pointcourseinApril 2021. It wasabrilliant weekfor the Wexfordhandler,who sold last month’s Lisronaghmares’maiden winner ClondawParkfor £320,000 at the Tattersalls CheltenhamSale,at whichthe £400,000 sales topper was Colin Bowe’s CristalD’Estruval, winner of the firstdivision of the four-year-old geldings maiden on the same card GlenfarclasCross Countrywinner Stumptown,when trainedbySean Doyle, wasrunner-up to Chianti Classicoina maiden at Tipperaryin April2021, acouple of weeks before
Daily Present’swin. Chianti Classico wonlastyear’s UltimaHandicap Chasefor KimBailey. Three Cheltenham Festival winners from twomeetings at the same trackinthe same month is quitesomething. Irish pointershavedominated recentrunnings of the Ultima, won twice by CorachRambler, Lucinda Russell’s Grand National winner who began his career with John Walsh in Wexford.
This year’s front-runningwinner Myretown alsomadehis wayto Russell after winningapoint. Irode him at Dromahanethree years ago for Robert Tyner. He’s still anovice and Iwas impressed by howstrongly he stayed afterhesaw off aseriesof challenges. He could be aGrand National horse this time nextyear Idon’t think there’severbeena Cheltenham likeitfor dramaand emotion. Aboveall,mostofuswill rememberthe four days for howthe memoryofMichael O’Sullivan was honoured by the namingofthe Supreme Novices’and theincredible coincidence of wins for Marine Nationale and JazzyMatty.It couldn’t have been scriptedbetter
Jane Buchanan, US-based ownerof Soldierstown,tells of herjourney through the sport
THE debutsuccess of Soldierstown at Farmacaffleywas thelatestwinner we’vebredfrom the mare Zaffarella
My dad, Alan, boughtthe mare from his goodfriendBilly Sheldon. Shewon four races and producedsomefantastic foals for us.Every foal we have bred haswon on thetrack or in point-to-points.She’s been unbelievable
All Zaffarella’sprogeny were namedafter roads or parks where we live. Ilikethat theme,itreminds me of home
Shebredgood horses such as Ravenhill Road, Windsor Avenue,Shaws Bridge, Hollymount, Glenmountand Rosevale.Malone Road was probably the best;hehad unlimitedpotential butsadly sustainedaninjury.
Gordon Elliottboughtafew from us,herecently bought Jacob’s Ladder.Hewasn’t
homebred,but my brother Peter producedhim and won his point-to-pointwith him beforehejoinedGordon’s stable whereheprogressed to winaGrade 3hurdle at Naas
Originally from Ballygowan, County Down,I’m theeldestof three.Mydad gotusall into horses as kids.Wedid pony club and eventingand when my dad stopped showjumping he boughta mare andbecame moreinvolved in jump racing.
My interest in racingbegan to grow andmybrother Peter started to ride as an amateur.
My dad’s younger brother Ian wasa good rider in points
My dad and my late mother Sylvia droveusall over Ireland to compete on ourponies That wasalot of effortwhile runningabusiness. They were extremely supportive.
Igot adegreeinlanguages and, after graduating, Iwas
acceptedonthe British HorseracingBoard graduate programme which involved a two-week residential followed by asix-weekworkplacement. That launchedmeintoFlat racing, whichled to me movingto Americaand workingwithin theFlatracing spherethere.
My first placement wasatSheikh Mohammed’s Dalham Hall studand they sent me to Kentucky to work for Juddmonte.They were very goodtome. Inever hadAmericaonmy radarasbeingsomewhereI would settle butI trieditand I lovedit. Idon’t think I’dbe whereIamtodayifIhadn’t made the move to the US.I’m
lucky the waythings fell into place for me
While workingfor Juddmonte Ialsoworkedat the racetracks alongside some greattrainers and gaineda greatunderstandingof howthe racing industryworks. Iwas good friends with Graham Motion for years.Hewas lookingfor someone to help him manage his stable and I began workingashis racingmanager in 2012. Racinghereisverydifferent to home.There’snot acentral bodylikeHorse Racing Ireland. Youdealwitheach trackand jockeycolonyfor that trackindividually. Ihelp Graham pickraces for the
horsesand deal with all the jockeys’agentsand make the entries and nominations
Whenweare at ourbusiest in summer Icould be looking at race conditions for 14 tracks, tryingtofind the best races to place ourhorses. We travel a lot with ourhorses all over the US andCanada. I’malsoabloodstock agent and IhelpGrahamsource horsesfor clients.I movedto the US in 1998 and I’mbased in Lexington, Kentucky
After asuccessful career as a jump jockey, my brother Peter returnedhome to work with the horses and in the family business,Warnock’s Menswear and Schoolwear in Belfast. From small numbershe does very well.Anintegral part ofhis successwas basinghis trainingatmyuncle Ian’syard, whichhas good facilities and a gallop.Ian and his wife Carol
areinvaluable and ahugepart of the operation.
Soldierstown (left)came out of her point-to-pointwell and hascome on alot from her run; she’ll probably be entered in abumper. Ithink we’re goingtokeepher as afun horse, targetmares’bumpers and keep her for breeding. We alsokeptZaffarella’s daughterRosevale by Califet, who wonher maiden at Loughanmore. She’sinfoal to Poet’s Word.Wehavealovely Sageburg five-year-old who isn’t far off arace Zaffarellawas gettinglongin the tooth so we puther in foal one last time to Walk In The Park andwehavea smashing three-year-old filly at home which is her lastprogeny I’ve hadmanymemorable days butone that standsout is when the firstIrish yearlingI bought, Miss Katie Mae, won at the Curragh. Iboughther for American owners and came full circlewiththem when they wonatRoyal Ascot with Villanova Queenin2023. Standingonthe winning podium wassurreal,the most unbelievable day. My favourite racecourses herewould be Keeneland and Saratoga butyou can’t beat a daygoingpoint-to-pointing. I love gettingtoa point-to-point when Iget backhome
JANE BUCHANAN WASTALKING TO DEBBIE McCRELLIS
IT WASa Cheltenham Festival to remember forpoint-to-point graduates with 11 winners.
After eightwinners at the 2024 festival, the importance of astrongshowing from pointing exports at such ahigh-profile meetingcannot be overstated
Last week therewereGrade 1 wins from JangoBaie,Bambino Fever, Fact To File,Bob Olinger and Jasmin De Vaux
That wasdespitehigh-profile disappointments Constitution Hill, Jonbon and Banbridgein championship races.
Oneofthe highlights for Irish
point-to-pointfans came in the Festival Hunters’Chase.Irishtrainedhorses hadwon only twoofthe lasteight runnings butthe pendulum swungback with eightofthe firstten from Irish stables
Wonderwall ledthem home, returningat28-1inagreat piece of targettrainingbySam Curling. TheSkehanagh stables trainer hadacquired the sonof Yeatsfor £33,000 last summer and, after landingtwo early season open lightweightraces to secure qualification, he was putawaytogotoCheltenham
after afour-monthabsence
That plan wasbroughtoff by RobJames and Curling, who earned their second festival victories as the nine-year-old relegated ItsOnThe Line to second forathirdtime.
O’Sullivan’sfull house
Ross O’Sullivan advertised his versatility last weekend when he saddledwinnersunder all codes.After the disappointmentofRyehill’s tenth in the FestivalHunters’Chase,the Kildaretrainerenjoyed better fortune 90 minutes later when
Gracesolution wononthe allweather trackatDundalk
That preceded the victory over hurdles of Free Flow the following dayatThurles and his weekend endedwith the victory of Dora D’Or –the stable’s only weekend point-to-pointrunner –inthe mares’ maiden at DaramonaHouse
Shewas athirdwinner of the season in this spherefor the handler,who rode 52 victories between theflags O’Sullivan’s teamhave shown greatconsistencythis season. Eachofhis 16 runners
hasbeenpartnered by the st ab le ’s am at eur Le e Shanahan, and all bar twohave finishedinthe firstfour.
Bonus for mares’series
TheGain MaresSeriesculminates in an excitingfinale on SundayatBallynoe.
Thewinning owner will earn a€3,000 bonusand anew incentiveisthat the winner will gain free entrytothe mares’ point-to-pointbumper at Cork on Easter Monday, April21.
The€3,000 bonusfromGain Equine Nutrition, addedtothe
mares’ bumper prize-money, brings the totalofbonuses on offer to €6,000 if the mare goes on to winthe bumper TheBallynoe committee is determinedtomakethe final a standoutevent.Committee memberJimmyMangansaid: “The course will be setupwith the same levelofattention as a top-tier racecourse, promising an incredibleatmosphere for participants and spectators.
“The series hasgrown significantlyoverthe yearsbut this year’s eventisshapinguptobe even moreexciting.”
THERE wasanappropriately namedwinnerofthe Gain
Eq uine Nu tr ition ma re s’ maiden at the harriers’meeting at Kn oc ka no hill on the outskirtsofthe County Cork village of Kilworth
Kilw orth ,o wn ed an d trainedbyJohn Staunton, was the formhorseinthe ninerunner race after finishing second to TheGreat Unknown on her first startatBellharbour lastmonth,and showed it.
Under Eoin Mahon, the fiveye ar-old, in whom lon gstanding pointssupporter CharlieMoore, from Kilworth, hasaninvolvement, moved through to dispute the running with well-backednewcomer
Kayla’s Friendatthe fourth-last
TheOrder Of St George mare, amid-May foal who traces to WichitaLineman and Rhinestone Cowboy, edged ahead twoout beforestaying on to beat newcomer Julie
Star performance
Captain Cool provided further evidenceofthe goodform of Harley Dunne’s team aftermaking allina strongly runrace
Liathbytwo and ahalf lengths “She’s acrackingmarewho ranintoaverygoodsortinThe Gr ea tU nkno wn at Be llharbour,”saidStaunton. “She’ll probably be sold now.”
TheCormacDoyle-trained newcomer Lancelot Du Large justifiedfavouritism under Jamie Scallan in the Goffs UK Aintree Sale four-year-old maiden He disputedthe runningwith LetMeBeClear,the onlyone of the four-runner field with experience,until edging ahead at the third-last. From therethe French-bred geldingheldoff Riverstown Boybytwo and a half lengths in the Monbeg Farm RacingPartnership silks
TheKapgarde-siredLancelot Du Large,a€28,000 Goffs Arkle sale graduate outofahalfsister to Listedplaced bumper performer Farceur Du Large,is likely to be sold.
TheVillage InnKilworth winners-of-threewas one of the most eventful racesofthe season as TrooperCarton unseated at the third and, while runningloose,forcedout twoout of the remainingthree runners,Iorensand Keeptheoldmanout,atthe fifthfence
TheRay Hurley-trained Cold OldFire,aDungarvan maiden
winner,who wasleading at the time,then hackedaround the remainingtwo circuits to finish alone under DarraghAllen. Cold OldFireisowned by the TuttiFruitti Syndicatethat includes breeder TomKeogh Frankie Murphycelebrated his 19th birthday by landing the RadleyEngineeringand ConorO’BrienAgriContractors Ltdfive-year-old geldings’ maiden on owner-trainer Harley Dunne’s seas onal debutant Captain Cool,who hadshown promisewhen sixth on his Ballyknockdebut.
TheJet Away-sired Captain Cool, a€45,000 buyatthe Goffs Arklesale, benefitedfromfrontrunningtactics to draw clear at the last andbeatParkTalk by three lengths.CaptainCool, who is relatedtoNow Where Or When,may nowbesold Jake Leddin,a 22-year-old rider from the County Limerick village of Hospital, which is said to deriveits name from the 13th century KnightsHospitaller, hadhis firstwinner when the AmbroseO’Mullane-trained Just KeepsRolling landedthe McCarthy Insurance, Jimmy
Linehan and SwallowInn older geldings’maiden.
Theson of Ol’Man River, ownedbybreeder Thomas Westropp-Bennett and the only pointer former amateur rider O’Mullane hasathis Ardglas stables outside Emly,stepped up from his thirdatKildorreryto lead twoout and beat ISee Fog by three-quarters of alength Owner-trainer-rider Niamh Hennessy wasonthe mark on Lakewood Rose,the onlymare in theeight-runner Cotter’s Bar, Ahern’sBar andButchers Baradjacenthunts maiden.
ROSS CRAWFORD saddled his firstrunner for the doublegreenpartnershipofSimon Munir and IsaacSouedein GreenHint, who provideda successfor one of the leading owner partnerships
Ma kin gh is de bu t, the €50,000 Go ffs Arkle sa le purchase came from offthe pace under Stephen Connorto land the Feericks Hotel, A Murray and Gary Bloodstock four-year-old maiden.
Green Hint (right)hit the frontatthe elbow betweenthe finaltwo fences to beat fellow newcomer DigDeepbytwo andahalflengths,makingita second winner in the agegroup for the sireCrystal Ocean.
“Itwas toughconditions out therefor four-year-olds;itwas very stickyground,”Connor said.“He winged the secondlast, thenIwas left in frontdown to thelastand he wasgreen
Star performance
Tip Of TheWings had the speedtoseparate himself fromhis rivalsdespite the race being slowly run
aboutit, butonce Igavehim a taphepickedupsmartly.”
Crawfordalsosaddled Green Cheffor the double-green ownership in the Kiernan Plant Hire and FayBookmakers fouryear-old auction maiden, but the sonofDiamond Boycould manage onlythirdbehind the JohnnyBerry-trained TipOf TheWings
A€4,000 purchase at the Tattersalls Ireland July Sale last su mmer,B ar ry O’ Ne ill controlledaslowtempo on the WingsOfEaglesgeldingasthey made the runningtobeatRaise YouUpbyfourlengths.
“Hewon that really well,” said O’Neill. “Hedid it thehard
waytogoout in front firsttime around abig track. It’s not easy for afour-year-old firsttime buthepickedupsmartly down to the last andwon easily.”
Theeight-time champion teamed up with l ally David Chr to clai mt h Hanlon’sGala and Fortmill Farmsolder gel din gs ’ maiden with Blu ey s Unicorse
Anewcome to theDerryl st ab les of Fermanagh handler, havingfinishedsecond at Dromahane for MarieHarding on his sole previous outing, the seven-year-oldkickedclear afterthe second-last,from wherehehad onlytobe pushedout to accountfor Man
Of TheHouse by sixlengths “Hehas alot of class, buthe’s outofa Roselier damand a goodhorse Ihad one time, Bluefire,was by Roselier,and he wassimilar;hewouldn’t jthingunless he the races and s la di st he x act sa me,” Christie said “I can’t get the schooling into him to m ak eh im s ha rp and m ooth ,b ut r ry sai dh e edthe best, just high and deliberate at afew.”
Chr is tie ha ds ou rc ed HathawaysCottage from Ha rd in g’sG len st ab le s, howeverthat mare wasunable to addtoher four wins when trailingina disappointingthird
in theQuinn’sOfEdgeworthstown mares’ open.
Thelocally trained Bestaline made all the runningunder Kevin Healy and, although The GreatUnknown loomedatthe last,Simon Cavanagh’s mount dug deep to winbya length and three-quarters Ubatuba hadgoneinto plenty of notebooksafter his debutrun at Dromahane in December when he exited at thethird-lastwhen travelling well. He made amends hereby claiming theAcademi and Powell Meatsfive-year-old geldings’maiden in good style Sweepingaround rivals exiting the backstraight, the son of Soldier Of Fortune struck the frontbeforethe bypassed last fence and, although havingto be kept up to hisworkbySean Staples,had themeasure of Keep On Dreamingbyalength and ahalf
Dora D’Or mayhavemade her competitivedebutatthe ageofsix,but the Golden Lariat mare made an immediate impression when landing the Connolly’sRed Mills and Newbrook GroupNursing Homes mares’ maiden. Ross O’Sullivan’snewcomer wasinonly fourth position ap pr oa ch in gt he elbo w. However, shepickedupwell under Le eS ha na ha nt o overhaulMissBumblebeeon therun-in and went alength and ahalf clear by the line
“She wasready to go in the autumn, butthe ground was very dry, so we held off until now,”O’Sullivan said.
“She’s abig filly, and the time off hasstood to herwell, so we’vereaped the reward of pa tie nce fo rh er ow ner, JameinaScarisbrick.She may head to awinners’ andpossibly amares’hunterchase.”
Theseven-year-old,whose dam The Blarney Rose won five pointsfor EugeneO’Sullivan, fulfilledthe promise of her third at Knockanard by arriving from mid-divisiontolead at the last beforebeating Don’t Stop D Party by seven lengths Hennessy, whowon three points on Fr Humphrey,said: “I’vehad her since she wasa three-year-old. Shegot afew niggles alongthe wayand ran for the firsttime at Ballingarry lastMay.It’sgreat she showed what she’s capable of.”
Hidden Fortune travelled like thebesthorse in the field and won going away to continue a purple patch for Gary Murphy’s stable
BARRYSTONE and Rob James, the Irish amateurs who made it into the winner’s enclosureat the Ch elt enh am Fe st iv al, capped amemorable week with success between the flags.
Stone was first to strike as he continued a fruitful association with Gary Murphy by claiming the Aidan Brophy, Tallis &Co four-year-old mares’ maiden on Hidden Fortune
Th eW exf or dp air ha d enjoyedadoubleinthe age gr ou pa tB or ri sH ou se a fortnightearlier and Hidden Fo rt une wa st he ir thir d winning debutante in March.
Alwaystravellingsmoothly, the Soldier Of Fortune mare hit the frontleaving the back straightand, with all her rivals under pressure at that point, she was able to beat Beep Beep Becky by five lengths “I fanciedher bigtime,” Murphy said.“Therewas a tr ai ne ro ve rf ro mB ri ta in looking at her a few weeks ago and Isaid to him,‘wherever she goes she’ll win’
“She’s abig, fine, gorgeous, sales filly. She’ddone alot of homework with ourWalk In The Park filly Chosen Comrade who wonatBorrisacouple of weeksago,soIwas confident cominghere. My four-yearolds are flying at the minute.”
Forty-eighthours after riding his second festival winner with
Ballyragget Sun Mar 16th GOOD TO YIELDING
369 Aidan Brophy and Tallis & Co Ltd 4yo Mares Maiden (4yo) abt 3m
HIDDEN FORTUNE (IRE) 4 11-11 B T Stone 1 b m by Soldier Of Fortune (IRE) - Lady Pippa (IRE) (Presenting) tr ldrs & 3rd 1/2way, gd prog to ld bef 3out, pressed bef 2out where sl mstk & rdn, 2l clr bef last & kow run-in RPR 84 Beep Beep Becky (IRE) 4 11-11 H D Dunne ...........5 2 b m by Feel Like Dancing - Granny C (IRE) (Gold Well) mid-div, 7th 1/2way,
(Milan) mid-div, 5th 1/2way, 4th 4out & gd prog into 2nd bef next, rdn to chall bef 2out, drpd to 3rd from last & no ex RPR 78 Affric Kintail (IRE) 4 11-11 J W Hendrick twrds rr, 8th 1/2way, mstk 4out & sn prog into 4th, rdn bef 2out, sn no ex & ko smepce RPR 66 .........12 4 Montana Sky (FR) 4 11-6 Troy Walsh(5) twrds rr & 9th 1/2way, 7th bef 3out & sn rdn, no ex in 5th from 2out & ko smepce RPR 65 3/4 5 318 Shes For Luck (IRE) 4 11-6 J
Wonderwall in the Festival Hunters’Chase,James rode his 28th winner of the season on Bass Hunter in the John Phelan, SuperValu adjacentmaiden.
Thirdonhis debutatBellharbour, thefive-year-old had runonlyonce in the intervening 13 months when pulled up at Lingstown in November.
Dr oppe di ng ra de ,t he €145,000 Go ffs Arkle Sa le purchase proved the classact in the field when beatingThe Nuke Sensation by sevenlengths
“Wethoughtabit of him last year,” handler Donnchadh Doyle said.“He’ll probably go for apoint-to-pointbumperat CorkonEaster Monday.
“Wewon it with Monbeg Park,sowe’ll go backwith him.”
Bass Hunter wasone of two sons of Authorizedtowin on the card,asthe 2007 Epsom Derbyherowas alsoresponsiblefor Ciel De Neige in the John Dalton &Sons Ltdopen for novice riders
Thirdatthe 2019 festival when under the care of Willie Mullins,the ten-year-old had beenplacedinall three starts since joining Ellen Doyle
Shane Butler’s mountheld every chance coming to the last whenhis chiefrival PatCoyne made a mistake, handing him a one-length success.
SOOMAROY (FR) 4 11-11 FAV J W Hendrick 1 ch g by No Risk At All (FR) - Version Toujours (FR) (Le Havre(IRE)) mid-div, 7th 1/2way, prog bef 4out & sn went 2nd, ld bef 3out & rdn, jnd bef 2out & sn left clr, kow run-in RPR 93 Vango Can Go (IRE) 4 11-11 B T Stone ...........4 2 b g by Ocovango - Our Katie (IRE) (Dr Massini(IRE)) tr ldrs, 4th 1/2way, 3rd 4out & sn rdn, ev ch when mstk & hmprd 2out, left 2nd, no ex bef last & ko smepce RPR 89 351 Clone Cross 4 11-6 H P Goff(5) .........15 3 b g by Frammassone (IRE) - Lady Gongar (Sir Harry Lewis) mid-div 6th 1/2way, prog bef 5out & sn 2nd, sl mstk next rdn & no ex in 4th from 3out, left mod 3rd next RPR 74 317 Kings Order (IRE) 4 11-6 A Harney(5) twrds rr, 8th 1/2way, sme prog into 5th bef 3out, sn no ex & left mod 4th next RPR 70 ...........4 4 317 Get On Early (IRE) 4 11-6 D Higgins(5) tr ldrs, cl 5th 1/2way, rdn & lost pos bef 4out, no ex in 7th from 3out, ko smepce RPR 68 .......11/2 5
Live My Dream (FR) 4 11-11 B Finn tr ldrs, 2nd 1/2way, rdn & wknd from 4out, pu bef 2out P Monsun Climate (IRE) 4 11-11 J J Walsh twrds rr, 9th 1/2way, prog from 4out, 6th when fell next F Mr Caulfield (IRE) 4 11-11 D Doyle rcd in rr, sl mstk 5th, jmpd right 5out, rdn & detd from next, pu bef 3out P Oatsoeasy (IRE) 4 11-6 J J Berry(5) ld, nrwly hdd bef 3out where sl mstk, remained cl 2nd & prog to disp ld bef next where fell F Turn Of The Eagle (IRE) 4 11-11 FAV R James mid-div, gd prog into 3rd 1/2way, lost pos from 5out & sn drpd twrds rr, mod 7th when pu bef 2out P SP 5/2J TIME 6m 31.00s 10 ran
OWNER: Jim O’Neill; HANDLER: Jim O’Neill
371 Connollys Red Mills 5yo Geldings Maiden (5yo) abt 3m
MINELLA APPRENTICE (IRE) 5 11-11 A T Feeney(5) 1 ch g by Jukebox Jury (IRE) - Blameitalonmyroots (IRE) (Turtle Island(IRE)) mid-div 5th 1/2way, left 4th from 8th prog from 3out & rdn in 2nd aftr next, chall bef last & ld run-in, kow RPR 87 320 Shoe Shinner (IRE) 5 12-2 J J Walsh 3/4 2 b g by Yeats (IRE) - Derravarra Bay (IRE) (Exit To Nowhere(USA)) mid-div & kn, ld 3rd & 20l clr 1/2way, mstk 5out, redcd adv bef 2out, sn rdn & chall bef last, hdd & no ex run-in RPR 86 269 Fortuneville (IRE) 5 12-2 R James ...........5 3 ch g by Soldier Of Fortune (IRE) - Manorville (IRE) (Flemensfirth(USA)) tr ldrs, 4th 1/2way, rdn in 5th aftr 3out,
Continuingthe themeof Che lten ha mc onne ct ions, Whiskey Serenade shed her maiden tag in the Gain Equine Nutritionfive-year-old-andupwardsmares’maiden four days after herhalf-brother MidnightItIsfinishedthirdin the Grand Annual.
TheColin Bowe-traine d daughter of Blue Bresil had
bee ni ncons ist en ti nf iv e previo us st ar ts bu tu nder Bertie Finn she took advantage of awinnable opportunity, accounting for Defeat The Dark by half a length “She’s hit the crossbar afew times.Iwas talkingtoBarry O’Neill coming hereand he said he alwaysliked her,” Finn said. “Her form is probably not
Order Up (IRE) 5 11-11 D M O’Connor(5) tr ldrs, 3rd when fell 8th F
333 Suspect Getaway (IRE) 5 11-11 J M Halford(5) mid-div, 6th 1/2way, sltly hmprd 8th, prog from 4out & went 2nd aftr next, rdn from 2out & still cl 3rd when fell last RPR 85 F 333 The Gatelodge (IRE) 5 12-2 D Doyle ld, sl mstk 1st, hdd & drpd to 2nd from 3rd, sl mstk next, rdn & wknd aftr 3out, mod 5th when fell 2out F SP 4/1 TIME 6m 36.00s 10 ran
OWNER: John Nallen; HANDLER: John Nallen
372 GAIN Equine Nutrition 5yo+ Mares Maiden (5yo+)abt 3m
321 WHISKEY SERENADE 5 11-11 B Finn 1 b m by Blue Bresil (FR) - Santera (IRE) (Gold Away(IRE)) mid-div, 5th 1/2way, rdn aftr 4out, gd prog into 3rd bef next, ld bef 2out, chall run-in, alw holding on RPR 71
239 Defeat The Dark (IRE) 6 11-11 J W Hendrick 1/2 2
b m by Soldier Of Fortune (IRE) - Some Sunset (Malinas) mid-div, 2nd bef 4out, rdn aftr 3out, sltly hmprd & drpd to 3rd, ko agn bef last & went 2nd run-in, nt rch wnr RPR 70
204 Jollie Cosmos (IRE) 9 11-6 Ms P Elvin(5) ...........1 3
br m by Arctic Cosmos (USA) - Jollie Princess (IRE) (King’s Theatre(IRE)) ld, 10l clr 1/2way, redcd adv bef 4out, hdd & rdn bef 2out, ko agn bef last, no ex & drpd to 3rd run-in RPR 69
214 Late Night Drama 6 11-11 R James mid-div, slw jmp 2nd, clsr in 3rd 1/2way, drpd to 4th & rdn from 3out, no ex bef 2out where jmpd right RPR 54 .........15 4
321 Dani White Feather (IRE) 6 11-11 A P Ryan twrds rr, mstk 1st, sltly hmprd 4th 6th 1/2way, jmpd right 5out, rdn & no impr be 3out RPR 50 .........17 5
349 Coolyourjets (IRE) 6 11-6 Ms F Fox(5) sis & alw detd in rr, sltly hmprd 4th, sl mstk 6out, sn no ex, cto RPR 50 .........35 6 A Quest For Cognac (IRE) 5 11-6 B J Walsh(5) tr ldrs, 3rd when fell 4th F For My Mother (IRE) 5 11-11 FAV D Doyle twrds rr, slw jmp 5th sl mstk 7th, 7th 1/2way, sl mstk 9th, b mstk 5out & sn pu P
302 Moononthebay (IRE) 5 11-11 B T Stone tr ldr in 2nd sl mstks 8th & 9th, rdn bef 4out, sn wknd & no ex in 5th bef 3out, pu bef nwxt P Western Clouds 5 11-11 J J Walsh mid-div, brought down 4th B
as good as she’s showingat home.She idledinfront, but when she heardsomething coming, she took off again. We like her; she’s a tough mare.” Jo hn Na llen ha sf ou nd fortune at the Kilkennyvenue in recentyears and the victory of MinellaApprentice in the Connolly’sRed Mills five-yearold geldings’maiden wasthe Clonmel hotelier’s thirdatthe course since 2020.
Ad am Fe ene y’sm ou nt outbattled the experienced Shoe Shinner by three-quarters of a length
JimO’Neill’s firstfour-yearold runner of 2025 returned victorious when Soomaroy landed the Tattersalls Ireland De rb yS ale fo ur-y ea r- ol d geldings’maiden under Jack Hendrick.
A€42,000 purchase at last year’s Arkle Sale, the No Risk At All geldingwas strongly challengedatthe second-last but the departure of Oatsoeasyat that obstacle hampered Vango Can Go, allowing him to win by four lengths
“Jackhas alwaysloved him and I’mhappy for Jack because he gotoff ahorse of Cormac Doyle’s to ride thislad. Cormac’s horse,Lancelot Du Large,won in Cork, so the pressure wason me,” O’Neill said.
CRISTAL D’ESTRUVAL, winner of the 4YO Geldings Maiden at Lisronagh for Colin Bowe in the fastest time of the day,topped the Cheltenham Sale selling to Ed Bailey & Harry Derham for £400,000
SAINT CRYSTAL,who earned JDG Jumping Star status when winning first time out in January, was an eased down 7-length winner of the Listed Prix General de Rougemont (4YO Hurdle) atAuteuil for Dominique Bressou and owner/breeders
Ecurie Patrick Joubert & Sc Ecurie Couderc
GREEN HINT,bred by Paul & Catherine Reed,won the 4YO Maiden at Daramona House for Ross Crawford and owners Simon Munir & Isaac Souede.
The highly-regarded gelding will now be aimed at the Goffs Defender Bumper at Punchestown
“
Ihavebeenreallyimpressedbytheathleticism oftheCrystalOceansI’veseenatDoncaster andGoffsandamgenuinelyexcitedabouthis prospectsasasire.Iwaschuffedtogetaniceone [whichturnedouttobeGreenHint].
”
Anthony Bromley last June
Champion Racehorse by