WEXFORD native Gary Murphy enjoyed what was undoubtedly one of his best days in the sport last Sunday, when he sent out a four-year-old maiden double with two impressive newcomers.
Since making the switch to the training ranks, the Cudgley Stables operator has already produced the now dual Grade 1 runner-up Affordale Fury and Cheltenham contender Only By Night, and he looks to have unearthed another potential future blacktype performer, after Moments In Time (3/1) dismissed his seven rivals with the minimum of effort in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Barry Stone always had the striking grey to the fore, and the Turbine Syndicate-owned Kingston Hill was not for catching around a course which can often favour positive tactics, as they breezed clear early in the home straight, to return 24 lengths clear of the favourite I Walked The Line.
“He jumps and travels - he is a proper good one,” Murphy said. “You don’t get these horses every day.”
Kickstart
Chosen Comrade (3/1 – 7/2) had started the day in style to kickstart a first-ever double as a handler for Murphy, when she landed the opening split of the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
There were few hiding places for the nine runners in this strongly-run contest on holding ground, with many of the youngsters crying enough by the home bend. That left only the strong-travelling Shukran Habibti in pursuit of Murphy’s daughter of Walk In The Park, and she had plenty in reserve to triumph by a length and a half.
“She had done a piece of work around Maurice Day’s place three weeks ago and a gallop in Monksgrange, and I said to the boys that we had a proper one here,” Murphy stated of Francis Whelan’s home-bred.
“This is a really tough mare that jumps for fun.”
Costello collects
It also proved to be a day of firsts for 18-year-old James Costello, as he secured his initial success in the saddle aboard Tony Martin’s Lyreen Og (5/2 – 3/1) in the adjacent maiden.
The Blue Bresil gelding did not make things easy for the Galway native, as he proved to be a handful in the preliminaries and at the start, where he began the race from outside of the lined starting chute.
That necessitated a steward’s enquiry following his two-and-a-half-length defeat of Better Times - a race he kept, following their deliberations.
“He is a good horse and had been showing us plenty, but we just thought that first time out it might be asking a bit much,” Martin said of the Daniel Houlihan-owned five-year-old.
“The young lad was excellent on him. He hasn’t been an easy horse, but the young lad has done all the work with him.”
TOM Byrne capped off a weekend to remember, when he saddled Nevershedatear (4/1 – 5/1) to make a winning debut in division two of the four-year-old mares’ maiden.
The Ballygrangans native had started the weekend by kicking two points in a man of the match winning performance at Fraher Field, as his Wexford side remained unbeaten in their division four Allianz football league campaign.
Twenty-four hours later, he was in the winner’s enclosure after he had produced his seventh winner as a handler, when the daughter of Getaway made all to defeat Might Be The One by two lengths.
“She was always like that at home,” Byrne admitted of his €9,000 purchase that was bought in partnership with Timmy Farrell.
“She jumps so well; she winged her fences there and stays all day. The plan was to be upsides and then let her go on to use her high cruising speed, and she was well able to do it.”
Hendrick hits one hundred
The victory was also a career milestone 100th winner in the sphere for Jack Hendrick and, having become the 65th rider to gain a point-to-point century, the Mayglass native wasted little time adding to it, when he completed a double aboard Port Authority (3/1 – 5/1) in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
The Doyen gelding had been in pursuit of Cormac Farrell’s pace-setter Keno Black approaching the last, when that rival crashed out whilst holding the advantage at the time.
His departure paved the way for the Matty Flynn O’Connor-owned and trained Doyen gelding to make a winning debut, as he returned eight lengths clear of Karting Ko.
Less luck
The Ballycrystal Stables team were not as fortunate later on the card, as Jasmin Des Blins was in a prime position to collect the older geldings’ maiden for the Wexford outfit, only to blunder away his chance with an error at the last.
That opened the door for the challenging Nighttime Love (5/1 – 8/1) to come through and defeat Silver Salute by three-quarters of a length, despite being absent for a full 10 months.
“We were hoping for a good run, but probably thought that he would take the run as he has been off so long,” 19-year-old rider Cormac Byrne said of the Gearóid O’Loughlin-owned and trained six-year-old. “I couldn’t believe it, he just travelled away so well for me the whole way.”
CLAIRE O’Connell was justifiably all smiles in the winner’s enclosure after she sent out her third winner of the campaign, courtesy of Glenmalure Lady (5/1) in the mares’ winners-of-two contest.
Bred and owned by her husband, Paul O’Sullivan, the bay was a revelation as she followed up her Cragmore maiden victory by brushing aside the challenge of Carry On Heidi by 14 lengths in a well-judged front-running ride from Joey Dunne.
“She is by Famous Name, so we always think of our great pal Pat Smullen,” the Glenwood trainer acknowledged. “He gave us the cover for that horse, so we were very lucky.”
The Gain Mares Final could be next on the agenda for the six-year-old, who could also soon be the mount of O’Connell’s son Dara in the near future. He was on lead-up duties on this occasion, but having turned 17 on Monday, he was reported to be eyeing up a race-riding debut in the not too distant future.
Horse to Follow
Shukran Habibti (R. Tector): The daughter of Maxios showed plenty of pace as she cruised into contention, and it would be no surprise to see her develop into a track winner over shorter trips.