COLIN Bowe’s string have hit form with a vengeance over the past couple of weeks and the reigning champion handler combined with Barry O’Neill to record a two-timer at Sunday’s Duhallow Foxhounds meeting at Dromahane.
The newcomer Fairy Park (6/4 – evens favourite) initiated the Bowe/O’Neill brace by spreadeagling the opposition in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, much to the dismay of the 10 bookmakers present.
The Walk In The Park-sired Fairy Park, whose unraced dam is a half-sister to five-time Grade 1 winner Bellshill, tracked the front-running Time To Give until moving through to join issue with three fences remaining.
The eventual winner then led from three out and stormed clear on the approach to the final of the 13 obstacles to account for Cappa Lass in the style of one that we will be hearing a lot more about.
“She’s a lovely filly and Barry [O’Neill] said that she was just a bit green there. She will now go to a sale,” reported Bowe of the Grangeclare Stud-owned Fairy Park, a €58, 000 acquisition as a foal at the 2021 Tattersalls Ireland November sale.
Signing off
O’Neill signed off by steering Bowe’s debutant Unflinching (2/1 - 9/4 favourite) to success in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
The grey moved closer on the final circuit and he tracked Follow My Order in second spot from three out. With Follow My Order falling when still holding a fractional advantage at the second-last, the winning son of Montmartre was left disputing the running with The Rebel County. Unflinching edged ahead approaching the last and asserted in the closing stages to deny The Rebel County by two and a half lengths.
“He’s a very big horse that’s a nice staying type and he has a very good attitude. He will probably be sold now,” said Bowe of the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd-owned Unflinching.
IAN McCarthy and Eoin Mahon likewise combined to record a two-timer, the duo signing off courtesy of the admirable Fountain House (4/7 favourite) in the open.
Fountain House, who was recording a fifth points success of the term to add to his victory in the Thurles maiden hunters chase last month, got into a lovely rhythm in mid-division as Garm Colombe and Heroes Of Renown took the seven contestants along.
Odds-on backers never experienced any undue concern as Fountain House eased through to pick up the running at the third-last. Whilst holding in the region of less than a length’s advantage at the last, Fountain House readily asserted on the flat to thwart Heroes Of Renown by three lengths in the colours of his handler’s wife Nicki.
The trainer himself reported of Fountain House: “That will set him up nicely for the Bishopscourt Cup at the Punchestown festival and we’ll see about going on to Stratford after that.”
Jenny doubles up
Messrs McCarthy and Mahon then took the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden with clear form-choice Jennyfromtheblock (3/1 - 11/4 favourite).
Runner-up on her initial outing in Ballycahane, the towering Jennyfromtheblock came through from mid-division to occupy a more prominent position from five out and she tracked Miss Bumblebee from the fourth-last.
There was little to separate the pair until the winning daughter of Harzand secured the faster jump two out and was always possessing too many aces for Miss Bumblebee thereafter, three lengths separating the pair.
“She was a bit unlucky the last day in Ballycahane. She’s a big mare that’s very straightforward and will probably now be sold,” said handler McCarthy of Jennyfromtheblock, owned by wife Nicki, but in whom Adare-based breeder Martin White still holds an interest.
THE Tom Keating-owned/trained newcomer Ballycommon Boy (6/1 - 8/1) created a very favourable impression by coming home as he pleased with Adam Feeney in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Harzand-sired Ballycommon Boy made eye-catching progress from mid-division after the fourth-last on the outer and he moved through to dispute the running before three out.
The victorious bay set sail for home after this third-last fence and he then gave his supporters cause for major alarm by erring two out.
He once again blundered at the last only to then quicken on the flat and surge clear to dismiss The Irish Avatar by two and a half lengths in the style of a seriously-talented sort.
Keating, saddling an initial four-year-old winner of the season, reported of Ballycommon Boy: “He’s a lovely horse that has always done everything very nicely and I think that he will win a bumper.”
Popular
The Louis Archdeacon-trained Red Night Sky (4/1/ - 6/1) proved to be the most popular winner of the afternoon in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden as the ex-track mare represents Kevin Murphy from Kanturk, one of the clerks of scales at this meeting.
Red Night Sky stepped forwards from her fifth-placed effort at Liscarroll seven days earlier by picking up the running before two out under Luke Burke Ott.
With odds-on Rowdy under pressure in second spot when falling at the last, the winning daughter of Zambezi Sun readily drew clear on the flat to beat her stable-companion Duhallow Jury by eight lengths.
Horse to Follow
Our Amigo (P Cashman): A sleek looking chasing type that’s a half-brother to Nicky Martin’s Welsh Grand National winner The Two Amigos, this Malinas-sired newcomer stayed on nicely from off the pace to be beaten less than four lengths into third in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. A bright track career seems assured.