IT’S impossible to beat winning in front of one’s home crowd and owner/trainer/rider Niamh Hennessy did precisely that at Sunday’s well-attended Kilworth and Araglen Harriers meeting at Knockanohill, by steering Lakewood Rose to victory in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.
Hennessy, who works at Brendan Holland’s nearby Grove Stud outside Fermoy, held up Lakewood Rose (4/1 - 6/1) off the pace, as Don’t Stop D Party and Getting There vied for supremacy up front.
The Co Kilkenny native edged closer aboard last month’s Knockanard third from before two out and, the victorious daughter of Mahler, the only mare in the eight-runner field, bounded into the lead well before the final of the 15 obstacles.
It was all relative plain sailing thereafter, as the successful seven-year-old stormed clear to dismiss favourite Don’t Stop D Party by seven lengths, with Could Be You more than acquitting himself by returning a further three-quarters of a length adrift in third.
“I have her since she was a three-year-old. She just got a few little niggles along the way and she only ran for the first time at Ballingarry last May,” Hennessy said. “She has been running well this year and it’s great that she showed what she was capable of here today.”
Birthday present
Frankie Murphy experienced a 19th birthday to remember, as he partnered his fifth career winner aboard owner/trainer Harley Dunne’s Captain Cool (8/1 - 12/1) in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the afternoon in 10 runners.
The Jet Away-sired Captain Cool, who was making his return to the fray having finished a respectable sixth on his career debut at Ballyknock last Easter, was bounced out smartly at the head of affairs and he made all the running.
Whilst Park Talk arrived to hold every chance in second from two out, he was unable to raise his effort from the last, as the eventual winner asserted to repel him by three lengths. Noble Run, meanwhile, hinted that his turn is imminent by finishing a further half-length adrift in third.
Skibbereen native Murphy, cheered on by his father Lorcan who likewise was celebrating his own birthday, is now in his third season working with Clonroche-based operator Dunne.
Unforgettable day
Jake Leddin will likewise treasure fond memories of this meeting, as the 22-year-old from Hospital in Co Limerick recorded an initial career success aboard recent Kildorrery third Just Keeps Rolling (3/1 - 4/1) in the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.
The Ambrose O’Mullane-trained Just Keeps Rolling mostly tracked the front-running Fromquintotulla until assuming command after the penultimate obstacle.
The victorious six-year-old, owned and bred by Thomas Westropp-Bennett, was then kept up to his work in the closing stages to deny the staying on I See Fog by three-parts of a length, in what was the closest finish of the afternoon.
The towering Just Keeps Rolling is the only pointer that O’Mullane and his partner Mary Reynolds, who are extremely well-known in breeze up circles, currently have in harness at their Ardglas Stables outside Emly.
THE local contingent had further reason to celebrate as owner-trainer John Staunton’s Kilworth (4/6 – evens favourite) proved a most appropriately named winner of the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, much to the dismay of the 14 bookmakers present.
The five-year-old Kilworth, having caught a tartar when coming second to ex-track performer The Great Unknown, who has since registered two further points successes, was always positioned quite close to the pace and Eoin Mahon sent the daughter of Order Of St George through to dispute the running with newcomer Kayla’s Friend from four out.
The winning five-year-old, a 2023 Tattersalls Ireland July sale graduate, hit the front after the second-last and she then held off the staying-on newcomer Julie Liath to oblige by two and a half lengths.
“She’s a cracking mare that just ran into a very good sort in The Great Unknown at Bellharbour,” reported Galwegian Staunton of Kilworth.
“Charlie Moore, who comes from here in Kilworth, owns her with me and she will probably be sold now.”
Happy punters
Punters similarly got it correct in the four-year-old maiden, a race that attracted just four runners, as Cormac Doyle’s newcomer Lancelot Du Large (evens) gamely justified favouritism in the hands of Jamie Scallan. Lancelot Du Large disputed the running with Let Me Be Clear, the only participant with previous experience as he pulled up at Lisronagh three weeks earlier, until edging ahead three out.
Runner-up Riverstown Boy was soon in pursuit, but the winning French-bred always held the advantage and he maintained the tempo in the closing stages to account for Garrett Ahern’s charge by two and a half lengths in the silks of the Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership. Lancelot Du Large, a son of Kapgarde that’s out of a half-sister to listed placed bumper performer Farceur Du Large, was purchased for €28,000 at the 2024 Goffs Arkle sale and the grey is now likely to be sold.
THE winners of three, a race in which four horses faced the starter, was a most eventful contest and the field was quickly reduced, when Trooper Carton unseated at the third fence. Whilst running loose, he then forced Iorens and Keeptheoldmanout out of the race at the fifth.
Cold Old Fire (5/4 - 6/4 favourite), who was already in front, was then left to complete a solo in the hands of Darragh Allen. Having won his maiden at Dungarvan last month, Cold Old Fire is trained by Ray Hurley for the Tutti Fruitti Syndicate that includes breeder Tom Keogh.
Horse to Follow
I See Fog (Sean Joseph Allen): This son of Jukebox Jury, having finished eighth in two maiden hurdle starts last summer, made his points debut in the older horses’ maiden. The seven-year-old stayed on purposefully in the closing stages to be beaten just three-parts of a length into second and compensation should be easily attained.