Eoghain Ward

ALL the perseverance of point-to-point secretary Gill Browne and her team in rescheduling the Borris House fixture more than paid off, as for the second time in just over a year, Browne was on hand to welcome in a four-year-old winner at the course which she had bred herself.

The Gordon Elliott-trained Andy Dufresne (6/4–2/1 favourite) created a big impression when the Doyen gelding recorded an emphatic six-length success over Ellmarie Holden’s Faustinovick in the John M. Foley four-year-old maiden.

Out of a track-winning Beneficial mare whom Browne also bred, the bay gelding was following in the footsteps of his half-brother Clondaw Rigger by winning at the course, and their now 16-year-old dam is back in foal to Doyen. This four-year-old, who was partnered to success by Jamie Codd, could have a big future ahead of him, with the winning trainer, who was at the track to watch him run, impressed with the victory.

“I think he is a fair horse. He is a classy and speedy type of a horse. We like him a lot, but he is a horse for the future. My travelling head girl Camilla Sharples owns him and that is the first horse that she has owned, so I am delighted for her.”

DOUBLE

Codd quickly doubled-up in the following Ballyhane Stud five-year-old geldings’ maiden when teaming-up with the Denis Tarrant-owned Mats Hall (6/4-2/1). The race pitched two form horses against each other, with that Scorpion gelding having finished just four lengths behind Joseph O’Brien’s now two-time track winner at Mainstown in December, while his main rival, Oscar Academy, finished 10-lengths behind Grade 2 winner Mr Whipped and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle leading fancy Flawless Escape on his debut at Lingstown.

The pair jumped the last as one, but it was the former who prevailed for trainer David O’Brien. “He had a good run at Mainstown and was just a little bit weak, so I put him out for the winter and thank god it paid off,” reported the 15-horse handler. “He is a homebred for Denis (Tarrant) and he would have had horses there from my father’s time.”

Sinoria (1/1-4/5 favourite) may have only been making her debut, but in many ways, it was a case of déjà vu when she passed the post in front in the Innovotec mares’ maiden. Twelve months earlier to the exact weekend, her trainer, Richard Black, saddled the impressive Maire Banrigh to make a winning debut at Lingstown, before being sold for a record-breaking sum at the following week’s Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale.

It was a case of history repeating itself with this well-bred individual. Carrying the colours of Gorey veterinary surgeon Austin Fanning, the Oscar mare produced a potent turn of foot from the penultimate fence under Barry O’Neill to defeat Getaway Mixie by three lengths.

“I think she is very classy. She has an unbelievable pedigree, as she is a half-sister to Minella Rocco. But behind that is Workforce and Brian Boru, which you don’t see that too often in a National Hunt pedigree, and I thought that she would take a lot of beating today,” reported Black.

“She has lots of speed so Barry (O’Neill) took his time with her and told me after that she will improve a tonne for it.” Like her half-sister, last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco, Sinoria was catalogued for sale at Thursday’s Festival Sale.

LOCAL

Aidan Fitzgerald and Shark Hanlon have both tended to dominate the adjacent maiden, winning the majority of its seven previous renewals at this venue. 2018 was no different, as with Hanlon without a representative in the race, it was Fitzgerald’s local yard who recorded a fifth success in the Duninga Gallops sponsored race.

His representative, Ihavent A Clue (7-8/1), benefitted from the costly final fence error of Kate Harrington’s Misty Magic to get the verdict by three-quarters of a length under Aaron Sinnott.

It was a busy day for the Fitzgerald family, with the winning handler also the Assistant Clerk of the Course for the meeting, while his wife Ashling, whose colours were carried to success, was assisting behind the declarations desk.

Fitzgerald was quick to lavish praise on his winning rider. “I am delighted for Aaron. He works in the yard and is a very good rider. He is with me three years now and broke his leg last year and that slowed him down a bit, but he has ridden a four-year-old winner for me and I’m delighted he got this.”

BLOODLESS SUCCESS

Pat Doyle picked-up his fifth open of the season when Samanntom (6/4-7/4) recorded a bloodless success in the Connolly’s Red Mills-sponsored race. Tracking the free-going After Eight Sivola as the pair raced upwards of 30 lengths clear of the odds-on favourite Cavite Beta, the Portrait Gallery gelding went on with half-a-mile to race and could never be reeled in under Rob James, returning with a 12-length winning margin in the colours of Roger O’Byrne.

“He is back to himself. Rob (James) was delighted with him and he got a grand lead most of the way,” remarked Doyle. “We will go again with him in another two or three weeks’ time.”

First cousins Sean and Richard O’Keeffe teamed-up to record a shock success in the Goresbridge Bloodstock Sales older geldings’ maiden, with the winning Wexford-based handler’s colours carried to victory aboard Vital Island (5-8/1). Pulled-up on four consecutive outings before finishing seventh over the banks at Lingstown in the autumn, the Trans Island gelding took a step forward here, as he stayed-on best to defeat On Raglan Road by four lengths.

This was a first of two visits to the winner’s enclosure for the six-year-old, who went on to lands the banks race at Lingstown 48 hours later.

Strike record

THERE will be plenty of handlers envious of the success Richard Black has had since moving to his new yard in Ballycarney during the summer. Since then, he has sent out three runners, all of whom have won, with Sinoria’s success maintaining his 100% strike record for the season since locating at his new yard.

It proved to be a busy week for the organising Carlow Farmers hunt who not only had put in place all the arrangements for their rearranged fixture following its cancellation to the snow, but they also took in a two-day hunting trip with the Pembrokshire Hunt in Wales.

Many of their volunteer helpers on the day only returned on the ferry that morning.