THE first ever Kildorrery autumn meeting took place on Sunday and Eoin O’Brien, from nearby Mitchelstown, dominated the Duhallow Foxhounds fixture as he was the only rider to depart the Rockmills Stud venue with two winners.

O’Brien completed his brace aboard Denis Leahy’s Desertmore House (5/4 - 2/1 joint-favourite) in the closing six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

The towering Desertmore House was always quite well positioned as last season’s Ballindenisk runner-up Clonmeen set out with the intention of making all. The eventual winner moved second behind the pacesetter on the run to the penultimate of the 11 fences and the duo soon had the race to themselves as this second-last obstacle claimed Whiskey For Jack in third spot at the time.

The winning son of Court Cave took command at the last and the Brendan O’Brien-owned bay out ran the gallant Clonmeen on the flat with one and three-quarter lengths the ultimate winning margin.

“I’m really delighted for Brendan (O’Brien) who has been with me through thick and thin,” remarked Leahy.

“It’s great that Brendan is able to be here today to see the horse win. Desertmore House is a horse that has just needed time.”

Rider O’Brien instigated his two-timer by teaming up with Marie Harding, who also acts as this meeting’s long-standing secretary, to win the five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden with clear form choice Rosa Gloriosa (4/6 - 1/1 favourite).

Hardings’ Rosa

The grey-coloured Rosa Gloriosa, owned and bred by her trainer’s Dublin-based sister Deirdre Harding, finished second in three bumpers and one maiden hurdle earlier this year.

She was not surprisingly bounced out at the head of affairs and, although headed briefly on a couple of separate occasions, she readily asserted from two out in the style of an odds-on shot to dispense with Desert Heather by 12 lengths.

Rosa Gloriosa is now likely to return to track duty.

Broomfield progresses

The Harding clan, who hail from Castletownroche, certainly had an afternoon to savour as Marie and Deirdre’s brother Richie Harding sent out Broomfield Present (4/1 - 5/1) to win the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Broomfield Present raced in mid-division as Nutella Tower and Samos Island set the pace in this 11-runner contest, the biggest field of the afternoon. Yellowstone Park picked up the running before four out and the winning son of Presenting moved into fourth with talented 5lb claimer Cal Shine on the run to the third last fence.

Broomfield Present continued to make progress from two out and he took the measure of new leader Jeffery’s Cross at the last before beating Darragh Allen’s mount by two lengths.

Yellowstone Park showed ability by securing the minor honours, a further 12 lengths adrift.

“He’s a good, tough hardy horse that jumps and stays. He will probably now be sold,” said former Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Harding of Broomfield Present, who hails from the same family as Newmill and whom Midleton-based owner Ray Fitzgerald purchased for €25,000 at the 2019 Derby Sale.

A tasty run by Lord Schnitzel

LORD Schnitzel has really blossomed since coming pointing this autumn and Declan Queally’s giant-sized gelding, who was Grade 1-placed over fences for former handler Matthew Smith, supplemented last month’s victories at Loughrea and Rathcannon by running his rivals ragged in the winner-of-three contest.

Chris O’Donovan sent Lord Schnitzel (4/5 favourite) straight to the front and he held all of a 20-length advantage from four out. The field whittled this down on the run to three out and, although not overly clever at this third last obstacle, the winning son of Getaway readily powered clear from the penultimate fence to see off Three Loud Knocks by six lengths.

Handler Declan Queally, also on the mark with Noah’s Light over hurdles at Navan on Sunday, intimated that the Klaus Koentopp-owned eight-year-old Lord Schnitzel will now run in the maiden hunter chase at Limerick over Christmas.

Sean Doyle, fresh from receiving £305,000 for Arctic Bresil at the recent Tattersalls sale at Cheltenham, appears to have another useful recruit in Lookaway (3/1 - 4/1) who made a taking winning debut in the four-year-old maiden.

Useful Lookaway

Lookaway was bounced out in pole position by Liam Gilligan and the winning son of Ask had two other Co Wexford-trained newcomers in Collectors Item and Concetto as his only serious dangers from three out.

Concetto was the first to crack and while Collectors Item stuck valiantly to his task, he still couldn’t cope with the Monbeg Partnership-owned chesnut from before the last as the winner asserted to dismiss him by two and a half lengths.

Concetto still shaped with promise by returning a further 12 lengths adrift in third.

“I think that he will improve loads and he’s a horse that just loves soft ground,” said handler Doyle of Lookaway, whose dam is a half-sister to the blacktype-placed pair Indifference Curve and Shantou Ed.

IT certainly was a red-letter afternoon for 17-year-old John Aherne as the Mitchelstown teenager was credited with an initial success aboard his grandfather Tommy Kelly’s mare Our Miss Power (4/5 favourite) in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden for novice riders.

The Eoghan O’Grady-trained Our Miss Power, runner-up on her most recent outing at Curraghmore last month, always travelled with purpose and she swept past Stellar Symphony at the last to score by a widening four lengths.

Aherne works full-time with handler O’Grady and the Ballyclough-based handler intimated that former track performer Our Miss Power will now contest a winners’ race.

Horse to follow

Collectors Item (C. Bowe): This son of Flemensfirth went down fighting when beaten two and a half lengths into second by Lookaway.

An own-brother to Peter Fahey’s smart mare Royal Kahala, he seems well up to track standard.