DEREK O’Connor dominated the opening session of the two-day Kinsale meeting at Farrangalway on Saturday evening by partnering a sparkling treble and this season’s southern regional champion excelled by bringing the Jim Dreaper-trained Attribution (7/2) from well off the pace to win the four-mile open.

Attribution, a former 143-rated chaser when trained by Henry de Bromhead for Gigginstown House Stud, previously finished second behind Sambremont at Loughbrickland in mid-April and he was held up well off the pace as Sydney Paget took the nine runners along.

The winning nine-year-old moved closer on the descent to the fourth last of the 20 obstacles and he overtook the long-time leader two out. Sydney Paget was already beaten when erring at the final fence as the triumphant British-bred drew clear to beat Susie Doyle’s mount by three lengths.

Nice ground

“Kinsale has a great reputation for producing nice ground and we’ve had this race in mind since he finished second in Loughbrickland. The plan is that he will come back pointing again next season,” said Dreaper’s son and assistant Tom of Attribution, who was acquired for the Knockalough Syndicate for £18,000 at last September’s Goffs UK Sale at Doncaster.

The Galwegian’s middle success came aboard this season’s joint-champion pointer Longhouse Music (1/3 favourite), who recorded her 13th success of the campaign in the three-runner mares’ open.

The Sam Curling-trained Longhouse Music moved through to lead on the run to six out and she made the rest of the running. The maiden Something Rosie briefly held every chance on the run to the final fence, but the odds-on shot threw another fabulous leap here and John Duggan’s homebred asserted on the flat under tender handling to oblige by a length.

Curling, who took the opportunity to pay tribute to the other joint-champion pointer Kruzhlinin, revealed that Longhouse Music will return pointing again next season.

O’Connor instigated his hat-trick aboard Robert Tyner’s Direct Image (11/4 favourite) in the mares’ winners of one, a race that was run in extremely poor visibility. Direct Image arrived from mid-division to overtake the pace-setting Seaside Girl two out.

Last month’s Dromahane maiden winner then swept clear before the last to see off Hello Pilgrim by three lengths with a 10-length break to the third-placed Alloverafiver.

Tyner intimated that Direct Image, representing the 12-member Traveling Light Syndicate from Kinsale, will now be prepared for a hurdling campaign.

Maxine O’Sullivan, who went on to be crowned champion lady rider for the third time at Ballingarry on Monday, rode three winners over the weekend with the Lombardstown native landing the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden aboard her father Eugene O’Sullivan’s Dubai Daisy (5/1).

Advantage

Glenough still held a fractional advantage when falling two out and the favourite Shabba Dada Do was then left in front. The market leader drifted noticeably out to the left approaching the last and Dubai Daisy then seized control. At the post, the Joe Buckley-owned Dubai Daisy had two lengths to spare over Shabba Dada Do and the winning daughter of Dubai Destination may now be targeted at a track campaign this autumn.

There was yet another family success in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the evening in 15 runners, as Ask Me Early (5/1) returned to the coveted number one slot under his owner/trainer Pat O’Rourke’s son Jimmy O’Rourke.

The towering Ask Me Early ran a race rich in promise on his debut at Tralee just seven days earlier when finishing third to Funky Sensation and he moved through to hit the front four out.

The winning son of Ask then maintained a narrow advantage to account for Hard Ground, returning from a six-month absence, by three-quarters of a length. The duo returned 10 lengths clear of the third-placed Rio Des Echanault.

The biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for the mare Battle Away (7/1), who provided the 14 bookmakers present with some delight by springing a 7/1 surprise in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.

Battle Away, the only horse that Ballinaclasha-based owner/trainer Dan Rohan has in harness at present, got into a lovely rhythm with Johnny Barry and came through to lead two out.

With runner-up Cilluirid then blundering at the last, Battle Away forged clear in the closing stages to score by three lengths. Rohan suggested that Battle Away, a close relation to Watson Lake, may now try her luck inside the rails.

Horse to follow

Bobby Bow (A. Murphy): A son of Frammasone, he faded from two out but still ran considerably better than being beaten a shade over 22 lengths into fourth spot would indicate. He has valid track aspirations.

Rohan mobbed

IT’S always important to realise that small-time operators are the backbone of the industry and Dan Rohan (right) was virtually mobbed by well-wishers following the success of his mare Battle Away, led up by his brother Pat, in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.

Rohan, a former amateur who has been a regular on the circuit since the 1960s when his late father Ned had runners in points, disclosed that he bought Battle Away from his Shanagarry-based brother-in-law Tom O’Brien as a four-year-old.