Neil O’Donnell

THE battle for this season’s The Irish Field riders’ championship moved to Kinsale on Saturday evening with Barry O’Neill and Jamie Codd in action at day one of the South Union Foxhounds weekend fixture at Farrangalway.

The pair departed with a double apiece and it was David Christie that supplied 2016/17 champion rider O’Neill with his two winners, the pair initially striking with Corella Creek in the O’Leary Insurance Group mares’ winners of one.

Corella Creek (4/1) came into this nine-runner contest with just one previous outing and that was when effortlessly winning a maiden at her handler’s local Necarne fixture three weeks earlier.

The daughter of King’s Theatre was at the head of affairs by the second of the 15 fences and she made the rest of the running, with Sophie’s Flame as her closest pursuer throughout.

Although erring at the third last, the Co Fermanagh raider was well and truly in command from two out and she ultimately came home at her leisure by five lengths from the recent Ballindenisk maiden winner Sophie’s Flame. The slow-starting Bessy Boru meanwhile returned a further one-length adrift in third spot.

“We think a lot of her and it was her inexperience that caused her to get in close to a couple of fences here. She will now head to the track for a maiden hurdle,” said Christie of Corella Creek, representing breeder David Kells from Moneymore.

The Christie-trained Maple Mons, arguably one of the best pointing mares’ of this era, completed the O’Neill brace in the Irish Life Assurance mares’ open.

Maple Mons (1/2) led until headed by the long-absent Senators Glory, returning from a three and a half-year lay-off, after the fifth last and Shane Fitzgerald’s mount was challenged by the odds-on shot from three out.

The winning daughter of Great Exhibition, owned by brothers David and Aaron Charles from Co Donegal and bred by their father Ray, moved back to the front after two out and she was already well in command when throwing a fabulous leap at the final fence. She duly returned with five lengths to spare over the gallant Senators Glory.

Maple Mons, a three-time hunter chase winner this season, was having a remarkable 18th start of the campaign here and she then went on to post her seventh points success of the term at Ballingarry less than 24 hours later.

SURRENDER

Jamie Codd was never going to surrender his crown without a fight and the 35-year-old partnered the first of his two winners aboard this season’s leading horse Ourmanmassini in the Dore & Co Solicitors, Dublin four-mile open.

No Secrets tried to make all and he still held the call approaching the penultimate of the 20 obstacles but Eddies Miracle and Ourmanmassini (7/4) were poised to challenge.

Eddies Miracle led away from this second last fence and he seemed to be travelling stronger in the lead on the run to the final fence except that the market leader then blundered here.

The winning nine-year-old then picked up the running to eclipse Eddies Miracle by two lengths in the colours of Donal Finnan, who’s married to Flood’s New York-based aunt, Niamh Finnan.

Ourmanmassini was recording his eighth success of the season. The ill-fated Sprintingforgold attained a similar number of successes, but the Flood horse won the title on account of having a higher amount of placed efforts.

Codd signed off by steering the Jimmy Mangan-trained Merry Milan, a half-brother to Oscar Delta, to an easy success in the closing Zurich five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.

The well-supported Merry Milan (3/1-evens) gave indicators of ability on his previous two starts, both at Dromahane, and he got into a lovely rhythm close to the pace as Vermout Fougeray tried to force the issue up front. Oscar Winner went to the head of affairs after four out, but the eventual winner was travelling the stronger on the ascent from three out.

The winning son of Merry Milan took up the running before two out and, although jumping out to the right and blundering when well in command at the final fence, he still beat Oscar Winner by 15 lengths in the colours of his breeder Patrick O’Driscoll.

Mangan indicated that Merry Milan is likely to be campaigned with a hunter chase stint in mind next season.

Shane Fitzgerald sealed victory in the novice riders’ championship by likewise riding two winners, the 19-year-old Buttevant native getting off the mark aboard his boss Mick Goff’s The Road Home in the first division of the Good Fish Co five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The Road Home (9/2), having fallen at the final fence when destined for second spot in the Bartlemy maiden won by Over Stated three weeks earlier, was always in cruise control as King Of The Clothe tried to make all the running.

The winner, a son of Oscar whose grandam Soupinette won a listed hurdle at Auteuil, assumed command from two out and defeated King Of The Clothe by eight lengths. Goff indicated that his wife Catriona’s The Road Home, a €13,500 graduate of the 2015 August Sale, is now likely to be sold.

The Shay Slevin-trained O’Hanrahan Bridge completed the Fitzgerald two-timer by landing the second division of this same contest.

ADVANTAGE

O’Hanrahan Bridge (7/2), having finished a staying-on fifth on his career debut at Dromahane two weeks earlier, moved into fourth place from half-way and he took a narrow advantage before two out.

The winning son of Gold Well erred here, with runner-up De Name Evades Me doing likewise, and he then asserted on the run to the final fence to oblige by five lengths in the silks of his handler’s wife Liz.

John Barry will seldom ride an easier winner than he did aboard the Denis Leahy-trained Pinks in the New Ireland Assurance five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

The towering Pinks (5/2), who finished an excellent fourth on her debut at Bartlemy despite getting almost brought down at the seventh fence, shadowed Robin De Plan until going on after three out.

There was only going to one outcome from two out, with Pinks stretching into a widening lead, and she won by a distance.

The winning daughter of Schiaparelli, owned and bred by former Jockey Club steward George Hartigan from Bedfordshire, was actually crossing the line as runner-up Stetsonsnstilettos was approaching the final fence.

Sprintingforgold dies suddenly

There was a sad conclusion to the final weekend of the season and the race for the champion point-to-pointer title. Sprintingforgold, on eight wins, was found to have died in his stable on Friday.

The eight-year-old had been one of the stars of the season for the Monbeg Syndicate and handler James Doyle. He went from his maiden success at Lingstown to a multiple wins in open company. The Gold Well gelding and Liz Lalor developed a successful partnership. hcudino