AS one of the few handlers operating out of Co Fermanagh, nobody targets the annual two-day Necarne fixture as strongly as David Christie. Almost all of the darts that the Derrylin operator had to throw at the board hit their mark, including the successful return to the pointing fields of Winged Leader.
A winner at the rare autumn fixture to have been held at this venue last September, John Hegarty’s seven-year-old has spent much of the season keeping high company in the hunter chase sphere, where he was recently among the winners at Tramore.
Back to open company, the Winged Love gelding’s only rival was the Loughbrickland victor Ned Stark. However, the writing was on the wall for that 13-year-old veteran some way out, and Barry O’Neill never had a moment’s concern, guiding the winner to his eighth career success in the pointing fields by a distance.
It had seemed likely that Christie would be responsible for a one-two in the adjacent hunt race, a contest which despite being open to horses with a hunter certificate from almost all of the Northern Irish hunts, produced only four runners, two each from Christie and CAFRE College’s Corrie Auchterlonie.
Coming to the final fence, Sholsang certainly did no favours to his challenging stablemate How’s Things by running across his path before take-off, with the latter unshipping Ben Harvey after the fence while a length in arrears.
That paved the way for the Sholokhov gelding, who had contested the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at the venue 24 hours earlier, to return a distance clear of the only other finisher, the long-absent The Bolder Boy.
That was a double for O’Neill, who looks set to be crowned northern champion for a third time courtesy of a six-win advantage heading into the Kirkistown fixture on May 29th. Notably, the two victories also made it 23 wins for Christie at Necarne in the last 14 years.
Match
The open was unfortunately one of two match races on Saturday’s card with the testing conditions only producing two runners for the mares’ winner-of-two contest in Kates Hill and Craan Run – both of whom had been among the winners already this season.
In a tactical race, with the former setting a slow tempo for the opening two miles, the complexion changed when Barry O’Neill, aboard Craan Run, elected to stride on with a circuit to race in the hope of exposing any fitness concerns with Kates Hill, who had been absent since chasing home Getawayrooney at Ballindenisk last November.
However, any fears of that six-year-old tiring on her return were swiftly dismissed when she regained the advantage before the penultimate fence before ending the race as a contest in a matter of strides by extending clear at her leisure.
By the line, the Patrick Smyth-owned homebred, who is out of a half-sister to the late Cheltenham Foxhunter hero Tammys Hill, won eased down by five and a half lengths for Declan Lavery and Patrick Turley – a combination that were on the scoreboard for a second Saturday in succession.
“She got a bit of time off after her last run and she is not long back in, so I would be expecting a lot of improvement from here. We will keep her on the go now and aim for a bumper now. She is a very consistent mare that never runs a bad race – we are very happy with her,” reported former rider James Smyth who was representing the winning connections.
HAVING enjoyed success with Call Her Now in Friday’s opening four-year-old mares’ maiden, Cormac Doyle completed a double in that age division when taking the gelding’s equivalent courtesy of Curtain Tim.
A third four-year-old maiden winner for the Woodfield Farm Stud-based Curtain Time, the sire of this year’s Irish National winner Freewheelin Dylan, it is the second of his off-spring that Doyle has won with between the flags following the success of the recent Grade 3 winner Hometown Boy at Durrow two years ago.
Making all and putting his athletic physique to good use with an excellent round of jumping, Jack Hendrick was able to dictate from the front and once increasing the tempo from the penultimate fence, he quickened best to defeat Rodaniche by two lengths in the colours of the Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership.
First winner
Cavan-based Shane Donohoe sent out his first winner under all codes since October when saddling a one-two in the six-year-old geldings’ maiden. The Harley Dunne-ridden Croagh Patrick took a notable step forward from his latest effort in a Wexford point-to-point bumper to account for his stablemate If Not For Dylan by two lengths, with both horses sporting the colours of the winning handler and they were offered at the Goffs UK Spring Sale during the week.
THE last of 12 races at the track proved to be a notable one for rider Daniel Scullion as he recorded his first victory with the effortless success of William Tyndale in the older geldings’ maiden.
Having really put it up to Vaucelet when an eye-catching second at odds of 50/1 at Down Royal at the beginning of the month, the nine-year-old was always going to be tough to oppose when dropping back into this grade.
So it proved, as once hitting the front at the penultimate obstacle, he swiftly put the race to bed, extending further and further clear as he entered the home straight.
The Shauna Kelly-owned son of Duke Of Marmalade crossed the line some 20 lengths to the good over an improved Knockiel Synge to provide the Portglenone-based Scullion, who is a farrier by trade including to winning handler Noel Kelly, with that all-important opening success.
Horse To Follow
Rodaniche (C. Bowe):
This Arcadio gelding, who is out of the Turtle Island mare Shanendou who carried the Princess Zoe colours to win a Ballybunion maiden for handler Aidan Fitzgerald, went close in the four-year-old maiden and should not retain his maiden tag for too much longer.