THERE was outstanding fare on offer at Monday’s well-attended Dawstown meeting, run under the auspices of the Muskerry Foxhounds at Birch Hill. The Colin Bowe-trained Mt Leinster Gold (2/1 favourite) provided clear signs that a bright track career awaits as she destroyed the opposition in the five-year-old mares’ maiden.

Mt Leinster Gold hinted that she was a considerably better than average sort by chasing home Bella Ballerina on her debut at her handler’s local Monksgrange fixture just eight days earlier.

The imposing daughter of Gold Well was bounced out on the pace here and she edged into a slight advantage with Barry O’Neill from the ninth of the 15 obstacles.

One sensed from four-out that the sweet-jumping winner always had matters under control and she forged clear from the second last to account for Larkfield Legacy by eight lengths without coming of the bridle.

Bowe will have attained immense satisfaction from this success as Mt Leinster Gold, a half-sister to Gordon Elliott’s 2014 Troytown Chase winner Balbriggan is owned by acclaimed tenor Anthony Kearns whom he attended primary school with in Kiltealy.

Indeed, the triumphant bay was bred by another well-known tenor in Ronan Tynan, who also has strong links to the sport horse sphere.

Bowe remarked: “This is a lovely mare that’s well worth minding and she’s a fabulous jumper. Barry [O’Neill] was very impressed with her and we will be holding onto her.”

There was another Co Wexford winner earlier in the afternoon as absent owner/trainer Denis Murphy’s Face The Odds (4/1) vindicated the promise of his third-placed debut effort at Lisronagh in late-March by landing a truly-run renewal of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden in the hands of Harley Dunne.

Face The Odds was always quite well positioned as Minella Beauty and Totally Rejected vied for supremacy up front. Although erring four-out, the son of Presenting stylishly made his way to the fore on the ascent from the third last.

There was only going to be one outcome from two-out as the bay readily maintained the tempo to dismiss the promising Totally Rejected by five lengths.

Incidentally, it was Dunne who signed for Face The Odds with Murphy when the gelding, who is a brother to two British track winners from the same family as Feathered Gale, was bought for £42,000 at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Sale at Doncaster.

Derek O’Connor was the only rider to depart the Grenagh venue with a brace, the Galwegian instigating his double aboard Paul Cashman’s clearly-improving five-year-old Coole King (9/4 favourite) in the winners-of-two.

Coole King, who got off the mark in the Kildorrery adjacent hunts maiden in late-February, mostly tracked the front-running Superefficient until edging past Michelle Duggan’s charge on the run to the second last.

With the mare Superefficient unseating here, runner-up Golden Nomad emerged to hold every chance on the approach to the final fence.

It was Coole Lion though that landed the faster and the son of Presenting then asserted to oblige by three lengths.

Cashman indicated that his mother Catherine’s Coole Lion, in whom long-standing points supporter Mick Leahy also holds an interest, will now be offered at the forthcoming Goffs UK sale at Doncaster.

O’Connor later combined with Robert Tyner to collect the closing six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden with last month’s Dromahane runner-up Gold Sun (7/4 favourite), much to the dismay of the 14 bookmakers present.

In a race that unfortunately attracted just four contestants, Gold Sun made his way to the front after a mile and the Noel Hanley-owned son of Golan gave an assured round of fencing on the final circuit.

Gold Sun, homebred by Hanley’s daughter Yvonne, was clearly in command on the approach to the last and he duly dismissed Benefaktor by five lengths.

Owner/trainer Pat Crowley from Ballyoran outside Fermoy sent out Getaway Fred (4/1) to record a popular success under a supremely-confident Johnny Barry in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Getaway Fred, having fallen when held in third spot on his initial outing at Quakerstown on Easter Sunday, was restrained at the rear of the six-runner field and he still had all of five lengths to make up on leader Rebel Patriot on the ascent after three-out.

With Rebel Patriot’s lead being reduced on the run to the last, Getaway Fred secured the faster jump here and he touched down in front. At the post, the winning son of Getaway had two lengths to spare over the staying-on Backinthegame.

Crowley, who also saddled Steel Bob to win a Ballyarthur four-year-old maiden in March 2016, indicated that Getaway Fred is now likely to be sold.

The five-year-old Super Citizen (3/1-11/4 favourite) built on the promise of his third-placed debut effort behind Groody Rover at Kildorrery over two months earlier by registering a virtual pillar-to-post victory under handler Eugene O’Sullivan’s daughter Maxine O’Sullivan in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden.

Super Citizen jumped soundly at the head of affairs and he was travelling marginally stronger than the pursuing Cronins Hill after the second last, two lengths ultimately separating the pair.

The elder O’Sullivan disclosed that Super Citizen, sporting the silks of British-domiciled breeder Mrs Alurie O’Sullivan who also owns his recent Cork hunter chase winner It Came To Pass, will probably be prepared for a track campaign in the autumn.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

TOTALLY REJECTED (P.M. Power): This fellow, having had the misfortune to fall at the first fence on his debut at Taylorstown just nine days earlier, was always on the pace in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

While unable to cope with the winner Face The Odds from two out, the son of Mustameet, also sire of this season’s smart four-year-old pair Skatman and Berties Girl, emerged a clear second best and compensation should be easily attained.

Kearns winners

MT Leinster Gold was superb in the five-year-old mares’ maiden and handler Colin Bowe reported that her owner Anthony Kearns previously had an involvement in her half-sister Lily Of Killarney, whom he sent out to win a Lingstown mares’ maiden in 2013.

Lily Of Killarney then went on to win a handicap hurdle and handicap chase - both at Downpatrick - for the Irish Tenors Return Syndicate.

25 years ago

AN excerpt from the race card of the 1994 renewal of the Dawstown meeting, when it was actually staged at Dawstown outside Blarney on the May bank holiday Monday, was published in the race card.

On that occasion, Robert Tyner sent out the Timmy Murphy-ridden Connys Hope to win the second division of the mares’ maiden whilst handler Eugene O’Sullivan was on the mark with Citizen Moss, the mount of John Sheahan, in the winners of two.

The point-to-point landscape has altered quite considerably over the intervening 25 years, but it was nice to see both Tyner and O’Sullivan saddling a winner apiece at Birch Hill this past Monday.