WITH 22 out of the 41 runners at Sunday’s Ward Union Staghounds meeting at Fairyhouse hailing from Co Wexford, it wasn’t at all surprising that three winners on the five-race card were trained in the south-eastern county with the absent Denis Murphy keeping his supporters extremely happy by sending out a double.

The Blackwater-based operator, who fielded four runners throughout the course of the afternoon with the other pair both finishing in the frame, instigated his brace courtesy of the Coastal Path-sired newcomer Hidden Heroics in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

In a race that attracted five runners with three of them debutants, the Jamie Codd-ridden Hidden Heroics always tracked the fractional leader Bold Light.

The eventual winner moved through to tackle Bold Light on the approach to the penultimate of the 13 obstacles and the pair were soon almost joined by Stringtoyourbow, who attempted to challenge on the outer.

The winning French-bred overtook Bold Light before the last and he then strode clear to beat Warren Ewing’s pacesetter by two and a half lengths, with Stringtoyourbow back in third.

It was Luke Murphy that was on hand to greet Hidden Heroics, a €30,000 acquisition as a foal who is out of a half-sister to an Irish Grand National runner-up Nine De Sivola. He remarked: “He’s a lovely horse that was bought privately and he will go to the sales now.”

Hidden Heroics was quickly added to Thursday afternoon’s live online Goffs Punchestown Sale (see page 43).

Improvement

Murphy completed his brace when Loughderg Rocco, whom he also owns, showed the necessary improvement from his debut second-place effort behind Ingenious Stroke in a most competitive Cork contest a little over two weeks previously by destroying the opposition to complete a double for Luke Murphy in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Save Face set out with the intention of making all in this race, one that saw two fences bypassed, and Virginia Considine’s charge led his rivals a merry dance until his advantage was whittled down on the approach to two out.

Loughderg Rocco easily made his way to the head of affairs after this second-last fence and he stormed clear before the last to dispose of Tim Pat by an increasing 12 lengths.

Luke Murphy reported of Loughderg Rocco, who traces back to former Punchestown Grade 1 four-year-old winner Quazar: “He’s a very nice horse that had a great run in Cork, he was just unlucky to bump into one [Ingenious Stroke] there. The late Pat Coffey bought him as a foal.”

Loughderg Rocco was also due to be offered at the Goffs Punchestown Sale on Thursday.

LUKE Murphy is in the midst of a purple patch at present and the Inch native departed Fairyhouse with two winners from the saddle.

He experienced the best possible start to the afternoon by landing the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden aboard the Sean Doyle-trained Runwiththetide, who was lying a close second when falling at the final fence on her initial outing in the Cork maiden won by Jenny Flex on April 10th.

Runwiththetide got into a lovely rhythm here in front and her jumping was foot-perfect. The winning daughter of Presenting had her rivals under pressure from the third-last and she stylishly asserted from two out to account for the only other finisher Head And Heart by an eased-down four lengths in the familiar Monbeg Partnership silks.

Runwiththetide, acquired privately last summer, is out of a half-sister to Grade 2 chase winner Lead On from the same family as Bitofapuzzle and Bells Life.

DEREK O’Connor made his only mount of the afternoon a winning one by teaming up with Ellemarie Holden to capture the second division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Sir Jackschiaparel, who finished a creditable seventh on his only previous start in a two-mile Navan maiden hurdle last month.

The Boola Boss took the depleted field along at a generous pace and this sweet-jumper had Sir Jackschiaparel as his closest pursuer from five out.

While the winner, a son of Schiaparelli who hails from the same family as Ottowa and Calling Brave, came under pressure on the long run to the bypassed final fence, he responded by surging past the pacesetter under a furlong out to beat Benny Walsh’s mount by three lengths with the pair returning fully 20 lengths clear of the third-placed Bilboa River.

“He needed last year to develop and we just took our time with him,” said Holden’s father Paul of Sir Jackschiaparel, owned by his wife Catherine Holden.

THERE’S nothing quite like winning at one’s local meeting and Ian Donoghue, a brother to jumps jockey Keith, did precisely that when landing his first success as a handler with last month’s Tipperary mares’ bumper third Optional Mix.

The mare made virtually all the running under Paul Bannon in the five-year-old mares’ maiden.

Optional Mix went to the front from the second obstacle and, while running somewhat keen, her fencing was foot-perfect throughout and this likeable daughter of Carlotamix strode clear from well before the final fence to see off Shay Slevin’s Hello Dolley by 10 lengths in the colours of her handler’s fiancée Alana McGuinness.

The 29-year-old Donoghue, who rode two winners at his local Ward Union Staghounds fixture at The Folly in February of last year, is a former huntsman of the Co Down Staghounds that presently has 10 horses riding out at his Clonavly base in Co Meath.

Horse To Follow

Bold Light

(W. Ewing): A half-brother to useful handicap hurdler Shar Whats Therush, this fellow tried to make all in the four-year-old maiden and he led until overtaken before the final fence.

He was beaten two and a half lengths into second and this powerfully-built son of Leading Light is readily taken to prosper over hurdles on genuine nice ground.