THE second day of action at Necarne followed a similar trend to the opening day as the in-form Patrick Turley yard maintained a 100% strike rate for the weekend, topping and tailing the card to bring up a double on the day.
The opening leg of this double came as Scope To Improve (evens - 6/4 favourite), a debutant son of Telescope who is out of a half-sister to Grade 1-winning Monalee, effortlessly justified favouritism to take the four-year-old auction maiden in facile fashion.
He always raced at the fore in the hands of Declan Lavery and asserted from three out. Despite a slight mistake at two out, he picked up gamely, stamping his authority over his rivals to win as he liked from fellow newcomer Klub De Reve.
Turley commented of his wife Mary’s £9,000 Goffs UK acquisition: “He’s a lovely son of Telescope, he’s done all his work well at home and I expected him to run a good race coming here.
“He has a nice pedigree and he will head to the upcoming sales and hopefully can progress to do good things for new connections.
“The horses have run brilliantly all weekend. I have one left to run for the young lad Darragh (Hanlon) who works in the yard, this is his third ride and he’s been progressing well with each start and I’m hoping he can go close and possibly get off the mark today.”
Four-timer
He was not wrong as Myleno (3/1 - 4/1) delivered the double, rounding off a four-timer across the two-day fixture for the Turley operation, providing Darragh Hanlon with his initial career success. The seven-year-old son of Martaline was prominent throughout and showed a nice turn of foot as he quickened down to the second last where none of his rivals could get on terms, allowing him to take the honours in convincing fashion by seven and a half lengths over Aill Dubh.
A delighted Hanlon stated: “I’m thrilled to get my first winner. He jumped so well today, I was making ground everywhere, so I just let him roll on from the top of the hill and he did it very well. Paddy [Turley] and Decky [Lavery] have been great supporters to get me going and I have learnt loads since joining the yard so hopefully we can build from this. It’s been a great weekend for the whole team.”
Simple fashion
Caroline McCaldin’s Ballyphilip (1/3 – 1/2 favourite) continued his upward trajectory as he collected the adjacent hunt winners’ contest in simple fashion with a three-and-a-quarter lengths defeat of Global Assembly.
Owned by the handler’s father, Wilson Dennison, the six-year-old son of Presenting never had to be asked for any effort by Noel McParlan and won more convincingly than the winning margin may suggest.
The race certainly did not leave any mark on him as he duly followed up 48 hours later in the maiden hunter chase at Down Royal to gain his sixth win on the bounce.
DONNCHADH Doyle continued his good recent run of form when he won the four-year-old geldings’ maiden with Tiptoptim (5/2 - 3/1).
The newcomer showed a smart turn of foot from three out, as he stayed on stoutly from the back of the penultimate obstacle to win as he liked by seven and a half lengths from Wing It Prof.
A particularly eye-filling sort that physically exudes chaser, he is out of a half-sister to the successful dual-purpose and Grade 1-winning hurdler Grumeti.
Rob James remarked on this victorious Monbeg Syndicate-owned son of Mount Nelson: “He’s a lovely horse, Donnchadh fancied him coming here as his work was very good.
“I probably got there a little too soon, but he pricked his ears going to the last and had loads left in the tank. He will hopefully be sold now.”
There was further success on the card for Wexford yards when the Colin Bowe-trained Kalo Athena (evens - 5/4) backed up her recent Tattersalls maiden success.
Despite being the least experienced in the field, this daughter of Soldier Of Fortune made smooth progress from the rear to track the leader at the halfway point.
Jumping and travelling with a level of professionalism that would belie her inexperience, she duly obliged by four lengths from Elusive Mae.
“She’s a very smart filly, she hated the ground, but ability got her through it,” commented winning rider Barry O’Neill. We might go for another point-to-point, we will see what happens and have a chat to the owners [Patrick Fortune].”
Leader wings his way to another win
WINGED Leader (1/4 favourite) continued his rich vein of form as he set a relentless gallop from the drop of the flag in the open, before turning the screw three out to ensure his sole rival La Feline never had a chance to get in a challenge.
With the reigning champion mare, his sole rival, pulling-up, the 10-year-old son of Winged Love, was left to come home as he pleased while clocking the fastest time of the day.
“He’s just superb, he is in incredible form having come back from a career-threatening injury and Barry said to me ‘you know he’s in good form when you have to watch going out,’ as he gave a buck at him going down to the start,” Christie said of the John Hegarty and Jennifer O’Kane-owned bay.
“He’s just so well of himself. We have only one aim now which is to make him leading horse - he deserves it.”
Wing It Prof (A. J. Martin): Always near the rear and produced his best work towards the end when staying on well from three out. The son of Palavicini, out of a half-sister to Little White Lie, could be one to watch.