THERE was some ultra-competitive fare at Saturday’s Waterford Foxhounds fixture at Curraghmore, the first meeting of the season in the Cork and Waterford region, and 23-year-old Adrian Browne from Cloneen outside Carrigtwohill steered his own horse West Of Carrig to a resounding success in the winners’ of two.

West Of Carrig (2/1 - 5/2), one of five previous dual scorers in the eight-runner field, was held up off the pace and the seven-year-old always took the eye as Milan Forth and Ballinrea vied for supremacy up front.

The winning son of Westerner edged closer from the fourth-last of the 13 obstacles and he moved through to tackle the previous Sunday’s Umma House runner-up from after two out.

There was then little to separate the pair until the Cork challenger held a fractional advantage approaching the last and he asserted on the flat to contain Milan Forth by two lengths.

Browne senior reported: “We have four horses in training and we ride out at 5.30am before Adrian goes to work. We’ll run West Of Carrig in another point and he could then go back to the racetrack.”

Family success

There was another family success in the open, with 19-year-old Sean Queally from Dungarvan recording an initial career success aboard his trainer father John Queally’s grey Pat Coyne (2/1 - 5/2).

The recent Castletown-Geoghegan runner-up Pat Coyne, who recorded the most recent of his five track victories in a two and a half mile Tramore handicap hurdle off a mark of 97 in April 2023, led until he was overtaken by odds-on shot Lifetime Ambition with six fences remaining.

Pat Coyne, having dropped to third from five out, had to be pushed along from the third-last as Lifetime Ambition held the call from Battle Of Benburb.

With Battle Of Benburb weakening before two out, Pat Coyne came back with a determined effort after this penultimate obstacle and there was little to separate him from Lifetime Ambition on take-off at the final fence.

While none too clever here, the 10-year-old, a former 127-rated chaser, forged past Lifetime Ambition inside the final 50 yards to score by a half-length in the colours of his trainer’s wife, Miriam Queally.

Handler Queally commented: “I’m delighted that Sean got his first winner and Pat Coyne will continue to tip away in opens when the ground is good.

“When the ground turns, we will put him away until the spring.”

EAMONN Doyle, a key member of the Monbeg team, was credited with a first official training success courtesy of newcomer Throatlash (3/1 - 4/1) in the five-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

The giant-sized Throatlash edged into a narrow advantage after three out and had runner-up Create The Future as his closest pursuer on the run to the final fence.

The son of El Salvador was in no mood to be denied on the flat, as he drew clear to oblige by two and a half lengths in the hands of Jamie Scallan.

Doyle remarked of Throatlash: “This is a lovely, big, honest horse that his owner Michael Murphy, a family friend of ours from Kilmyshall, bought as a foal off his breeder Mark Slevin.”

Jamie Scallan was the only individual to depart with two winners, as he earlier combined with Eamonn Doyle’s elder brother Sean to capture the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard debutant Obey The Order (3/1 - 4/1).

Market-leader

The Soldier Of Fortune-sired Obey The Order moved past market-leader My Life Be Like at the second-last and the €20,000 Derby sale graduate, whose dam is a half-sister to Grade 2 novice hurdle winner Bleu Berry, was soon gone beyond recall.

While Quay Item landed second over the final fence, last season’s late May Ballindenisk third was still eight and a half lengths adrift of the Monbeg Partnership-owned brown at the line.

Sean Doyle disclosed: “Obey The Order is a beautiful horse that has done well from a summer’s grass. We thought the world of him coming here and he’ll now go to a sale.”

Supporters happy

Eamonn and Sean Doyle’s brother Donnchadh also kept his supporters happy by saddling another newcomer in Ksar Fatal (2/1 - 3/1) to collect the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

It was Rob James that was entrusted with the mount aboard Ksar Fatal, a son of Buck’s Boum that joined current connections for £32,000 at the 2023 Goffs UK Spring Store sale at Doncaster, and the Monbeg Syndicate-owned French-bred moved second behind long-time leader Yes Sir Jack on the run to two out.

Ksar Fatal led after this penultimate obstacle and he was clearly containing Yes Sir Jack when that front-runner fell at the last. Cardcounter was then left second as Ksar Fatal bounded clear in the style of a talented sort to beat him by five lengths.

“He’s a good smart horse, myself and Rob [James] own him together,” reported handler Doyle of Ksar Fatal. “He was in-training last season, but I didn’t get much of a run with my four-year-olds’ in the spring. He’ll be sold now.”

ON an excellent afternoon for Co. Wexford-trained horses, Adamstown-based handler Susan O’Gorman struck with Forcetoreckonwith (5/4 - 6/4 joint-favourite) in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

The Workforce-sired Forcetoreckonwith, runner-up to a subsequent bumper winner in Air Of Entitlement on her only start last term at Lingstown in December, always travelled well with Jack Hendrick and she assumed command two out to dismiss Beacon Storm by an increasing eight lengths in the colours of breeder Andy English.

Forcetoreckonwith, who had to be reared by a piebald mare on account of her dam dying at birth, is now likely to be sold.

Colin Bowe and Barry O’Neill teamed up to collect the four-year-old mares’ maiden with the Milestone Bloodstock Ltd-owned newcomer Onefournine (5/2 - 2/1 joint-favourite).

The Kalanisi-sired Onefournine, whose dam Smart Talk won a Grade 2 novice hurdle, gave an assured round of fencing at the head of affairs.

The €35,000 Goffs Arkle sale acquisition stormed clear from the last to eclipse fellow first-timer Maribeth by four and a half lengths.

Yes Sir Jack (M. E. Doyle): This newcomer by Jack Hobbs, a half-brother to I K Brunel, set off at a decent clip in the first division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Overtaken after two out, he was still lying a close second when falling at the last. He should develop into a smart two and a half miler when despatched to the track.