CHRISTMAS 2023 will live long in the memory of Downpatrick native Caoilin Quinn, who followed up a low-key double at Fontwell on Tuesday, with a high-profile brace the following afternoon at Chepstow.
Quinn had nine rides over the two days, four for his former boss, Warren Greatrex, and five for his current guv’nor Gary Moore, who provided him with all four winners. It was dry and bright at the west Sussex track, unlike the very wet and windy conditions which prevailed at Chepstow.
There, on ground which was changed from soft to heavy, following a torrential shower, Quinn landed the Grade 2 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle by 21 lengths on the 5/4 favourite Salver and the following Coral Welsh Grand National (Premier Handicap) over an extended three miles, six furlongs on the 9/2 joint-favourite, Nassalam.
In conversation with John O’Riordan for a Heart of Racing feature in these pages at the start of this month, Quinn recounted how he used to ride out at weekends and during the school holidays for local trainer Brian Hamilton who, he said, had a huge influence on his career.
Set to take up a part-time position as clerk of the course at Downpatrick, Down Royal and Sligo, Hamilton saddled his last runners as a trainer at Down Royal on Tuesday. Disappointingly, none of the three managed to make the frame in their respective races, but Brian did have the pleasure of giving his son, Sam, who is well-known in eventing circles, his first ride in a bumper on Tollymore.
Debut winner
Reverting to Chepstow, another Downpatrick native, David Maxwell, landed the concluding bumper on his own Doyen gelding Queensbury Boy, who was making his racecourse debut. Trained by Harry Derham, the four-year-old was knocked down for £130,000 to J.P. McGrath Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival Sale in March, having won a maiden at Castlelands on his only start for the Denis Murphy yard.
Kelly collects two more
DRAPERSTOWN trainer Noel Kelly saddled two winners from five runners at Down Royal’s Metcollect Boxing Day meeting on Tuesday, starting with the Gavin Brouder-ridden Gamigin, who landed the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle by three and a quarter lengths.
The five-year-old Dark Angel gelding, who runs in the colours of Kelly’s wife, Shauna, was winning for the second time over jumps, and for the second time for his present connections. Last time out, when ridden by James Smith, the bay landed a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Ayr.
The Kelly double came up in the Metcollect Handicap Chase where, under Dara McGill, the Heard It All Before Syndicate’s Eagle Terrace denied Co Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell recording a treble when seeing off the 11/4 favourite Evies Vladimir by a length and three-quarters.
The five-year-old Gleneagles gelding was adding a second chase win to one over hurdles when he was trained by Denis Hogan.
Larne trainer Stuart Crawford ran seven horses at Down Royal, saddling one winner in the Stephen Connor-partnered Mongibello, who landed the concluding Metcollect Metal Recycling (Pro-Am) INH Flat Race as the 13/8 favourite.
Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the five-year-old Authorized mare had finished second on her only other bumper start at Navan last month.
Ewing winner
Sam Ewing had 10 rides over the first two days of the Christmas Festival meeting at Limerick, where on Tuesday he won the Mr Binman Mares Handicap Hurdle on the Philip Rothwell-trained Phils Choice, a Doyen five-year-old who was winning for the first time in her career.
The Co Wicklow trainer had a winner at the same track on Wednesday when the Phidelma Elvin-partnered Cato’s Revenge landed the Grant Thornton Ladies Handicap Hurdle in the colours of Co Down owner JJ Leckey.
The aforementioned Dara McGill recorded a second Christmas success when claiming the hunter chase at Limerick that same day on the Emmet Mullins-trained Romeo Magico, a five-year-old Affinisea gelding who was making his seasonal debut, while Simon Torrens won the conditions hurdle on the Willie Mullins-trained Sa Majeste.
Judicieuse Allen, who landed the opening mares’ maiden hurdle on her Irish debut, was one of nine winners sent out by Mullins over the first two days of festive fare and one of those purchased with Co Down bloodstock agent Harold Kirk.
BRIAN Hughes and Danny McMenamin both recorded doubles at Newcastle last Saturday, but had a lean time of it post Christmas.
The James Ewart-trained Brayhill, who initiated the Hughes double at Newcastle on the 23rd in the bet365 Handicap Chase, was returning to the track from roughly a year’s absence and a third wind surgery procedure.
Now the winner of two chases and a maiden hurdle, the eight-year-old Sholokhov gelding won two point-to-points here from three starts when owned and trained by Graham McKeever, having previously been in the care of McKeever’s father, Colin, for whom he ran unplaced five times.
When landing his maiden at Portrush in October 2020, Brayhill scored by a neck from the David Christie-trained Vaucelet, who has since won three times between the flags and six times in hunter chases.
That eight-year-old Authorized gelding never got in a blow in the Metcollect Oil Recycling Hunters Chase at Down Royal’s Boxing Day meeting on Tuesday, finishing fifth behind the Emmet Mullins-trained Its On The Line.
As the 2022/’23 National Hunt season concluded in late April, Vaucelet filled the runner-up spot behind the same Presenting gelding in the Irish Daily Star Champion Hunters Chase at Punchestown.
Its On The Line was bred in Co Wexford by John and Catherine Roche out of the unraced Accordion mare Ten Dollar Bill. Many would know John as one of the staunchest supporters of the breeding and youngstock horse classes at Balmoral Show.
THE first of Gordon Elliott’s three winners at Leopardstown’s St Stephen’s Day meeting was King Of Kingsfield who, in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, was partnered to a six-length victory by Jack Kennedy in the Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle.
Second last time out in the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, the five-year-old Vadamos gelding also won a Down Royal bumper for his present connections and a Portrush four-year-old maiden in March 2022 for his Downpatrick breeder Patrick Turley.
Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell and jockey Patrick Wadge brought up a double at Wetherby’s Boxing Day fixture in the William Hill Extra Places Every Day Handicap Chase with the 10/3 shot Do Your Job.
The nine-year-old Fame And Glory gelding, who now has six track wins to his credit, was bred by Callie Berry out of the dual-winning Epervier Bleu mare, Full Of Birds, the dam of five other winners including the Generous mare Down Ace.
Dead-heat
The McCracken Farms-bred Daytona Lady recorded her third career win when getting up late to force a dead-heat in division two of the six-furlong handicap at Chelmsford last Thursday week.
Trained by Ruth Carr, the three-year-old Bungle Inthejungle filly is the second of four foals out of the winning Cityscape mare Roseau City. With two wins to her credit, Daytona Lady was purchased for just 3,500 guineas by Carr and Freddy Tylicki Bloodstock at the mid-July Summer Sale in Tattersalls Newmarket.
On the jockey front, Luke McAteer partnered the David Marnane-trained Freescape to land the extended 10-furlong handicap, which concluded the action at Dundalk last Friday week.
Dylan Browne McMonagle rode four winners in Australia over the Christmas period, including the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Kettle Hill at Moonee Valley last Saturday.