CONOR Stone-Walsh (right), who won The Irish Field national award for the 12.2hh-14hh category in both 2017 and 2018 has made a seamless transition to the horses and bigger pony classes and he shone at last Sunday’s Ballingarry meeting in Limerick where he recorded a treble.

Conor opened his day with a win in the 14.2hh race where he gave The Green Monkey a patient ride over the stamina testing 12-furlong trip. He brought Rachel McMahon’s charge through from well off the pace to win well from the Ava Sugrue ridden Top of The Charts.

Paddy Lurch showed his appreciation for the ease in the ground as he took the 15hh race over 10 furlongs from Cali Cartel, the winner of the big Glenbeigh mile race. It added to the 30th birthday celebrations of syndicate member Shane Tierney.

Conor made it a treble in the concluding maiden race where Sign Of The Times led from halfway to win for Batsy Maher with the Tom O’Connor ridden Shannon Breeze taking the runner-up spot.

There is a great tussle to succeed Conor as national champion in the 12.2hh class where Ed Vaughan maintained his two-winner lead over Dylan O’Connor as they both recorded winners.

Ed was first to strike as he took the 13.2hh race when Sore Looser lasted home by a length from Dylan on the fast finishing Little Quinty.

The positions were reversed in the 14hh race where Dylan had a facile win on Carrig Ava for Athea owner Paddy O’Sullivan and Sean King with Ed having to settle for second on Hello Star.

Racing opened with the 12.2hh race and Dylan would have had high hopes of taking this on Temple Hill Tamara but they were foiled by Darragh O’Sullivan who made most of the running on Biscuit.

Victory

The feature race of the day was the two-mile Ballingarry Derby and Daniel King teamed up with Deelview Racing to take this as Bubba Watson led from just over halfway for a resounding victory. The mile race went to Not Now Ned who led from a furlong out to win in the hands of Conna, Co Cork rider Brian Barry.

Saw Ewing made the long trip from his Antrim base and he didn’t go home empty handed as Storm Force took the 12-furlong race for Athy owner Tom Fennelly, taking control over the final two furlongs to see of the challenge of the Dingle Lady Derby winners, Ava Sugrue and Tonic Springs.

The 12.2hh novice rider race went to Alice McMahon who finished alone after Tiny Dancer and Nathan O’Sullivan parted company a furlong out.

Results

12.2HH Race (6F): 1, M. O’ Sullivan’s BISCUIT (Darragh O’Sullivan); 2, J.J. O’Keeffe’s TEMPLEHILL TAMARA (Dylan O’Connor); 3, F. Brickley’s LITTLE MIKI (Finn Brickley).

13.2HH Race (1M): 1, J. O’Sullivan’s SORE LOOSER (Ed Vaughan); 2, Curragh Racing’s LITTLE QUINTY (Dylan O’Connor); 3, P. A. O’Sullivan’s HELLO THUNDER (Sarah McNamara).

14HH Race (10F): 1, O’Sullivan/King’s CARRIG AVA (Dylan O’Connor); 2, P. A. O’Sullivan’s HELLO STAR (Ed Vaughan); 3, Curragh Racing’s LITTLE ZEB (Luke Burke Ott).

14.2HH Race (12F): 1, R. McMahon’s THE GREEN MONKEY (Conor Stone-Walsh); 2, Farmers Bridge Syndicate’s TOP OF THE CHARTS (Ava Sugrue); 3, N. Brosnan’s THE LOW ROAD (Sam Ewing).

15HH Race (10F): 1, North West Racing’s PADDY LURCH (Conor Stone-Walsh); 2, P. O’Sullivan & Sons CALI CARTEL (Daniel King); 3, M. Brosnan’s BROADFORD BABY (Sam Ewing).

Open Horse Race (1M); 1, B. Barry’s NOT NOW NED (Brian Barry); 2, M. Ahern’s ALL STAR (Daniel King); 3, K. Murphy’s OSAKA (Philip Byrnes).

Ballingarry Derby (2M): 1, Deelview Racing’s BUBBA WATSON (Daniel King); 2, B. Maher’s THE BOSS (Sam Ewing); 3, K. Murphy’s ANOTHER LEGEND (Philip Byrnes).

Open Horse Race (12F): 1, T. Fennelly’s STORM FORCE (Sam Ewing); 2, G. Faulkner’s TONIC SPRING (Ava Sugrue); 3, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Daniel King).

Maiden Horse Race (10F): 1, B. Maher’s SIGN OF THE TIMES (Conor Stone-Walsh); 2, B. O’Connor’s SHANNON BREEZE (Tom O’Connor); 3, T. Cahill’s HORAN’S WELL (Philip Byrnes).

12.2HH Novice Race (6F): 1, R. King’s ARJAN (Alice McMahon). Only one finished.

THE curtain came down on the North-West season last Sunday where the extremely testing ground resulted in small fields but Dylan Browne-McMonagle wasn’t complaining as he signed off his pony racing days with six winners.

Dylan opened his account in the 14.2hh as Five Stone Of Lead stretched clear over the final two furlongs to win with contemptuous ease for Team Browne.

The next mile race was won in similar fashion as Who Knows eased clear over the final two furlongs for the Declan and Kyle McGuigan D&K Racing. With their normal rider, Philip Byrnes riding at his local Ballingarry meeting, Dylan stepped in for the ride on another D&K Racing charge as Way Up North made all to win the 10-furlong race with the minimum of fuss.

In the 15hh race, Amanda Sweeney’s Sky’s The Limit won after overcoming Mr Balbao in a dour struggle. The 12-furlong race made it five for Dylan and a double for his family’s Team Browne stable as Let Him Go cruised away from his toiling rivals over the final three furlongs.

Dylan’s final winner came in the 14hh race where another Team Browne charge, Unhinged, continued his dominance of this class as they routed their two rivals.

The opening non-winners’ race went to the Jamie Lee Baird-owned Money Talks who, despite appearing to be travelling ominously well inside the final couple of furlongs, just found enough for Ryan Sexton to win from long-time leader Let’s Roll.

The two-mile race was a stamina sapping contest and Tell Ya Nothing turned in a very game performance under Robert Whearty to win for the Holian Syndicate as he dug deep to see off Churchall.

The novice riders’ race saw only two face the starter but it resulted in a great race with Rory Mulligan making a welcome return to action following a fall that saw him side-lined for much of the season. He got Mr Mulligan up in the final strides to deny the Kian McNally-ridden Maid Of Candy.

Results

Non-Winners Race (10F): 1, J.L. Baird’s MONEY TALKS (Ryan Sexton); 2, A. Melia’s LET’S ROLL (Daniel Gilligan); 3, A. Gallagher’s PACK YOUR BAGS (Robert Whearty).

14.2hh/148cm Race (1M): 1 Team Browne’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, C. Kerrigan’s ANNIE’S PET (Sam Hamilton); 3, J. Donaghy’s RUBY DIAMOND (Daniel Gilligan).

Open Horse race (1M): 1, D&K Racing’s WHO KNOWS (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, K. Healy’s LITTLE POP ROCKET (T. Healy); 3, P.J. Donnelly’s KEEPER HILL (Ben Mulligan).

Open Horse race (10F): 1, D&K Racing’s WAY UP NORTH (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, S. McGinley’s REMIX (Daniel Gilligan); 3, S. Crabbe’s I’M NOT SURE (Ryan Sexton).

15hh/153cm Race (10F): 1, A. Sweeney’s SKY’S THE LIMIT (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, D&K Racing’s MR. BALBAO (Keithen Kennedy); 3, A. Melia’s BABY BROWNE (Daniel Gilligan).

Open Horse race (12F): 1, Team Browne’s LET HIM GO (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, D&K Racing’s WILL I AM (Tom McGettigan); 3, R. Gormley’s FACEBOOK (Daniel Gilligan).

Open Horse Race (2M): 1, Holian Syndicate’s TELL YA NOTHING (Robert Whearty); 2, D&K Racing’s CHURCHALL (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 3, J. L. Baird’s CRAFTY BOY (Daniel Gilligan).

13.2/14hh Race (1M): 1, Team Browne’s UNHINGED (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, S. Crabbe’s LITTLE CHIEF (Ryan Sexton); 3, S. Crabbe’s WILLIE NO LEGS (Keithen Kennedy).

Novice Rider Race: 1, R. Mulligan’s MR. MULLIGAN (Rory Mulligan); 2, K. McNally’s MAID OF CANDY (Kian McNally).