TRAINER Padraig Roche and owner J.P. McManus combined for doubles at Clonmel on Thursday. where the pair won with a pair of home-breds, starting with Win Some Lose Some (100/30 favourite) in the Rathgormack Handicap Hurdle.

Ridden by Mark Walsh, the Champs Elysees gelding was produced from mid-field to challenge approaching the last and held Old Bill Barley by three-parts of a length.

Roche reported: “Mark gave him a great ride, was happy with him, and the horse is still learning a bit, although he got going in time. He is out of a daughter of Like A Butterfly, which has been a great family for us.”

Following up

Roche and McManus followed-up in the concluding Clonmel Oil Chase Day November 7th Handicap Chase, as the Noreen McManus-bred Birdsandthebees (18/5 favourite) scored under the trainer’s conditional jockey Peter Smithers.

The Walk In The Park mare raced with the leaders and, having led at the last, finished well to beat Bite That by a length and a half.

Roche commented: “It was a great day and I’m delighted for Peter, who gave her a great ride and is with me full-time. He works very hard and is a very good rider, who is only getting going.

“She had been frustrating, as we thought she’d have won something by now but, for only her second chase run, she seems to love jumping. Hopefully, it might now ignite a spark and it is great to get the winning bracket, as she is home-bred by Noreen (McManus).”

Shecouldbe a winner

Two morning withdrawals left the Mahon Falls Mares Chase with just three runners and was won by recent Grade 3 winner Shecouldbeanything (4/6 favourite), which was scoring a poignant success for owner Michael Hanrahan, whose wife passed away last week.

Shecouldbeanything shook off main rival Space Tourist in the home straight, to score by five lengths and, in doing so, was completing a hat-trick of recent chase wins, all for jockey Sam Ewing.

Ewing, who was standing-in for suspended Jack Kennedy, commented: “She is a cracking mare, is so straightforward and has been very good in all her starts over fences, so hopefully can stay improving. I was just a passenger really, although it is a long way up the straight with only one fence.”

WIDEST-margin winner was Tareze (8/11 favourite) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle, which was disputing the lead but capitalised on early leader Cottesloe Sunhine’s exit at the second-last flight.

Tareze, under Darragh O’Keeffe, went on to score by 27 lengths, with winning trainer Henry de Bromhead stating: “That was brilliant and I’m delighted for (owner) Sally Rowley-Williams, as she has been a tremendous supporter of ours for years and it is lovely to see her win with a really nice home-bred.

“She was a nice mare in the spring, but was always big and I felt she’d do better with a bit of time under her belt. She is still only a five-year-old, will improve plenty although definitely wouldn’t want the ground any better than that. Darragh said it was safe though, so we were happy to go.”

Father-son team

Champion trainer Willie Mullins and his son and champion amateur jockey Patrick Mullins were on the mark in the Kilclooney Woods QR Handicap Hurdle with Straight Home (5/6 favourite), which credited the Midlands-based Whitegrass Racing Syndicate with an overdue success.

Racing behind the leaders, Mullins switched wide turning in the home straight and, in the end, scored comfortably from Romella.

Mullins junior said: “The syndicate haven’t had a winner since Dads Lad won in Cheltenham two years ago this weekend, so they deserve that. Liam Cullinan, who runs the Midlands-based syndicate, has been with us since I started riding, so I’m delighted for them.

“She went very close twice recently and we dropped back in grade from 0-109 to 0-102. We’ll go back up to the 109-grade now and hopefully she can win another and she will jump a fence in time as well.”

TRAINER Oliver McKiernan and jockey Philip Enright continued their good recent association in winning the Coumshingaun Handicap Chase by a length and a quarter.

The Keep The Faith Bloodstock Ltd-owned Winding River (9/2) registered a third career success and a first win over fences.

Afterwards, Enright reported: “He had been running consistently well on his last five or six runs and had finished second a few times, so it was great it worked out today. We got a great jump at the last and he kept galloping.

“He got close to one or two fences, but is a pretty good jumper and had run a lovely race at Downpatrick the last day, behind a horse which fell, but went on to win afterwards.”

Made all

Racing began with the Crottys Lake Maiden Hurdle as well-related Marlpark (11/4), scored for owner/trainer John Ryan and jockey Shane Fitzgerald.

Out of a half-sister to Irish National winner Hear The Echo, Marlpark made all, when beating Elusive Prince by three lengths, with Ryan later reporting: “He has been disappointing up until now, as we thought the world of him from the get-go. I bought him from Will Delaney, as he is a half-brother to both Kilcarry Bridge and Kilashee (stablemates)

“He is a proper little horse and there’s no reason he won’t go forward now. Shane gave him a peach of a ride and really switched him off in front. He was running a huge race when falling at Fairyhouse - I’m not a huge fan of those new hurdles and I think he would have finished third then.

“What level this horse is at I’m not sure, but he’ll probably go for a rated novice next.”