DARRAGH O’Keeffe’s relentless pursuit of the season’s conditional jockeys’ title seems to gather more momentum with each week that passes and the jockey moved past the 30-winner mark for the season with a double.
The rider already boasts a total that would have won him the championship in previous years and to have achieved such a tally by the end of August is testament to an incredible season. What makes his efforts all the more meritorious is that it is just over 13 months ago that he rode the first winner of his career at the Killarney July Festival.
O’Keeffe got off the mark for the day when he landed the Charles Caldwell Memorial Maiden Hurdle on the Oliver McKiernan-trained Cappuccino Man (11/4).
An 18-race maiden under rules coming into this two-mile, five-furlong contest, the 99-rated Keep The Faith Syndicate-owned gelding bounced back from an unplaced run at Sligo last week as he took control of this race before the final flight. He then lasted home by half a length from the strong-finishing Premier D’Troice who was backed from as big as 20/1 in the morning into 6/1.
The rider then followed up aboard the Tom McCourt-trained Muroor in the Hannontravel.com Handicap Chase over just short of two and a half miles. The triple course winner looked held with two to jump but it was all change on the climb to the line as he came between horses to lead around 100 yards out and carry the day by a head.
McCourt trains the 5/1 chance for Sarah Foran and this victory was continuing what has been an industrious few months under both codes for the yard.
It was a day to remember for amateur rider James Kenny who rode his first winner on the track courtesy of Colin Bowe’s Ya Boy Ya (9/2) in the Hannontravel.com-sponsored bumper. The jockey enjoyed his best point-to-point campaign to date during the 2018/19 season when partnering 10 winners and two of those were supplied by this son of Sans Frontieres who was then trained by the jockey’s father, Liam.
Ya Boy Ya, who carries the colours of the Orphan Girl Syndicate, stayed on determinedly to get the better of Stowaway Sarah in the straight.
NOEL Meade has his dual-purpose string in fine fettle at the moment and The Red Menace became the trainer’s sixth winner from his last 20 runners under both codes as he made a winning start over fences in the Caldwell Wedding Anniversary Beginners Chase.
This Denis Hannon-owned and bred five-year-old came here off a good fifth to Great Trango in a very valuable handicap hurdle at Galway and once again showed that stamina was his forte. He responded well to Sean Flanagan from the second last fence to overhaul the front-running Knock On Steel.
At the line the 9/4 chance had three-quarters of a length to spare as he took his tally to four wins from 13 career starts and he will surely improve as he steps beyond two and a half miles.
Opportunity
Earlier, Gordon Elliott inched every closer to a half century of winners from the season as the Liam Clancy-owned Cats For Cash (7/4) took advantage of a good opportunity in the A J C Group Newcastle Maiden Hurdle.
A four-time runner-up over the course of his career, the son of Mahler finally got his turn as he made all the running for Jack Kennedy to defeat Patrick Joseph by four lengths. The trainer reported that his charge was now likely to switch to fences.
MICHAEL Hourigan’s Finding Joy impressed with her finishing effort when winning at Kilbeggan a fortnight previously and she turned in another powerful late charge to carry the day in the Dr EF Logan OBE Memorial Handicap Hurdle over an extended two miles and five furlongs.
Finding Joy won for trainer Michael Hourigan and owner Sarah Archdeacon \ Healy Racing
Cappacon looked as though he might have done enough when taking over the lead at the last but had no answer to Trevor Ryan’s mount over the last 150 yards. Finding Joy had three lengths to spare as she defied a 5lb rise in the ratings for that Kilbeggan success for the Archdeacon/Hourigan Partnership.
Hourigan was sending out his first winner here since the 2014/15 season and reported that the winner could now head to Listowel.
Neil McKnight sent out his first winner over jumps since July 2017 as Greenandwhitearmy (4/1) claimed the 80-95 rated Ulster Carpets Handicap Hurdle under Ricky Doyle.
The seven-year-old, who carries the colours of his trainer, got the better of the front-running favourite Mr Moondance late on to score by three-quarters of a length. The winner is likely to return to Downpatrick for the track’s next fixture.
THIS fixture saw a host of whip bans dished out. James Kenny was given a seven-day suspension after winning the bumper. Kevin Brogan, who also received a two-day careless riding ban in the same race, was given a two-day whip ban after partnering Patrick Joseph into second in the opening maiden hurdle.
Adam Short was referred on to the IHRB after the second race as a result of having had three previous whip rule breaches since the new regulations came into effect.
Lastly, Trevor Ryan picked up three days after guiding Finding Joy to victory in the handicap hurdle.