THERE was a turn-up in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mucklemeg Mares Bumper as 25/1 shot Aruntothequeen picked quite the moment to open her account at the fifth attempt for Jessica Harrington.

Gowran’s feature event was billed as a duel between Mozzies Sister (Declan Queally) and Cameletta Vega (Willie Mullins), both impressive bumper winners in their own right, but the mount of Harry Swan produced a clear career best to build on a trio of placed efforts this summer.

Owned by Joe O’Flaherty and Mark Phelan, the Milan five-year-old is bred to be smart as a daughter of O’Flaherty and Harrington’s blacktype campaigner Burn And Turn, who notched one of her six career wins on this very card back in 2012, as well as another at the 2014 Punchestown Festival.

Even-money favourite Mozzies Sister made a good fist of it in second, beaten three lengths, while Cameletta Vega (100/30) never landed a blow in seventh.

Harrington said: “I always knew she was good. That was a good race, they went a proper gallop and she just stays really well. She’s taken all this time to grow into that frame.

“She was impressive and they were a long way ahead of the third [Dippedinmoonlight, trained by Emmet Mullins]. She’ll go on over hurdles now, a two-and-a-half mile maiden hurdle.”

Maiden drama

Daryl Jacob’s first ride in six and a half months after a collarbone and shoulder injury ended prematurely as he was unseated at the first flight from 2/5 favourite Mr Percy in the Xenon Security Maiden Hurdle - an action-packed two-mile contest won by Tonaghneave Well (4/1).

The odds-on market leader, who had bolted up in a flat maiden here a month earlier, ran around on the approach to the first on his hurdling bow and unshipped Jacob.

Two others unseated at the first and loose horses caused headaches for others in the field, but Keith Donoghue managed to avoid any extra drama after being hampered at the opening flight to score by a short-head on the Gavin Cromwell-trained bumper winner.

“It was a messy race and we had the experience - I was lucky at the first,” Donoghue said of the Paul Kelly-owned winner.

“I dropped my stick going to the last and he was having a good look so thankfully I held on. He was being a little bit lairy but experience probably won it for him.”

Hashtag rewarded

There was no such reason for panic in the following two-mile Gowran Park Racing Club Maiden Hurdle, as 11/10 favourite Hashtag Pretender was rewarded for his consistency and made all under Michael O’Sullivan for Barry Connell.

Second on each of his last four starts, the seven-year-old made no mistake in putting The Mediator away by seven and a half lengths.

“We’re only waiting two or three years for that!” quipped Connell.

“He’s been running into good horses every time. Looking at it, you’d question if he’s genuine or not but he is - he’s just been unfortunate really.

“Today was his day. We’ll see what mark we get now.”

FINISHES don’t tend to get more local than the outcome to the Golf At Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle’s first division.

Jimmy Barcoe’s Hollow Spark (7/1), owned by John McEvoy, found generously for Kieran Callaghan’s urgings to run out a length-and-three-quarters winner over the Dick Donohoe-trained Ballycommon Chapel.

Both trainers hold addresses in Gowran, Co Kilkenny, while the third-placed Dream Escape (4/1 favourite) is trained just up the road near Goresbridge by Tom Mullins.

“She was staying at it well on her last run over hurdles [when second at Bellewstown] and she had a couple of solid runs before that,” said Barcoe.

“She seems to be effective on quick ground, I don’t think she’s a winter mare. She’s not the biggest in the world but she has a big heart. She’s in at Tramore next week but we’ll have to see what the weather does.”

Milan makes hay

A local rider took the spoils in the second division of the same two-mile handicap hurdle, as the Lenny Flynn-trained Good Bye Milan struck under Danny Mullins in the colours of James Braddish.

The seven-year-old mare had only run once between November 2022 and August 2024, changing yards in the interim, but had made a pleasing enough comeback at Tramore before disappointing on her start prior to this success at 10/1.

Speaking after the length-and-a-quarter victory, Mullins said: “Lenny told me he fancied her the last day and for whatever reason it just didn’t happen but she seemed to operate today. Maybe coming from Tramore to a more galloping track here worked. She likes the nice ground.”

Jumping for Joy

Despite the best efforts of main rival Royal Hollow to shake her up, it was a case of one-way traffic for 5/6 favourite Lot Of Joy in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Pat Walsh Memorial Mares Hurdle.

The former Swedish St Leger winner, owned by the Over The Sticks Syndicate, has been set some stiff assignments both over hurdles and on the flat since joining Willie Mullins, and was making her first appearance in this sphere in just over a year.

It proved a good opportunity for the mount of Paul Townend, showing a touch of class to win by eight and a half lengths.

Mullins said: “I think she’s improving and we’ll try and find another race like that and keep her on the mares route. She might be ground dependent, better off on nicer ground.”

MARK Walsh made his only two rides at Gowran Park count when notching a straightforward double for owner J.P. McManus.

A mark of 112 looked like it could be workable for Park Of Kings when all fell right over the past year, and the Paul Nolan-trained six-year-old delivered the goods in the Golf Societies @ Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle.

Two and a half miles on decent ground appeared to work well for the 11/2 shot, who stretched three and three parts of a length clear of Napper Tandy.

“He had been a bit disappointing but it all came good today,” said Nolan.

“He had been difficult at the start a couple of times but today he jumped off nice. Mark kept him to the outside to try and keep him sweet; he jumped well and won well enough. We’ll look for something similar. I wouldn’t like the ground to deteriorate too much. He wears a tongue-tie for a reason.”

Easy for Night

The final margin might only have been two and a quarter lengths, but In For The Night was a particularly comfortable winner of the two-and-a-half-mile Thomastown Handicap Hurdle for the same connections and Des McDonogh.

Sent off the 9/2 favourite after a second at Galway last month, the former 11-race maiden relished stepping back up in trip and got the job done stylishly enough.

McDonogh said: “That was very welcome. He was unlucky at Galway, he got hobbled over at the castle. There was nowhere to go as they were six abreast. He finished like a rocket. He’s still green but has the makings of a nice one. We’ll see what the handicapper does.”