ERIC McNamara was the toast of Listowel on Friday as he pulled off a tremendous 159/1 treble on the card, taking his total for the 2024 Harvest Festival to five winners heading into the final day of the meeting.
The locally-based trainer will have taken massive satisfaction from the victory of Frankendael in the €100,000 MCG Handicap Hurdle, taking out the feature event with a 116-rated hurdler bought for just 13,000gns off the flat last October.
It looked as though 11-year-old stalwart Lord Erskine might be set to roll back the years in the listed event, but he couldn’t match a late surge from the Forever Optimists Syndicate’s five-year-old.
Two and a quarter lengths separated the pair at the line, with the 9/1 winner, ridden by Daniel King, making a winning handicap hurdle debut after his recent Ballinrobe maiden hurdle victory.
McNamara said: “That was magic. He’s a lovely horse who has improved all the time since we got him. I thought he won his maiden hurdle very nicely at Ballinrobe and when we were entering for this I thought it was a longshot, although top-weight Daddy Long Legs came out, so he got in at the bottom.
“He’s a particularly good jumper, loves soft ground and has won a beautiful pot for fantastic owners. The syndicate is headed by Vincent Casey; they are very loyal and fantastic people. They love Listowel so will enjoy this moment. Myself and Andrew McNamara had to toss for this horse at the sales as we both wanted him.”
Fabulous Ferns
The day got even better for McNamara when Mount Ferns, a £21,000 horse-in-training-sale purchase in May, rewarded market confidence as 3/1 favourite in the Southampton Goodwill Plate Handicap Hurdle.
Owned by Kevin McNamee, Manorplace Limited, Vincent Casey and Frank Doran, a mark of 91 proved more than workable on his stable debut under Sean Flanagan, winning by two lengths. “I really fancied this horse as his work at home has been exceptional,” said McNamara.
“We bought him during the summer from Emma Lavelle’s, left him off for a while and in the last few weeks his work had been really really good. I’d have been disappointed if he had been beaten.
“I told Sean to ride him with full confidence although he’s such an experienced rider there wasn’t much point in Eric McNamara telling Sean Flanagan how to ride in a handicap hurdle!”
Stable one-two
The McNamara Friday hat-trick was brought up in some style, as Flanagan and Cahirdown Boy got the better of stablemate Gaelic Des Chastys and Daniel King to deliver a one-two for the yard in the Paud, Sarah & Mary Fitzmaurice Memorial Handicap Chase. The pair of 3/1 joint-favourites drew clear of the remainder.
“I love this place, know a lot of people here and have friends around, so I’m getting a good kick out of this week,” said McNamara.
“We aimed for this meeting with a few horses and purposely didn’t run the likes of [wide-margin Thursday winner] Ifitwasme over hurdles in preparation for Listowel. It’s been an unbelievable few days. The horses are just in great form and they’re fit and well.”
On the Sean Curran-owned Cahirdown Boy, he added: “The whole secret to him is to throw the reins at him, as it makes him settle. If you grab any hold of him, he will arrive at the second-last fence but his race will have been run. Sean did a marvellous job.”
FRESH from having edged closer to the target than ever before when second at Galway earlier this month, West Clare gained a deserved first success for trainer Brian McMahon and jockey Richie Deegan in the Guinness Handicap Hurdle over two miles and six furlongs.
Solid in the market at 9/2, the Thomas O’Doherty-owned seven-year-old had some useful bumper form a couple of seasons ago - including when fourth at this meeting back in 2022.
“He didn’t come down the hill at Galway last time and, while he flew home, he took too long to get rolling,” said McMahon.
“We probably left a few quid behind us that day but it doesn’t matter now. He’s a seven-year-old but is getting sharper and the penny is starting to drop with him. He’s a nice-actioned horse so I was worried about the ground. Hopefully he will go on from here.
“His owner owns the Own Pride Pub in west Clare, so we’ll be stopping there on the way home!”
Kate looks classy
The most impressive winner of the day was saved for the concluding Shanahan Power Irish EBF Mares Bumper as the smartly-bred Amen Kate (15/8 favourite) scooted seven and a half lengths clear of the field for local trainer Tom Cooper.
Ridden to victory by Patrick Mullins in the colours of Ciaran Mooney, the four-year-old newcomer, who cost €75,000 as a store, is bred to be useful as a daughter of Flemensfirth and Grade 1-winning mare Augusta Kate.
“Today was the plan and her mother won the same race,” said Cooper.
“This filly was in training last year and was hard work but we were very happy with the way she reacted today. She is a very racey mare and did a bit of work up the Old Vic over a week ago. It was awesome.”
SEDDON will surely always hold a special place in the training career of John McConnell as his first Cheltenham Festival winner, and the 11-year-old veteran showed there is still plenty of life in him when scoring by five lengths in the Listowel Races Supporters Club Failte Abhaile (Q.R.) Race.
Benefiting from an enterprising, prominent ride by Finn Buckley, the recent Killarney winner is proving very much at home on the level nowadays and collected here in commanding fashion as the 7/2 favourite.
“I was delighted to get the leg up so thanks to John and the owners for letting me ride him,” said Buckley.
“I was a complete passenger the whole way as he knows the job. Once you get rocking and rolling, he feels like he’s new to it and is some spin.”
Gutsy Stormbreaker
The market felt that Paul Townend had made the wrong choice in the opening John J. Galvin Maiden Hurdle over two miles and two furlongs, but the champion jockey had the last laugh when Stormbreaker (11/4) finished off well to collar shorter-priced stablemate Mr Escobar (7/4 favourite) close home.
Brian Hayes looked to be getting a fine tune out of the wayward-at-times runner-up, but Townend timed his challenge well on the Bronsan Racing-owned winner to strike by a length and a half.
Willie Mullins, who saddled the one-two, said: “I thought Paul was on the right horse but having looked at the finish, I think Brian was a little unlucky. The third [Boston Beach] came and softened Mr Escobar up turning for home and more so, Mr Escobar is a tough ride and having no rail today and only ‘island’ hurdles was a big disadvantage to him.
“Stormbreaker has had niggles, not much, and we’re only teaching him how to settle now. Mr Escobar could go back on the flat.”