ALMOST exactly three months on from sending out his first runner, Andrew McNamara enjoyed a moment that he will surely cherish forever as Double Speak got him off the mark as a trainer in the two-mile maiden hurdle.
The former Cheltenham Festival and multiple Grade 1-winning jockey, whose first 10 runners had yielded seven placings, produced Double Speak in terrific shape off a near two-year layoff.
The Brian Donlon-owned gelding hadn’t run since capturing a Killarney bumper in August 2014 but made light of that absence. Robert Power had the 8/1 chance pressing the favourite Castle Guest for the lead nearing the last and Double Speak got on top on the run in to score by three and three-quarters of a length. “I’m delighted to get off the mark. They’ve all been running well so far and we’ve had a few close shaves,” said McNamara whose brother Robbie will shortly embark on his own training career. “This horse has been off a good while due to injury and he got quite heavy so I thought he might take the run and Robbie did say he blew up. He could now step up to two and a half miles for a novice hurdle.”
RUSSELL DOMINATES
Otherwise the card was dominated by Davy Russell who reeled off a hat-trick that featured the teak tough Bye Bye O Bye making it three from his last four outings in the 80-102-rated handicap hurdle over three miles. The 9/4 favourite, whose winning sequence was broken by the capable Spider Web at Ballinrobe the previous week, came out the right side of a titanic battle with Clontarf. This pair were inseparable throughout the last 200 yards but Bye Bye O Bye just managed to shade the bobbing finish.
“He’s a really tough horse who gets three miles well and I was just worried if this run was coming up a bit soon but he’s dead genuine,” commented Michael Griffin. “His owner, Danny Grealish, is from Galway and the plan would be to go there with this horse but he’ll have a break before then.”
Russell’s first winner came courtesy of Crosshue Boy (15/8) in the three-mile maiden hurdle where trainer Sean Doyle was recording his first winner on the track for two and a half years.
Doyle, whose licence was withdrawn by the Turf Club for 18 months in 2014, produced Crosshue Boy in fine shape following the gelding’s third in a Roscommon bumper five days previously. Davy Russell produced the Niall Heffernan-owned six-year-old to lead before the last and the pair defeated High Nellie by five and a half lengths.
“He’s a lovely, big horse and we were pulling him out quick enough again after Roscommon but he came out of that race very well,” commented Doyle whose last success came when Theatre Bird won a Leopardstown Grade 3 in December 2013. “Declan Queally rode him the other night and told us to go jumping with him and that he wouldn’t be long in winning his maiden hurdle. I’ve three or four nice horses for the summer.”
The Russell treble concluded with Windy Millie (11/2) in the 0-109 rated three-mile handicap chase. Paul Flynn’s charge was making her first racecourse appearance for over a year but did come into this off two recent placed runs in point-to-points.
Windy Millie, who is owned by her breeder John Kiely, looked to have the measure of her rivals when stealing into the lead off the last bend and she crossed the line four and a half lengths ahead of Say It Again.
Robbie Power teamed up with Mr Fiftyone (2/1) who turned in a proficient display in the two-mile handicap chase andhe could be set for an industrious summer. The David Bobbett-owned gelding turned in a good round of jumping and edged ahead of Draycott Place to lead from the third last. The latter remained a threat in the straight but Mr Fiftyone was always doing enough to keep him at bay.
“He’s come on well from his run here at the festival which was his first of the year,” reflected Jessica Harrington. “He loves top of the ground and he’s probably a bit stronger this year, last year he wasn’t quite finishing out his races. We’ll keep him going for a summer campaign and he likes galloping tracks. He’ll be back here in early June for a conditions chase.”
HARRINGTON DOUBLE
Jessica Harrington then notched up a double of her own as The Birdie Crowe (8/1), ridden by her daughter Kate, claimed the bumper. A switch to better ground showed this daughter of Westerner in a completely different light as she left her debut run miles behind.
The Birdie Crowe found an opening on the inner to deliver her challenge inside the last furlong and she led nearing the line for a three quarter lengths win over the 25/1 shot Triolet. The winner is owned by Bernadette Leigh whose father, Eamonn, has been attached to the Harrington yard for countless years while her brother, Andrew, rode many winners for the trainer.
“She just got bogged down on the ground at Navan although I was worried it might be a shade quick today,” reported the trainer.
Earlier Chatham House Rule (12/1) produced much his best effort over fences in the ATC Celebrating 25 Years In Business Beginners Chase. Twelve months ago this two-mile contest went to the winner’s stablemate The Game Changer and Chatham House Rule will do especially well to match his exploits but he does look set for a good summer.
The grey made all the running for Bryan Cooper, jumped superbly and his two main rivals, Phil’s Magic and Marchese Marconi, in some difficulty some way from home. Hard as they tried that pair were unable to make a telling impression in the straight and the Gigginstown House Stud-owned winner cleared the last in fine style to score by eight and a half lengths.
“I’d say the good ground was a big help to him. He’ll go two-mile chasing for the summer, there’s a good programme for these horses, and then he might go to the sales in the autumn,” reported Gordon Elliott.
Acting Stewards
Mrs J.O. Onions, T. Hunt, N. McCaffrey, J. Murphy, P.D. Matthews
HORSE TO FOLLOW
HIGH NELLIE (M.J. Bowe): She posted a career best performance to finish second in the three-mile maiden hurdle and a similar race can come her way his summer.
Brett injured
THE bumper was marred by a nasty three-horse pile-up nearing the last half mile which left jockey Tom Brett with a partially collapsed lung, two fractured ribs and a fractured fibula. Brett will be out of action for six weeks while the other jockeys involved emerged unscathed.