FRESH from joining an elite group of Irish-based riders to reach 1,000 career winners earlier in the week at Gowran Park, Shane Foley continued his fine start to the 2024 campaign when partnering promising newcomer Birdman to victory in the mile-and-a-half Cork maiden on Friday.

A total of four winners on the week - three coming for Birdman’s trainer Jessica Harrington - helped the multiple classic-winning rider break through the 1,000 marker, with 967 of those achieved in Ireland and the remainder spread between Britain, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia and America.

Foley’s latest winner showed plenty of raw ability to score by two and a quarter lengths at 8/1 in the colours of Anamoine Limited.

“I hadn’t even realised that I had reached this total until it was mentioned to me but it’s obviously nice to get it,” Foley told The Irish Field.

“It’s a good achievement, especially in Ireland. It’d be nice to get 2,000 winners up - we’ll keep travelling away and hopefully keep sound.”

On Birdman’s performance, Harrington added: “We’ve always liked him, he is a lovely horse and was very green. That will crown him - he’s a nice horse.”

Driving on

As for apprentice jockeys trying to make their presence felt in the riding ranks, Wayne Hassett has been impressing for a 7lb claimer and was seen to good effect again when landing the Gain The Advantage Series Handicap on Paul Flynn’s Solar Drive.

The 8/1 shot, owned by the Solar Drive Six Syndicate, hadn’t set the world alight in Dundalk maidens and appreciated the step up to a mile and a half for the first time on handicap debut.

Flynn said: “He’s a grand horse and obviously Dundalk didn’t suit him. I was hoping to go to Tipperary for a nine-furlong race but it was called off so then I had nowhere else to run. Luckily he stayed this mile-and-a-half trip.”

Another apprentice who made his mark on the card was Wesley Joyce, who got the maximum out of Nostringsattached in the concluding mile-and-a-quarter handicap for trainer Andrew Kinirons.

Racing in the colours of Jim and Ava Browne, the 3/1 favourite plundered what looked a competitive handicap by half a length and could be set for a fruitful season, having defied a 187-day absence here.

DYLAN Browne McMonagle was seen at his very best in capturing Cork’s feature event, the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Noblesse Stakes, as Thunder Roll got her season off to the perfect start for Joseph O’Brien and the Rosegreen Partnership.

It was a tactically-run affair and last season’s Oyster Stakes scorer, sent off the 3/1 favourite, was always in a handy position. She got a smoother passage through than runner-up Sumiha and prevailed by half a length.

O’Brien said: “She was a nice filly last year and progressed well but she was a bit below par on her last start in France [last September] when the ground was very fast. I thought she did well to win today’s tactical race as she went to the front early and fought all the way to the line.

“It was a very good ride and hopefully she is a progressive filly for this year. There’s the Group 3 Munster Oaks back here in June as an option.”

Bremen progressing

Donnacha O’Brien is considering classic trial options for conditions race scorer Bremen (4/1), who showed a decent attitude under Gavin Ryan to notch a two-length win over market leader Stromberg.

Representing Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Sue Magnier, the Galileo colt boasts a smart pedigree as a brother to last year’s Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille winner Warm Heart.

“He did it very nicely today,” said the winning trainer. “He’s a decent horse and we will maybe run at Chester now - that’ll tell us where we stand.”

DERMOT Weld got off the mark for the new season through an exciting colt in the shape of 10-furlong maiden winner Spoken Truth, who built on an eyecatching Leopardstown debut last autumn in the colours of Moyglare Stud.

There was plenty to like about how the 13/8 favourite, ridden by Chris Hayes, went about his business. He’s bred to be a quality type, being a brother to Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs.

Weld, who won an early-season 10-furlong maiden here with Harzand back in 2016, said: “This is a gorgeous, kind, big horse who would like better ground. I love the way he came home over the last furlong as he only hit his stride.

“I’m thinking of running him in the Gallinule Stakes, as it would be a logical way to go. As the season progresses, he will fill into that big body of his and it is early days in his career. We are very hopeful with him but time will tell.”

Smooth Sharinay

There was also success for a son of Harzand in the opening mile maiden as Sharinay (15/2), an Aga Khan three-year-old trained by Mick Halford and Tracey Collins, came home strongly to improve from a Curragh maiden sixth last autumn.

The mount of Ronan Whelan had been gelded since that introductory run and was fitted with a hood, proving two lengths too good for 13/8 favourite Super Sox.

“He was only our second runner on the turf this year and this is our first runner for His Highness,” said Halford.

“The horse had a promising run last year, had been working well and Ronan kept it very simple.”

Happy hour

Earlier on the card, Karlsberg took full advantage of being dropped 5lb to a mark of 65 since her last run in July 2023 when rewarding decent market support as 9/2 favourite in the mile handicap.

Owned by Seamus Finucane and ridden by Hugh Horgan, the former course winner looked a handful at times as she was leaving the parade ring but went on to find enough to fend off Pascalia by half a length.

Winning trainer Shane Crawley said: “When she is on song, she’s a good mare but her antics before the race were a concern as she didn’t want to leave the parade ring.

“Things weren’t happening for her towards the end of last year so we left her off. She is a big strong mare, soft ground is her thing and I keep saying that Hugh can ride - he claimed 5lb.”