THE wild revelry of a student raceday returned for the first time since 2019 at this well-attended midweek fixture, although not many racegoers were cheering as Advanced Virgo took the featured Way To Paris At Coolagown Stud Hurdle at 40/1.

The seven-year-old gelding, who travelled over to Cheltenham the previous week but was narrowly balloted out of the County Hurdle, was friendless on his first outing here for Anthony McCann.

However, he made smooth progress under Jonathan Moore to head the 4/5 favourite Cayd Boy after two out and was ridden out after the last to beat Gibraltar by a length and a quarter. Cayd Boy found little under pressure a further four lengths away in third.

“I only have him seven weeks. We were disappointed he didn’t get into the County Hurdle but the trip to Cheltenham was a bit of a holiday for him and maybe in hindsight it worked out for the best,” said McCann, who trains the winner for Rita Shah.

“We were a bit concerned about the ground (officially good) but he won his maiden hurdle for Charles (Byrnes) on good ground so we were confident enough and I couldn’t believe the price he was. He was bought to go chasing later in the year and for a Holy Roman Emperor he is a hell of a jumper and he stays.”

Cracking Finish

There was a cracking finish to the opening Follow @Corkracecourse Fillies Maiden Hurdle with Only Sky getting up in the final stride under Robbie Power. The Jessica Harrington-trained filly challenged 13/8 favourite Igraine when the pair were far from fluent at the last but she dug deep on the run-in to prevail by a nose with Bynx, who was hampered early on, finishing best of all to be just a head away in third.

Power said: “Sometimes a mistake costs you a race but if I winged the second last and the last I might have got involved too soon with JJ (Slevin, on Igraine) and his horse wasn’t doing a stroke in front. The plan was to have a late shot and that’s what we’ve done.

“She loves good ground and will mix and match for the summer. The (Elizabethcarsonracing) syndicate will have a lot of fun with her.”

THE first leg of the Gentlemans League, a European Championship for Qualified Riders, provided a home win as John Gleeson took the honours on Thedancingfarrier (11/1) in the Blackwater (QR) Handicap Hurdle.

Trained by Paul Kiely for his father Richard, the three-time point-to-point winner gained his only previous win under rules over this two-and-a-half-mile trip in December, but Gleeson had a scare when losing his right iron after an awkward jump at the last. However, he kept his balance and gave the 10-year-old a determined drive to gain a half-length victory over Highland Penny.

“For some reason he seems to love this place - maybe it is the level track. My brother Richie normally rides him as an amateur but John was drawn to ride him. John is a local lad to us from Dungarvan so I’d know him and I was happy to have him,” said Kiely. “Today was the plan for a while and he’ll run away for the summer, although I wouldn’t run him on fast ground.”

The drying ground resulted in a number of significant absentees from the corkracecourse.ie Maiden Hurdle and Mahler Allstar was sent off at the prohibitive odds of 1/5. Sean O’Keeffe kept it simple making all in this two-and-a-half-mile event and the lightly raced eight-year-old never looked in any serious danger asserting on the run-in to beat Ask The Bookie by five and a half lengths.

“He deserved that and is a long distance chaser. He’ll have another hurdle race before going chasing next season and I’d like to go to Liverpool as it is always safe ground. Sean said he likes the good ground,” said Jimmy Mangan, who trains the giant gelding for Patrick Pyne.

The most impressive winner of the day came in the concluding Thanks To Frontline Staff Mares (Ladies Pro/Am) INH Flat Race where Magical Zoe sprinted clear in the final furlong under Sioned Whittle.

The rider only joined Aidan Fitzgerald this year after coming over from Tom Lacey’s Herefordshire yard and was teaming up here with Fitzgerald’s brother Barry. The 8/1 chance cruised into contention before stretching clear to beat Glory Liss by an easy six and a half lengths.

“She is a nice filly and from day one I’ve always liked her,”said Fitzgerald of the filly who carries the colours of Derrymartin Bloodstock Limited. “She is very professional and her work was very good. The ground was borderline okay and for a four-year-old to do that is good. I’d like to thank Aidan, my brother and Enda McDonagh for buying her at the sales and she will go back to the sales now.

“Sioned has ridden two winners for Tom Lacey and has two point-to-point winners ridden for Aidan as well. She came over three months ago to ride in point-to-points, is based with Aidan and rode this filly during the week. She is good.”

MARK McDonagh is riding on the crest of a wave and having won the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham aboard Banbridge and the Ulster National on Spades Are Trumps last Sunday, and he completed a memorable week on the progressive Nell’s Well in the Con-Neigh’s Yard Handicap Hurdle.

The Patrick Casey-owned mare won a Grade 3 novice hurdle over the course and distance in December and again relished this three-mile trip, quickening up nicely from before the last and holding off Wild Hunt by a length and a quarter.

“Her best form is with a dig but we walked it and knew it was safe. For a handy-sized mare she was giving away plenty of weight and I thought she was impressive and looked a winner from a long way out. I thought he gave her a lovely, patient ride,” said Kilworth trainer Sean O’Brien of the 9/2 winner.

“She wasn’t scoping perfect after her last run and we had to give her a break. Where she goes next is all ground dependent but I can’t wait until she goes over a fence because she is dynamic at jumping fences.”

The other handicap hurdle on the card, the two-and-a-half-mile Fermoy Handicap Hurdle, went the way of Sweet Will who was opening his account at the 15th attempt. The Gavin Cromwell-trained gelding led two out and, after meeting the last on a perfect stride, the 13/2 chance needed to be driven right out by Conor McNamara to hold off Four Horsemen by half a length.

The successful Out Of Bounds Syndicate is headed up by Feidhlim Cunningham who said: “I part-own this horse with my wife Sarah and a couple of lads and this is brilliant. He has had enough goes and was long overdue getting his head in front. His run at Punchestown has worked out well and we thought he’d run well today.

“It was one of those races for maidens who had three handicap runs so it was his grade and it is great to get a day with him. He might pop a fence in time too.”