ALL roads led to Ballingarry on Saturday for the first session of the Ormond Foxhounds two-day meeting and those present were treated to a pulsating finish to the five-runner open with the judge awarding a dead-heat between Timmy Hyde’s Focus Point and the Colin Bowe-trained Stranger Danger as Bold Enough’s unbeaten run this season came to an end for he returned a close up third.

Bold Enough, winner of his eight previous starts this year, moved past long-time leader Focus Point (5/2 - 3/1) well before the final of the 15 obstacles with Stranger Danger (3/1 - 5/1) almost 10 lengths adrift in third spot and David Christie’s charge appeared well in control on the turn-in before the last.

However, Stranger Danger then started to make inroads in a much closer third with Ross Berry and Focus Point staged a determined rally for his handler’s grandson Dan Hyde on the flat with the pair flashing past Bold Enough as the line loomed to beat the Co Fermanagh challenger by a neck.

Focus Point was registering a fifth success of the campaign in the colours of trainer Hyde’s wife Trish and the seven-year-old, a recent Downpatrick hunters chase runner-up, is likely to return to the pointing fields next season.

A similar scenario is also likely to apply for the Milestone Bloodstock-owned Stranger Danger, a former Downpatrick auction maiden hurdle winner when under the care of Sneezy Foster.

The Gary Murphy-trained Boys Will Be Boys (3/1 - 4/1) booked his ticket to this past week’s Goffs UK sale at Doncaster by landing the four-year-old auction maiden in the hands of Shane O’Rourke.

The favourite Virtuose D’Ainay moved to the front three out, but he was overtaken by the previous Sunday’s Ballindenisk sixth Boys Will Be Boys before the last with newcomer Black Occ also holding every chance on the outer.

Boys Will Be Boys landed the faster over this final fence and the Turbine Syndicate-owned Valirann, an embryonic chasing type by Valirann that was acquired for €17,000 at last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale, duly accounted for Black Occ by a length.

“He’s a good tough horse and I fancied him in Ballindenisk, but he took a blow going to the second-last that day,” confessed handler Murphy of his white-faced charge, a late May foal whose dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Too Forward.

The recent Toombridge third Aughafatten (3/1 - 4/1) justified the lengthy trek from Gerald Quinn’s Broughshane base in Co Antrim by landing the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden for this season’s champion under-21 rider Dara McGill.

Aughafatten always travelled with purpose and he moved through to dispute at the fourth-last, the winning son of Mahler then leading from three out and he held on valiantly on the flat to deny the closing Minella Miracle by a neck.

“He’s a slow maturing type that really loved the good ground and he has recently been sold to a syndicate to stay in the yard,” said handler Quinn of Aughafatten that ran here in the colours of Philip McBurney.

Monty quickly bounces back to strike for Sugrue

THE afternoon really belonged to Ross Sugrue as the 21-year-old was the only rider to partner a two-timer, the Tralee native’s initial career double incidentally, and he signed off aboard the Sean Doyle-trained Moves Like Monty (4/1 - 6/1) in the second division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Moves Like Monty, who made a belated return to action when falling three out at Ballindenisk just six days earlier, picked up the running travelling well on the long run from after two out and the winning son of Sageburg was travelling best with a one-length advantage when closest pursuer I Masked Du Potier fell at the final fence. Moves Like Monty wasn’t then troubled to return with 14 lengths to spare over Sunny Light.

Handler Doyle’s brother Gearoid remarked of the Monbeg Partnership-owned Moves Like Monty: “He’s a grand horse that was unlucky on his two previous runs and he’ll now go to the sales in Doncaster. “

Sugrue, based with another Doyle sibling in Donnchadh, instigated his brace aboard Ger Lawless’ Diamond Jetaway (7/1 – 10/1) in the five-year-old mares’ maiden.

Diamond Jetaway, a daughter of Jet Away that was returning from a near six-month lay-off, was bounced out in front and she maintained a relentless gallop to account for Game Colours by a length in a race that only a handful of the 16 runners ever got into.

It’s probable that the Ballydonagh Syndicate-owned Diamond Jetaway, a Tattersalls Ireland August Sale graduate, will now be sold.

Murphy gets first career winner aboard Breaking Silence

THE younger brigade of riders dominated proceedings with 17-year-old Frankie Murphy from Skibbereen posting an initial career success aboard his boss Harley Dunne’s Breaking Silence (6/1 - 7/1) in the four-year-old mares’ maiden.

The Doyen-sired Breaking Silence, who shaped well on her only previous outing despite pulling up after three out in the Fairyhouse contest won by €500,000 Punchestown Festival Sale acquisition Qualimita, was always positioned close to the pace and she mastered her frontrunning stable-companion Cant Touch This in the closing stages to score by a neck.

There was a break of all of 17 lengths back to the third-placed Nobody’s Perfect. Owner-trainer Dunne was effusive in his praise of Murphy, who joined him earlier this season on the recommendation of Bandon-based handler Jason O’Reilly.Twenty two-year-old Luke Carberry from Navan similarly experienced a never to be forgotten afternoon as he sampled a very first career victory aboard Willie Murphy’s No More Lockdown (3/1 - 4/1) in the winners’ of one race for novice riders.

The eight-year-old No More Lockdown, a December 2021 Corbeagh House maiden winner who is owned and bred by the Ballon-based Raheenwood Syndicate, made his way into pole position well after two out to contain the mare Chitchat Sally by two and a half lengths.

Murphy was buoyed by the success of No More Lockdown as it meant that he experienced his best ever season by saddling 12 winners.

Horse to Follow

Minella Miracle (E. F. Power): Having an initial start for new connections, this son of Getaway closed on the flat to be beaten just a neck into second spot by Aughafatten in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. He should go one better in the autumn.