AHEAD of the Ladbrokes Festival of Racing next Friday and Saturday at Down Royal, it was flat handlers who fared the better on the training front in the past week or so, with Natalia Lupini and Andy Oliver sending out two winners apiece

Both struck last Thursday week at the Curragh where, on his third start, Lupini’s charge Thebelmontgangster landed division two of the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden for two-year-olds over a mile.

Ridden by Billy Lee, the Inns Of Court colt saw off the Dylan Browne McMonagle-partnered favourite Nobler by two and three-parts of a length in the colours of Eoin McDonagh.

Oliver’s win came in the 10-furlong TRM Excellence in Nutrition Handicap, where the Lee-ridden, Team Valor-owned Apercu got her nose back in front on the line to justify 15/8 favouritism, as the four-year-old Elzaam filly recorded her third career success.

Oliver saddled his 15th winner of the year on Friday at Dundalk where, utilising the services of Gary Carroll, he landed the concluding six-furlong maiden with the three-year-old Bated Breath gelding Keepcalmandsailon, who was having his third start.

The Irish EBF Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden over an extended mile for two-year-olds at Gowran on Monday went the way of the Lupini-trained 20/1 shot Pretty Lavish, who was making her debut.

Ben Dalton’s bay daughter of Ribchester was ridden by Wayne Lordan.

Keepcalmandsailon (Lot 45) and Thebelmontgangster (Lot 327B) are among the entries for next week’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale at Tattersalls Newmarket.

GRAHAM Watters, who was a regular rider on the northern point-to-point scene until turning professional and eventually moving to the USA, recorded a double at the Far Hills meeting in New Jersey last Saturday.

This he initiated in the $70,000 two-mile, one-furlong maiden over the national fences on the Jack Fisher-trained Minella Juke who, on his previous start, his first across the Atlantic, had finished second in a two-mile maiden in Maryland.

The Jukebox Jury grey, who landed a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Dromahane in April on his only start in this country, was consigned by John Nallen to the Goffs UK Spring Sale at Doncaster, where he was knocked down to Don Astubury/Gillian Johnston for £140,000.

Minella Juke, who made €31,000 as a foal at Goffs, was bred by Philippa Baird out of the Kadalko mare Emmylou du Berlais, who won twice over jumps in her native France.

She had bred three previous track winners, headed by the Great Pretender gelding Mr Mole, whose eight successes included a Grade 2 chase at Newbury.

Watters brought his double up in the featured American Grand National (Grade 1), where the Fisher-trained Snap Decision won by a neck from the Ronnie Bartlett-owned, Gordon Elliott-trained, Jack Kennedy-ridden Galvin.

Britain

Earlier on Saturday, the concluding two-mile, six and a half-furlong handicap chase at Stratford was won by the five-year-old Soldier Of Fortune gelding Aworkinprogress, who was bred by Paul and Margaret Haughey out of the Presenting mare Reine D’Or, whose previous produce include the eight-time winner City Derby (by Ask).

The previous day at Uttoxeter, the opening two-mile National Hunt novices’ hurdle was won by 4/7 favourite Wade Out who, trained by Olly Murphy for Sir Alex Ferguson et al, was having his first run over hurdles.

On his only other two starts, the Shantou gelding won a bumper at Market Rasen in March and a four-year-old geldings’ maiden last November at Lisronagh, when ridden by Dara McGill. Wade Out, a full-brother to the three-time winner Whatsupwithyou from the family of Dedigout and Winning Nora, was bred by Stone Electrical out of the hurdle-winning Milan mare Whats Up Britta.

Kelly winner

At Limerick on Sunday, the Orán McGill-ridden Size Five, who is trained by Noel Kelly for his wife Shauna, justified 6/5 favouritism, when following up his Perth win of last month in the three-mile John Thomas McNamara (Q.R.) Handicap Hurdle.

The Gerry Cosgrave-bred six-year-old Califet gelding is out of the Exit To Nowhere mare Strong Lady.

McGill had three rides the previous day at Loughanmore, where he won the Jacksons Butcher Shop & Bakery winners of two on the Wilson Dennison-owned, Caroline McCaldin-trained Jim The Wolf, a five-year-old French-bred gelding by Joshua Tree.

With success also for Deckie Lavery and Patrick Turley, Stephen Connor and Stuart Crawford plus Eoin Powell and Liam Lennon, locally-trained horses saw off the Wexford challenge by four wins to three.

HAVING enjoyed a fortnight at home in Co Tyrone, Conor McKenna headed back to Australia this week, his father Pat leaving him down to Dublin airport on Thursday morning.

The pair have been in one another’s company longer than two weeks, however, as Dungannon trainer Pat and his wife Sheila, the former Tyrone county camogie player, had travelled out to Melbourne to see their son play in the final of the Australian Football League late last month.

Coming on as a sub for the winning team, the Brisbane Lions, the 28-year-old thus added a premiership medal to the All-Ireland he won when lining out for Tyrone in 2021, emulating Co Kerry’s Tadhg Kennelly.

Last Friday, when at Dundalk where his father’s charge Rhasidat ran for the McKenna 2 Partnership in a division of the seven-furlong handicap, Conor was interviewed by Racing TV presenters and pundits Fran Berry and Kevin O’Ryan and discussed the subjects of both racing and football.

Asked if he would like to train, McKenna replied: “Yeah, I’d love to expand on it, if I could be a trainer it would be ideal, whether there’s money in it is the question (laughing). But I’d like to give it a crack for a couple of years, buying or selling or breaking or whatever, but some sort of a go.”

Scoring a goal

Berry queried if Conor got more of a buzz from scoring a goal, winning an All-Ireland Final or his father having a winner at Dundalk. It was a slam dunk for racing.

“Aw, the day No Speed Limit won the first time, having been riding the horse myself, it was unbelievable, probably the best experience of my life, to be honest... If I get a few more winners on the track, I’d be happy enough.” On his father Pat, McKenna said: “When I left, he had no one to ride the horses... he does well with his three or four horses part-time... it’s not that easy.”

Pre-season training for the Lions begins next week. The squad will get three weeks off for Christmas, after which it will be back to training in anticipation of the season starting again on March 17th.

Also based in Brisbane, Co Donegal-born jockey Martin Harley added to his seasonal tally, with a win in the 1,350 metre maiden at Ipswich on Friday on the Bevan Laming-trained Our Benefactor, a three-year-old New Zealand-bred colt by the Irish-bred Contributer.