HAVING been forced to give up his rides on the day due to a reoccurring ankle injury, jockey Seamie Heffernan will have been cursing his luck watching the all-juvenile card at Naas on Thursday afternoon.

Colin Keane and Dylan Browne McMonagle proved the beneficiaries, as three of Heffernan’s intended mounts won at the County Kildare track.

McMonagle won the TRM Calphormin Nursery Handicap on the Michael O’Callaghan trained Tommy McJohn. Sent off 10/3 favourite, the Patrick Sheanon-owned gelding led inside the last 50 yards to beat El Fontenaro by a length and a half.

O’Callaghan said: “Dylan thinks a good stiff five is his trip and he would appreciate a little bit more of an ease, as he changed his legs plenty and felt it a little bit. He’s a small little horse and did well to carry that weight. Dylan was very good on him.”

Completed

Natalia Lupini helped McMonagle complete a double on the afternoon when booking the Donegal man to replace Heffernan on Call Me Captain in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

Leading over a furlong out, the Mrs Mary Turley-owned debutant stayed on strongly to land odds of 18/1 by three-quarters of a length.

The trainer’s partner Craig Bryson said: “He’s a horse we liked a lot at home. Paddy Turley bought him and he liked him as well. We hoped he’d run a nice race today, but coming to a maiden like this, you are only hoping.

“He’s a nice horse going forward. He could possibly have one more run, but he’s probably a middle distance horse for next year. He’s going to progress into a nice horse.”

Colin Keane stepped in for Heffernan to land the GAIN The Advantage Series Nursery Handicap on Mykonian Odyssey.

Trained by Brendan Duke, the Martin Hayes and Peter Slezak-owned filly landed some tidy bets (25/1-10/1) in winning by half a length from Great Mover.

Duke later reported: “She’s been running in very good company. I had her in the Moyglare and hummed and hawed. She’s a very nice filly and she’s not a typical Waldgeist, because she has loads of pace. We like her.”

THE champion jockey was completing a brace having earlier partnered the Ger Lyons-trained William F Browne to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Claiming Maiden. Sent off 6/5 favourite, the Mrs Lynne Lyons and Sean Jones-trained gelding had to work hard to beat Mighty Day by a neck.

Ger Lyons said: “He’s named after Willie Browne, who I bought him off. We were walking around the parade ring at the sales and, if you look at this horse, he’s gorgeous on one side and then on the other side, he’s got a luminous white eye.

“Me and Kerri are looking at him and I said ‘he’s lovely, he’ll do me – he’s my type of horse’ and then he comes around again and I go ‘Holy God!’ Unknown to me, Willie Browne was beside me and asked what was wrong. I said ‘I can’t do white eyes Willie, it never works for me’.

“He said ‘don’t be so stupid’. I said to him, I’d buy him to prove it wrong and if I did, I’d call him Willie ‘effing’ Browne. When the hammer dropped, he came running over to me and he said ‘do me a favour, add a bit of class to it and call it William!’ So that’s where William F Browne came from. It cost me £60,000 to prove a point.”

Shock success

Racing opened with a shock 100/1 winner, when the Eddie and Patrick Harty-trained Carla Ridge made most under Chris Hayes to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. In front after a furlong, Hayes guided the Dan Kiely-owned filly to a comfortable two-and-a-quarter-length win.

Patrick Harty said: “She’s a beautiful filly, who was highly recommended by Katie McGivern. She did today what we all hoped she was capable of, winning a maiden and showing a bit of promise that she might be a stakes filly.

“Dan Kiely is a great owner and a good friend of ours, so it’s great to have a nice one for him. While the ground is still on the nice side, we might have a look and see what stakes races are around. A listed race over six or a group race, maybe stepping up to seven around a bend. I wouldn’t rule out running again this year.”

THE Aidan O’Brien trained Antelope Canyon proved too strong for odds-on favourite Currawood in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF(C&G) Maiden.

Sent off 11/2, the Wayne Lordan partnered colt found plenty inside the final furlong to win by half a length for owners Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “He came forward a lot from his first run. Wayne thought he has the makings of a lovely horse. We might go for something like the Legacy Stakes at Dundalk with him next and hopefully he turns into a Guineas trial horse next year.”

The Joseph Murphy trained Cercene improved on a promising debut third to win the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden.

Ridden by Gary Carroll, the 5/2 chance quickened up inside the final furlong to win by two and a quarter lengths for owners Shane R Stafford, J C Fleming and Crampscastle Bloodstock Ltd.

Joseph Murphy Junior said: “We were never really happy watching it to be honest. She was going nowhere and then all of a sudden she won well. We think she’s a very good filly.

“I’d say she could be finished for this year and she’ll get an entry for both Guineas.

“Hopefully she’ll build into that type of filly for next season.”