Strong week of local winners for Tipp trainers and jockeys

Good As Hell scored a runaway success for trainer Philip Fenton and owner James Moran in the two-mile one-furlong handicap chase at Tipperary on Tuesday.

Ridden by Brian Hayes, the 3/1 chance led after the penultimate fence and she raced clear before the last to win by eight lengths from the John Gleeson-trained Jack Holiday.

Ryan Moore rode a winner on his first visit west of the Shannon when partnering the Aidan O'Brien-trained Espionage to land the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon on Tuesday.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite was having his first start of the season and he scored a comfortable one and a half-length win over the Jim Bolger-trained Young Ireland. Moore, who rode his 250th winner in Ireland on Auguste Rodin in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday, has now ridden a winner at nine Irish racecourses.

Denis Hogan got the better of David Marnane to win the opening division of the seven-furlong apprentice handicap. Siobhan Rutledge was in the saddle as they battled well to see off Emorcee by a shorthead in the colours of owner Patrick Kelly.

David Marnane landed the opening five-furlong conditions race at Tipperary on Wednesday where Lady Tilbury scored a cosy success in the hands of Ronan Whelan. A strong odds-on favourite, she notched up a third career success when leading inside the final furlong to beat the Ken Condon-trained Harmony Rose by half a length for owners MRC International.

Galway trainer Shane Ryder and Joey Sheridan scored with No Hassle which landed a deserved success in the opening division of the 12-furlong handicap. A runner-up on her previous two starts, she readily justified her position at the head of the betting markets when scoring by a length and a half from the John and Thomas Kiely-trained Blackpoint in the colours of the Eyre Racing Partnership.

Ben Coen took the second division of the same race with the Tohali Partnership-owned Belgoprince. Trained by Tony Martin, he held off the Mark Molloy-trained Folly Beach by a head.

Rachael Blackmore won the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle on the Ray Cody-trained Watch The Weather at Tipperary on Thursday. The seven-year-old had any amount in hand as he scored by nine lengths from the Paul Gilligan-trained Shanwalla for owner Sean Connors.

Rathvin trainer Harry Kelly landed a 14/1 winner as Walk In Time, ridden by Cian Quirke, took the three-mile handicap hurdle. Owned and bred by John O’Dwyer, the six-year-old went clear before the final hurdle to beat David Fitzgerald’s Emily In Paris by three and a half lengths.

Nathan Crosse was in double form at Bellewstown on Thursday where he rode winners for trainers Kevin Coleman and Jim Gorman. He won the eight-furlong handicap for three-year-olds on the Coleman-trained Fleetfootsoldier which scored a comfortable two and a quarter-length win from the Noel Meade-trained Lasting Peace.

Five lengths was the margin as Jim Gorman’s Plugged In won the opening division of the older-horses’ handicap over the same distance. The 12/1 shot, owned by the Andrews Syndicate, skipped clear early inside the final furlong to beat Tom McCourt’s The Bog Bank.

Fethard trainer Niall Stokes won the five-furlong handicap with the Tom Egan-owned favourite Curraheen Princess. She scored by a neck at Down Royal on her previous start and followed up when getting the better of the Kevin Coleman-trained Only spoofing by a nose under Andrew Slattery.

In the preceding race, the Coleman-trained West Of Africa was pipped by a shorthead by Jessica Harrington’s G’day Mate which is owned by Theresa Marnane.

Gordon Elliott added to his winner at Tipperary a couple of hours earlier as the Harry Swan-ridden Party Central won the concluding 12-furlong amateur riders’ race. The Bective Stud-owned odds-on favourite had plenty in hand as she beat Noel Meade’s Jesse Evans by three and a half lengths.

Gavin Ryan gave local trainer Tom Gibney at winner at Bellewstown on Friday where Imposing Supreme took the eight-furlong handicap. The seven-year-old grey led passing the two-furlong pole and came home a two and a quarter-length winner from the Gavin Cromwell-trained Breezy Zoff.

The even-money favourite Esquiline was a cosy winner under Ben Coen in the 12-furlong fillies’ maiden. Trained by Johnny Murtagh, the 88-rated three-year-old led before the two-furlong pole and drew away to beat the Adrian Murray-trained As Fast As Wind by four and a quarter lengths.

Rachael Blackmore recorded her second winner in as many days as Ballyadam notched up his first success since winning the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse in late 2020 when taking the two and a half-mile beginners’ chase at Wexford on Friday.

Formerly trained by Gordon Elliott, the eight-year-old recorded his first victory for Henry de Bromhead as he scored a battling win. Leading after the final fence, the even money favourite got the better of Willie Mullins’ Hubrisko by a length and a half with the Paul Nolan-trained Joyeux Machin, a further three and a half lengths back in third place.

Hot on the heels of Paddington’s battling success under Ryan Moore in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, Aidan O'Brien was on the mark with the Killian Hennessy-ridden Henry Adams in the seven-furlong two-year-old maiden at Naas on Saturday. The 3/1 chance matched his more esteemed stable companion’s winning margin of half a length as he beat the Michael O'Callaghan-trained odds-on favourite Shihoku on his debut.

Also winning at the highest level on the day was Fozzy Stack who took the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes with Aspen Grove. The Oisin Murphy-ridden winner, a first Group or Grade 1 success for Stack, will remain in America under the care of jockey Mark Enright and will run in either the Del Mar Oaks or the Saratoga Oaks next.

Fethard trainer Willie Browne won the near six-furlong median sires series race with the strong odds-on favourite Buyin buyin at Naas on Saturday. Ridden by Gary Carroll, the odds-on favourite made all the running to beat the Edward and Patrick Harty-trained Nadowessi by two and a half lengths in the colours of Gaelic Thoroughbreds.

Holycross trainer John Burke gave Cork conditional jockey Eoin Walsh his second winner of the week as Our Bobby landed the second division of the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at Bellewstown on Saturday. Owned by the trainer sister Elaine, the 13/2 chance came from the back of the field to beat Eoin Griffin’s Hidalgo Des Mottes by three-parts of a length.

Trainer Andy Slattery and conditional jockey Cian Quirke scored a narrow success with Dark Note in the opening maiden hurdle two-mile one-furlong maiden hurdle at Sligo on Sunday. Owned by the For The Good Times Syndicate, the four-year-old gained the upper hand after the final hurdle to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained favourite Shajak by a neck.

Harry Swan and Gordon Elliott shared their second success of the week as Arabian Diamond trounced his rivals in the concluding bumper. The 2/1 chance was clear before the straight and he beat Dermot McLoughlin’s Midleton Rare by nineteen lengths.

Upcoming Meetings

Dundalk – Wednesday, July 12 (First Race 1.55pm)

Fairyhouse – Wednesday, July 12 (First Race 4.50pm)

Downpatrick – Thursday, July 13 (First Race 2.40pm)

Leopardstown – Thursday, July 13 (First Race 5.15pm)

Cork – Friday, July 14 (First Race 4.40pm)

Kilbeggan – Friday, July 14 (First Race 5.00pm)

Navan – Saturday, July 15 (First Race 2.10pm)