Long shot winners a feature of the last seven days
Tipperary Racing Scene
The Alan Halsall-owned Bowmore landed the opening two-mile beginners’ chase at Tipperary on Tuesday to set up a double on the day for both Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead.
The Galway festival beckons for the winning 6/1 chance which was left clear at the final fence to win by an easy four lengths from Denis Hogan’s 11/8 favourite Thecompanysergeant.
The seven-year-old Popova gave de Bromhead and Blackmore their second success with an eight-length win in the mares’ beginners’ chase for owner David Maughan. The 2/1 joint-favourite led home a 1-2 for the Knockeen stable as she beat the Darragh O'Keeffe-ridden Still Ciel in good style, her third career success.
Philip Fenton teamed up with Gortnahoe conditional rider Niall Moore to take the two-mile one-furlong handicap chase with the nine-year-old Good As Hell. A 16/1 shot in the colours of James Moran, she was well on top at the line in beating Gavin Cromwell’s Mister Wilson by two and a quarter lengths.
Paddy Twomey was the big winner at Roscommon on Tuesday where the four-year-old La Isla Mujeres scored an impressive success in the Listed Lenebane Stakes. Owned by Moyglare Stud and ridden by Billy Lee, the 7/2 chance raced up with the pace and asserted from over a furlong from the finish to win by a cosy three and a half lengths from the John Nallen-trained Cristal Clere.
Lee had earlier won the second leg of the seven-furlong handicap on the Edward Lynam-trained Gosford.
Donnacha O'Brien landed the race of the day at Tipperary on Wednesday where Usdi Atohi took the Listed Coolmore Ten Sovereigns Tipperary Stakes for two-year-olds. Gavin Ryan’s mount made a mockery of his 20/1 odds as she battled well to see off the Andy Slattery-trained Powerful Nation by a neck for owners Barry fowler and Steven Weston.
Slattery and his son Andrew went a place better as 16/1 chance Killeaney Bear took the nine-furlong handicap for owner Charles Kerwin. The three-year-old saw of the challenge of Denis Hogan’s Sportingsilvermine and Joey Sheridan by half a length.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Surpass landed his second race over the course and distance when recording a three-length success in the seven-furlong conditions’ race for two-year-olds. An odds-on favourite under Ryan Moore, he added to a win at the track in late May when coming home clear of Dakota blue which was ridden for Johnny Murtagh by Ben Coen.
Coen and Murtagh’s 5/1 shot Viyanni ran out the widest margin winner at Bellewstown on Thursday when taking the opening division of the 14-furlong handicap. Four lengths was the verdict as the three-year-old raced clear inside the final furlong to beat the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained Elzaamsan in convincing fashion.
At odds of 28/1, the Liam Quinlan-ridden If Any Man Can won the opening maiden hurdle at Cork on Friday. On his first start on the racecourse, Mary Doyle’s four-year-old got the better of the Gavin Cromwell-trained In The Trenches by a length and three-quarters with Joe Murphy’s favourite Mr Lincoln a neck away in third place.
Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead enjoyed more success as Cobra Queen took the two and a half-mile mares’ handicap hurdle. Owned by Matt Fitzgerald, the 17/2 chance led on the run to the final hurdle to beat Gordon Elliott’s Teagarden Jazz by a length and a quarter.
Harry Kelly took the three-mile maiden hurdle with the John Palmer-owned Now So Jake. The 7/2 favourite, ridden by Sean Flanagan, made much of the running and went clear from the last to win by four lengths from another Elliott runner, Beaufort Scale. The evening’s finale went the way of the Pat Flynn-trained Windbeneathmywings. Ridden by Moyne’s David Doyle, the 22/1 chance led just halfway in the bumper and battled well to hold John and Thomas Kiely’s The Last Line by a shorthead.
Punters got off to a tough start at Naas on Saturday where the first three winners were returned at odds of 25/1, 40/1 and 40/1 respectively.
Ben Coen and Johnny Murtagh delivered the first of the surprises as the Mark Dobbin-owned Amazing Athena took the five-furlong fillies’ maiden in a tight finish. She got up in the final strides to pip the Ger Lyons-trained Tempest Star by half a length.
Trainer Joe Murphy and Gary Carroll took the median sires race over a trip just short of six furlongs with the 40/1 chance Shiota. Owned by Gerard Kervick, she scored a narrow win of her own in getting up close to the line to beat Joseph O'Brien’s Elzem by a head.
It was tight again as the Mark Cahill-trained Akeela won the apprentice handicap at the same price. Cian Horgan brought the four-year-old from off the pace to win by half a length from the Danny O’Sullivan-trained Cross Border.
The 9/4 favourite National Lady won the fillies’ sprint handicap to give something back to punters and Aidan O'Brien’s Swagman played his part too when winning the seven-furlong maiden. Ridden by Jack Cleary, the 15/8 favourite held on in a thrilling finish to deny Joseph O'Brien’s Viking Invasion by a head with Mano Chicago a nose away in third place and the eye-catching Truth Be Told a further half a length back in fourth.
Adding to his win in Saturday’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown with City Of Troy, Aidan O'Brien sent out two more winners at Limerick on Sunday and both were ridden by Wayne Lordan.
The pair won both divisions of the eight-furlong maiden for three-year-olds. The newcomer Bomberg came with a late run to take the opening leg by a length and a quarter from the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained odds-on favourite Vadali.
The 94-rated Flight Of Fancy took the second division of the same race to complete the double. She heads to Killarney next week for the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes after her one and three-parts of a length defeat of the Dermot Weld-trained Newtown Duke.
Colin Keane was in the saddle as the seven-year-old Curious Bride won the concluding two-mile one-furlong handicap for Cullen trainer Eamonn O’Connell. Owned by the Sheoda Racing Partnership, the well-supported 9/2 chance ran out the widest-margin winner of the day when beating Jim Bolger’s Believe In Science by three and a quarter lengths.
Upcoming Meetings
Dundalk – Friday, July 12 (First Race 1.57pm)
Kilbeggan – Friday, July 12 (First Race 5.00pm)
Wexford – Saturday, July 13 (First Race 1.30pm)
Navan – Saturday, July 13 (First Race 1.50pm)