Techno Davis (left) gets the better of The TwoFour at Kirkistown to give handler TomDreaper a first winner for owner Ronnie Bartlett Reports, pages 2-3
DEREK O’CONNOR
‘The Gain Mares’Final was alovely prize for rider Aine Connolly,who has competed in only 15 point-to-points and finished in the first three in nine of them’ The season’s leading rider shares his views on the latest action Page 4
SALITOS (3c) scored by 2½ lengths for Peter Schiergen and will target the Group 1German Derby
DERBYCAT (3f)made a winning debut on Sunday for Henri-AlexPantall Also from his first crop is the unbeaten TARANTINA
German Derby winner by German Derby winner ADLERFLUG and out of aGerman Oakswinner!
NORTH DOWN AT KIRKISTOWN SATURDAY
Techno finds winning beat for Bartlett
TOM DREAPER sent out a first winner for owner Ronnie Bartlett with the Johnny Barryridden debutant Techno Davis in the Dennison JCB five-yearold geldings’ maiden.
In a race that was run at a cracking pace, newcomer The Two Four was the faster away from the second-last of the 15 obstacles, with Techno Davis coming through to go second on the inner soon afterwards.
The son of No Risk At All then joined issue with The Two Four approaching the last It was the winner who was the faster away from the fence and he assumed command on the flat to beat The Two Four by one and a quarter lengths
Star performance
Lou Prince had too many gears for his six rivals as he gave Gerald Quinn his third consecutive winner of the four-year-old maiden on this card
with a 14-length break to the third, On The Razzle “He’s a gorgeous horse who has always been straightforward and he has loads of class,” Dreaper said of Techno Davis, a €160,000 graduate of the 2024 Goffs Arkle Sale and out of a sister to Grade 2 hurdlewinning mare Violin Davis from the same family as Arthur Mo or e’s Qu ee n Mo ther
Champi on Chas e wi nner Klairon Davis.
The Two Four’s handler, Gerald Quinn, and rider, Noel McParlan, were on the mark wi th Lo u Prin ce in the Dennison Commercials fouryear-old maiden, a race in which all seven participants were newcomers Lou Prince and Power On Demand disputed the running until the victorious son of Doctor Dino led two out. Runner-up Berkstar went second between the final two fences but the French-bred winner easily cast him aside from the last as he swept clear to oblige by three lengths in the Philip McBurney silks.
STREAMSTOWN AT DURROW SUNDAY
“He’s a proper horse with a serious turn of foot and I thought coming here that he wouldn’t be beaten,” Quinn said.
Oran McGill was the only rider to leave with a double and the Maghera native will have gained immense satisfaction from his success on Lady Eimile, trained by his father Gary, in the Old Manor Mill
five-year-old-and-upwards mares’ maiden as the rider also owns the winning daughter of Feels Like Dancing.
Lady Eimile, runner-up on her previous start here last month, took up the running two out and responded generously from the last to thwart the fast-finishing Gracehill by one and a quarter lengths
“She had a good run here the
last day. She was just a bit weak as a four-year-old last season,” the winning owner-rider said of Lady Eimile, who comes from the family of Champagne Fever. McGill completed his double on the Caroline McCaldintraine d Mackieshill in a thrilling finish to the Jim Morrow Tyres winners-of-one Mackieshill, a Farmacaffley maiden scorer last month,
Sadhbh’s A Singer hits right note for Murphy
HAVING been responsible for the first two home in last year’s Compas Stallions and ITBA four-year-old mares’ maiden, Gary Murphy landed back-toba ck ed itions th ank s to Sadhbh’s A Singer
The only horse in the six strong line-up with experience, the Shane O’Rourke-ridden Lisronagh runner-up made that count as she raced to a two-and-a-half length success ov er the ey e-c at ch ing newcomer Dateforyourdiary
“She had a good run the first day,” Murphy said. “I’d say she bumped into two good fillies that day, so we were expecting her to do this Her jumping is great, and she’s tough.”
Murphy and O’Rourke made a swift return to the winner’s enclosure with the newcomer Living In Luxury to complete a four-year-old double in the Patrick Mitchell & Co geldings’ maiden.
The Mahler gelding was always to the fore but he faced a stiff challenge when the wellbacked Slade Harbour loomed alon gs ide , tr av ellin g ominously well. Living In Luxury was not to be denied as he showed a likeable attitude to out-battle the even-money
Star performance
Living In Luxury showed great battling qualities as he fended off the well-backed favourite in game fashion
favourite by a length
“He will improve plenty for it because we missed a good bit of time with him,” Murphy said.
“He was the last of my horses to get sick at Christmas and the last to come back, so coming here I said to his owner he would probably take the run. I was thinking more towards his second run in three weeks.”
Murphy was not the only handler to depart the Offaly venue with a brace of victories to his name, as Paul Pierce matched that feat with two mares, beginning with the success of the Joey Dunneridden Colegram in the TEE Fire Safety Solutions and Charlestown Racing five-yearold-and-upwards maiden.
Th ir d at Cr ag mo re in January when returning from a lengthy absence, that effort st ood to her as , ha vin g controlle d a ve ry st ea dy tempo, the Buck’s Boum-sired six-year-old proved two and a half lengths too strong for the
returning Jet To Glory
“She needed the run that last day; she wasn’t fit,” Andy Pierce, brother of the winning handler, said. “We ran her because it was a six-year-old race and there wasn’t one coming up for a while She got a cut and then missed another load of time She will go for a
winners’ race next.”
Dunne was also in the saddle as Sworn Duty completed the Pierce double in the Hamill’s Motoring Services mares’ winners-of-one
Sent off as odds-on favourite on the back of a fine effort in defeat at Knockanard a month earlier, the six-year-old was
workmanlike as she overcame the challenge of Trixie Barry’s Lucky Valley by three and a half lengths
The mares’ hunter chase at Cork on Easter Monday could be the next assignment for the daughter of Getaway.
Dunne had earlier combined wi th Eamonn Do yl e,
kickstarting a treble for the 23-year-old rider, as Mossey Fen King claimed the Keyes Way Builders and Mark Colgan Construction five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
A €52,000 purchase from the 2024 Derby Sale, the Well Chosen gelding had failed to make much of an impression in thr ee pr evi ou s ou ti ng s. However, he gave a much better account of himself by defeating Common People by four lengths.
Fresh from saddling his third winner of the campaign with Techno Davis in Kirkistown 24 hours earlier, Tom Dreaper added the Kepak and Parkvets older geldings’ maiden to his haul with Rock On Richie
The progressive Mahler gelding had stepped forward to finish second at Oldtown a month ago and he showed fur ther im pr ov eme nt to dominate this eight-runner contest, with Jack Hendrick guiding him to a 28-length defeat of Orkneys Jack
“It’s a great we ek end,” Dreaper said. “He’s a lovely horse; he just got held up in the spring of his five-year-old year. On his las t tw o ru ns, he warranted that.”
Newcomer Living In Luxury (right) gets the better of Slade Harbour in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden
Lady Eimile (white cap) on the way to victory in the mares’ maiden
masteredDunairdinsidethe final 50 yardsand returned with alength to spare over Occupational Force.
“He’satough sort whowon well in Armagh.Myhorses were abit sickearlier in the season. Oran gave him agood ride,” McCaldin said of Mackieshill, who is ownedbyher father Wilson Dennison
Th er ew as ad ra ma tic conclusion to theINHSC& James MurdochContracts novice riders’openas20-yearold CormacByrne recorded a seventhcareersuccessonthe CormacAbernethy-trained City Chief Afour-time winner for Nicky Henderson who held aratingof 142 over fences in Britain, City Chiefstormed home from the final fence to lead in the dying strides and denyEndaBolger’s In ExcelsisDeo by ahead in the LargyBloodstocksilks
Own er/ tr ain er St uar t Crawfordintroducedapotentiallyusefulnewcomer in Ballypollard who showedhis rivals acleanpair of heels under Stephen Connor in the six-year-old-and- upwards geldings’ maiden. TheCalifetsiredsix-year-old travelledwell and eased pastlong-time leader Mo ne ys ha rv in approaching the last to score unextendedbyfourlengths
UNITED AT BALLYNOE SUNDAY
Star performance
JurysVerdict made his debutina deep-looking contestthat should produceplentyofwinners
FE THARD nat ive Ai ne
Connolly createdapiece of history by becomingthe first female rider to ride the winner of the Gain MaresSeries Final as she steeredJosh Halley’s ex-trackperformer Lucy Wang to aclearcut success In arace that carrieda€3,000 winner’s bonus, sponsored by Gain Equine Nutrition and the Ballynoepoint-to-pointcommittee, Lucy Wang made smooth progress five outtodispute the lead from the fourth-lastwith QueenOfThe Gales.
Thewinningdaughterof Mastercraftsman, who finished second on her Irish trackdebut in athree-year-old Leopardsto wn ma iden hu rd le in December2023, pickedupthe runningthree fences out. It was clear that the towering bayheld all the aces from twoout and, havingthrowna fabulous leap at the las t, the Tu rt ulla November maiden winner came home with alengthand three-quarters to spare over Dedudefromhouston.
Twenty-year-old Connolly –who is based with Halleyfive
Connolly makeshistory as Lucy Wang landsGainFinal
mornings aweekinadditionto spending aday with PatDoyle –was ridingatBallynoe for the firsttime
“LucyWangisaverytough mare andfinishedout herrace well,”she said.
Halleywas not present, but he later reported:“Lucy Wang hasalwaysbeenaveryhonest mare andwemight nowgofor the mares’ hunters’chase at CorkonEasterMonday. I’m delightedfor Aine as she puts in alot of work at home.”
Ded udefr omho us ton’s handler,Colin Bowe,and rider BarryO’Neill were on themark with JurysVerdict in the Goffs AintreeSale four-year-old maiden, in whichall nine contestants were newcomers.
JurysVerdict,a racy-looking grey by Jukebox Jury,edged closeronthe innerfromthe turn into the home straight and he surged to the frontatthe last.Although runninggreen in theclosingstages, he readily asserted to beat Soldier Boyby
ISLAND AT BALLYCRYSTAL SUNDAY
HAVING proven an adept performeroverthe banks courses at Knockanard and Lingstown in recentweeks, What Path warmed up for a possible tilt at the Punchestown festival by transferring his cross-countryformtomore conventionalobstaclesinthe
RobJames,Jim O’Neill and Gearoid Doyleopenfor nongradedwinners
Placedinalisted contest over hurdleswhenunder the care of Willie Mullins, the CoastalPathgelding struck the frontearly on the finalcircuit anditwas aposition he held over the final mile
MichaelMangan’snineyear-old wasaidedbysome swift jumpingasheheldoff the late challenge of Catalani.
“Heloves jumpingand he lovesracing,”winningowner John Griffin said. “G er ry Mangan [thetrainer’sson] has him in greatformand sure Ross Sugrue is flyingtoo.We’ll have achat with Gerrynow and we’ll see what we’lldonext. We’ll keep all options open.”
Wexford-based Kerryman Sugrue hadearlier combined with Sean Doyle to securethe Goffs AintreeSale five-year-old geldings’ maiden on Baz And Stokes TheBlue Bresil geldinghad come with asubstantial price tagfromthe store sales,having cost€74,000 at the 2024 Goffs
three and ahalf lengths in the Milestone Bloodstock silks
“I trained this fellow’sdam, Goodbloodbadblood,towin a pointand that’s whywebought him,” Bowe said of Jurys Verdict, a€50,000 Goffs ArkleSale grad who traces to th familyofRhine stoneCowboy and Wichita Lineman.
“J ur ys Ve rd ic tw ill probably now go to theAintree Sale.I’vebee very lucky with sire, JukeboxJury.”
RobertTynerand Derek O’Connor teameduptocollect the TattersallsIrelandDerby Sale five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Cascando,who hadfinishedsecond on his Dromahane Decemberdebut, only to pull up on hisreturnto that tracklater that month Cascando made his wayto
the frontonthe descenttothe fifth fence and the sonofPoet’s Word –a€16,000 Tattersalls Ireland MaySale graduate–strode clearfromthe last to beat Minella Tornado by two and ahalf lengths in the urs of Kieran kes.Abumper ould be next for the late May foal if he is not sold.
Ciar an Fennessy, also o nt he ma rk withUncle CC at ockanohill the ous week, kept hissupporters happyby saddling PollyPiper for his cousin, MichaelFennessy,to oblige under Alan O’Sullivan in the CoolmoreNH, Liam GearyGarageand Mr Softee Ices mares’ maiden.
PollyPiper,aCrystal Oceansi re dd au gh te ro fG ra de 1-placedhurdlingmarePolly Peachum,was engagedina
ding-dongtussle with OneDay In Mayfromtwo outand she shadedthe verdict by ahead James Sheehan, who rode the winner of the Gain Final three times and landeditthree times as ahandler, sent out Ballynattin Blue (left)toland the Winner’s EnclosureBar, CoolagownStudand Dermot O’LearyAgriadjacenthunts maiden,riddenbythe trainer’s nephew JamesMurphy.
Thefive-year-oldBlueBresilsired gelding, who wasrepresentingJoe O’Keeffe and bred by his brother Bill, made most of the runningand survived a final-fence errortobeatGrand Sourcier by alength andahalf. RayHurleywas on the mark with the Darragh Allen-ridden Farnahoe Rebel in the RathbarryStud, Mervue and INHSC oldergeldings’maiden. The seven-year-old, homebred by Innishannon-based Bernard O’Mahony, took command two outtobeatChampagne Order by fiveand ahalf lengths
What Path takesanew routeto success
Star performance
Ferocimo showed signs of greenness once striking the fronttosuggest that there is more to come from him
Arkle Sale and, after disappointing and beingpulledup on his debutatDungarvan, he justifiedhis team’s faith by defeatingstablemateRiseandcall by alength and ahalf
“It’saone-twoatour local meeting and we trytosupport it as well as we can,”Doyle said. “This lad wasafine, bigstore. He costplentyofmoneyand he’ll make afine,big, staying chaser in time.”
La dy Ju ke bo x ha dt he shortestjourneytothe trackof anyofthe six winners as the GoresbridgeBloodstock Sales mares’ maiden winner is trainedonthe gallops that run alongside the course
The€25,000 daughter of Jukebox Jury became asixth su cce ss for Ma tt yF lynn O’Connor at his home venue when Brian Lawlessguidedher to an easy two-and-a-halflength victoryoverthe vastly moreexperiencedAnPuca Liath.
“Wefanciedher cominghere
and it’s greatthat she’s gone ou ta nd done it ,” Fl ynn
O’Connor said. “We’ve hada lot of luckwith Jukebox Jury;he wasa greatstallion.”
Therewas morelocal success
wh en De nis Mu rph y’ s Ferocimo made afinedebutin the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale four-year-old maiden
A€48,000 purchase from the sponsor’sflagship eventnine
months earlier,the Order Of St George geldingshowedsigns of inexperience by driftingto his ri gh to nt he ru n-in.
Howe ve r, Shane Co tter ’s mounthad enough in reserve
to account for Legendar y Status by alength and ahalf SamCurling matchedhis best total when the Nicole Lockhead Anderson-ridden Depalma became the 34th winner of the campaign for the Tipperar yhandler in the Milestone andBaltimore Stables,CAMurphyand MGoff winners-of-one
Th es eas on’sl ea di ng handler fieldedthree of the nine sta rt ers ,w ith his SkehanaghStables representatives coming to the fore, as theywerethree of the first four finishers
Only JohnnyKcould prevent thei rc lea ns wee po ft he placings,ashereturnedtwo and ahalflengths adrift of Depalma.
Th ef ou r- ti mes pl ac ed Maison De Balzac hadfailedto finishonhis two previous outings thisseason buthe provided hope that Colin Bowe’s fortunes arestartingto tu rn wi th vic tor yi nt he Monbeg Stablesand Cooney Furlong older maiden. RobJamesguided the grey to asnugfive-length defeatof Josies Dylan andthe sonof Doyenwill likely head into winners’companynext.
DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint
Curlingstill clearofthe pack and hasalready reachedlastyear’stotal
SAM CURLING sent outhis 34th winner of the season when Depalmascored at Ballycrystal on Sunday, equallinglastseason’s career-besttotal. This is morethan twicethe number of his nearest rival, PatDoyle,who has16.
In general, we have seen agood spread of winners amongthe leading handlers this season. Thecampaign’s overall trend continuedlast weekend, with 20 individual handlers scoringin24races across the four fixtures.
Gary Murphywas one of four trainers to saddle twowinners, takingboth four-year-old maidens at Durrow.Affinisea filly Sadhbh’s A Singer,asistertoaNicky Hendersontrainedmaiden hurdle winner, showed the benefit of her debut second at Lisronaghinwinning the mares’ event. Living In Luxury battledwelltobeatthe well-fancied Slade Harbourinthe geldings’race
Shane O’Rourkerodeboth winners for Gary,who hadaquiet spell beforeChristmas buthas repeated last season’spattern by gettinghis teamintop shapefor the second month of this year’s four-year-old campaign.His eightrunners in the agegroup have producedfivewins and asecond since the beginningof March, anotable featconsideringthe competitivenessofthe four-year-old maidens at this time of year
Paul Pierce continueda good run of formwiththe maresinhis yard with adouble at Durrow.The stable hashad nine runners in mares’ races since Dromahane at the end of December. Five have won, three have beenplaced, and the only unplaced horsewon her nextstart.
That is aterrific recordfor the team,which alsohad reason to celebratelastmonth when twoofits graduates –the DanSkelton-trained DalstonLad and Olly Murphy’s Ubatuba –dominated the Grade 2 AlbertBartlettPrestige Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock.
Dalston Lad, who wascompleting ahat-trick, wona maiden at Dromahane twoseasons ago.
Ubatuba wonatDaramonaHouse just over ayear agoand haswon two of his four races over hurdles
Colin Bowe’s longreign as champion handler looks settocome to an end. However, he is likely to have plenty of ammunition for the
lasttwo months of the season. He hadwinners with JurysVerdict in the four-year-old maiden at Ballynoe and Maison De Balzac in an older horses’maiden at Ballycrystal, bringinghis total to 15.
That leaves himinthirdplace on the leaderboard, one behind Pat Doyle, who hadnorunners last weekend. TheHolycross trainer has beenenjoying an exceptional spell, with sevenwins and asecond from eight runners in points since
‘Gary
Murphy has repeated last season’s patternby gettinghis team in topshape forthe second monthofthis year’s four-year-old campaign’
the thirdSundayinFebruary.
TomDreaper alsohas his team in fine form. He hit the targetwithhis only tworunners of the weekend, Techno Davis at Kirkistownand Rock On Richie at Durrow.
impressed when making awinning debutatBallycrystal. Sheisout of a half-sister to Minella Crooner, winner of abig handicap chaseatthe Punchestown festival twoyears ago for Gordon Elliott.
successofthe season on the Josh Halley-trainedLucyWangin Sunday’sGain Mares’ Finalat Ballynoe
Techno Davis,a five-year-old newcomer ownedbyRonnie Bartlett, is from the family of Arthur Moore’s brillianttwo-mile chaser Klairon Davis.Hewas the only southern-trainedwinner at Kirkistown,where GerQuinn and Stuart Crawford, the two leadingnorthernbased trainersthis season, movedinto double figures.
Denis Murphyhad his ninth winner of the season, thanksto newcomer Ferocimo in the four-year-old maiden at Ballycrystal.The OrderOfStGeorge geldingisout of an unracedhalfsister to Champion Bumper winner and Grade 1-winningnovicechaser FernyHollow.
MattyFlynn O’Connor’sfive-yearoldJukebox Jury mare Lady Jukebox
Sean Doylesaddled aone-twoin the five-year-old geldings’maiden at Ballycrystal. BazAnd Stokes,ason of Blue Bresil, showed he hadmade goodprogressfromaninitial runat DungarvaninbeatingRiseandcall, who washavinghis thirdouting.
On the ridingfront, Joey Dunne took the headlines,recordingthe first treble of his career at the Durrow fixture. He partnered bothPaul Pierce-trainedwinners and onefor Eamonn Doyle.
Nicole Lockhead Anderson broughther scorefor the season to sevenbyridingDepalmatotakethe winners-of-one for Curling at Ballycrystal. Sheis nowthree behind Emily Costello in the race for the lady riders’ title It is safe to saythe pairhaveit between them, since Aine Connolly is theonly other womanwho has ridden morethanone winner this season. Aine enjoyedasecond
Shegot afinejumpfromthe Mastercraftsman mare at the final fence to seal the victoryover Dedudefromhouston, BarryO’Neill’s mount. Therace hasalot of history and it wasalovelyprize for the young Fethardrider,who has competedinonly 15 point-to-point races and finishedinthe first three in nine of them
Tenindividual female ridershave ridden one winner this season, making13successful ridersinthe category.That is alreadytwo more than lastseason and it would be greattosee theseyoung riders gain moreexperience in the last two months of the season.
Amongthe under-21 riders, there is athree-winner gapbetweenthe leader,defendingchampion David Doyleon12, and nearestrival Shane Cotter, who movedtonine with his winonFerocimo.Shane wonthe title twoyearsago and it will be interestingtosee howthis duel plays out.
TheJosh Halley-trainedLucyWanggives Aine Connolly amemorable success in theGainMares’Final
FIRSTCOOLMORE CROP OF 172 4YOS ALREADYINCLUDE:
IRISH GOODBYE
First-time-out Junior Bumperwinner andthird in Saturday’s Goffs Hundred Grand Bumper at Newbury
SCOTT’S LEGACY
Won Open Maiden Bumper at Southwellyesterday
GOLDEN FALLS
Juvenile Hurdlewinner at Huntingdon
IRON EMPRESS
Won 4YO Mares Maidenfirsttime out at Ballyragget
OTHER HIGHLIGHTSTHIS SEASON INCLUDE:
MATATA
Won G3 Chase at Cheltenham on NewYear’s Day
KING OF KINGSFIELD
Won G3 Novice Chase at Punchestown
CHAMPAGNE KID
Won Listed Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting
BARON NOIR
2wins over hurdles,fourth inthe G1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
UNCLE PAD
Won 5YO Maiden at Ballyvodock before sellingfor£310,000
