Point to Point15/4/26

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

WONDERWALL WEEKLY

THE FIRE RETURNS

The 2025 Cheltenham Hunters’ Chase winner bounces back from defeat at this year’s festival with victory at Dromahane Reports, pages 4-5

‘The Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale promises to maintain the momentum of last week’s GoffsSale which set new milestones’

The sport’s most successful rider on the latest events on the circuit and in the ring Page 2

FIRST CROP 3YOS SELLING SOON

DEREK O’CO OCUS LIE MURPHY O F WILL

‘To see him win the two biggest chases at Cheltenham and Aintree something very special’

The trainer who masterminded the early of dual festival winner Barton Snow the ups and downs of the sport Page er career s about

There’s just something a bit magical about this [MONTJEU] line when it comes to the jumps. Good Morning Bloodstock

Irish Derby hero by AUTHORIZED, sire of the winners of four Aintree Grand Nationals!

DerekO’Connor Straight to thePoint

Mifa D’Airy look sready to make hermarkatCheltenhamsale

HOT on the heels of last week’ssuccessful

Goffs AintreeSale comes the Tattersalls Cheltenham AprilSale tomorrow, which provides another important showcasefor Irish pointto-pointers.

Lastweek’sheadline act wasSean Doyle’sMonksgrange winner Wordfromhome,afour-year-old Poet’s Word geldingpurchased by the Highflyer/PaulNicholls combination for £320,000.

Sean producedanother smart newcomer at Dromahane on Sunday.

Jamie Scallan sent Mifa D’Airy into theleadbeforethe third-lastfence and hadthe race in the bagbetween the last two. ThedaughterofMasked Marvel should deliver another strong result for the Monbeg teaminthe ring at Cheltenham tomorrow.

TheTattersalls catalogue includes three other winners from the weekend fixtures. PatTurleysends Less Said,who providedhim and Declan Lavery with the second legof afour-year-old double at the County Louth meetingatTattersalls

Less Said is by KewGardens and is ahalf-brother to Hidden Glor y, a mare whowas abumperand hurdles winner for Gordon Elliott. Thename rang abell when Isaw the catalogue, and it came backtomewhen I checked. Jamie Codd rode her to beat me on SamCurling ’s talented mare AngelsDawn(later winner of the KimMuir) in abumperat Punchestown

TwoRathcannon winners will be offered at the Cheltenham sale: the Mark Scallan-trainedDouble Annie, ridden to a20-length winbyJosh Berr yinthe four-year-old mares’ event, and Shane Roche’s Westerner geldingBallyteiguewho completeda double for Josh by battlingwellto takethe five-year-old maiden.

It’s another strong catalogue that promises to maintain the momentumoflastweek’sGoffs Sale, which setnew milestones with a turnoverof£3.87m,as26ofthe 30 lots changedhands at an averageof £148,962. Themedian figure wasa very healthy£127,500. Colin Bowe hasalwaysbeena greatsupporter of the Goffs Aintree Sale and wasresponsible for its first Grade 1winner, Samcro, whomade £335,000 after his Monksgrange win ten years ago. This time,hesold

Monskgrange mares’ maiden winner

RoyalResponsetoJerry McGrath

Bloodstock andNicky Henderson for £290,000 and Ballynoe winner Jurys Verdict to Gerr yHogan Bl oodstock for £260,000.

‘These sales results prove that Colin Bowe’s te am ha sn’t lack ed qu alit yand more is likely to come in thef in al we ek softhe se ason ’

Maxios geldingwho hadagood reputation beforehis debutat Castlelands last month. It looked as if he wasgoingtojustifyfavouritism until fallingatthe last. He’s outofa LeadingLight mare, My Josephine,a daughter of WickedCrack,atalented mare whowas activeinthe years when Istarted ridingonthe track. TrainedbyEddie Hales,she improved from runninginlow-grade handicap hurdlestowin sixraces and held her owningradedraces over hurdles and fences againstbigname horseslikeLimestone Lad and NativeUpmanship.She wasbetter known later on as the dam of the top-classCue Card

EDDIEwas abrilliant man with youngjumpersin thosedays. He was involved in the early lives ofmanytop horses,such as Gold Cupwinner DonCossack and Enda Bolger ’s cross-countr ystar Spot Thedifference.Hemade ahuge contribution to Irish jump racing beforechangingcareers to the hospitality business some yearsago MaxPotential’s promiseisa reminder of his influence

Colin is settolosehis grip on the handlers’championship this season, as he trails SamCurlingby39to19. However, thesesales results prove that histeam hasn’t lackedquality and moreislikely to come in the final weeks of the season. He saddled Down Jones Road to winthe four-year-old maiden race at the Louth meetingby eightlengths Down Jones Road is by Cr ystal Ocean outofthe King ’s TheatremareStephanie Frances.Anyone following Dan Skelton’sbrilliant trainingcareerfromthe startmay rememberher.Dan boughther from theMcEllhone familyinSligo for €50,000 in 2013, shortly after she

sprang a33-1 shock by beating WicklowBrave in abumperat Punchestown.She wonseven of her 19 races in Britain at atimewhen Danwas starting to make aname for himself

ApartfromproducingNoTime To Wait –abumperand hurdles winner for Gordon Elliottand nowwithJohn McConnell–her recordatstudhas not beengreat. Down Jones Road is a fine prospectwho canimproveher dam’s profile

Many topBritish buyers made their presencefelt at theGoffs Sale,at which eightIrish point-to-point horses fetched£200,000 or more. An interestingfeature of thesale wasthat it wasnot dominated by winners Oneofthe session’shighest prices wasthe £280,000 paid by Tom Malone Bloodstock for Max Potential, aBrian Lawless-trained

GerQuinn’sKirkistown winner LouPrince,was a£240,000 Aintree purchase by Olly Murphy, and Final Verdict, runner-up at Monksgrange, made the same price and is goingto Harr yDerham. She’sasister to Scorpion Rising, whohas wonfourof her six hurdle races this season. Denis Murphy’sBallyknock runner-up Stromy Wind fetched £235,000, and Mark Scallan’sRoad To Destiny,runner-up to the sales topper Wordfromhome at Monksgrange,will join the winner at the Nicholls yard aftera£200,000 sale

TheTattersalls sale includes severalhorseswho showed promise by finishingsecond at fixtureslast weekend, includingthe Ross Crawford-trainedThe Supersonic Kid, who chased home Down Jones Road at the Louth meeting. He will be joined by Paul Pierce’s Poet’s Word mare Givemeyourword, Benny Walsh’s IdahoRoad, and John O’Donovan’sRathcannon runner-up Contain Yourself

Another strong sale,following last week’s, would be abig boostfor producers aimingtoreinvest at the storesales in thesummer.

IN FOCUS

Wi ll ie Mu rphy

(below)ref lect son aweekofcontrasts that illustrated a trai ner’sl ife

LASTweekprobably sums up this game better than any other Ican remember. On Easter Sunday, we hadapointto-pointwinner with JohnnyK , on Easter MondayClonmeen wonatFair yhouse, and then Barton Snow wonthe Randox Foxhunters’ at Aintreeon Thursday, havingalreadywon at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

It wasamagical run, and to be honest, Iwas probably at the very highestpointyou could be at in racing.

Then, within acouple of days,you arebackdownto earth,worryingabout whether you will be able to runhalf yourhorses at all with the oilseed rape causing issues around the yard.

That’s racingfor you.

Barton Snow hasgiven us unbelievable satisfaction. To see him winthe twobiggest hunter chases at Cheltenham and Aintreeissomething special, not somethingyou ever takefor granted.

We always thoughthewas a good horse. Did Ithink he would do what he hasdone? Probably not, butthe ability wasalwaysthere, andhe alwayshad that bitofclass abouthim

He wonhis pointfor us at Dromahane and always

NEWS AND VIEWS

Ba rton Snow wa sah ig h but we were broughtback down to ea rt hquick ly

showed plenty at home.He didn’t suddenlyturn into a good horse; he alwayswas one.Since he left us,hehas wonnine of his ten starts, which tells its ownstory.

Declan Phelan, the point-topointcommentator,sourced him for JoeO’Sheaand the presentownership,the MMI Partnership,headedupby SteveAllen. Fair playtothem, theyhavebeen brilliant supporters

They have hadseveral winners from horses they boughtfromusand it is great to see them gettingrewards likethis

My wife Moiraand Iwere lucky enough to be at Cheltenham and Aintree. We still have asmall interest in Barton Snow and the owners areabit superstitious, so they likemetoleadhim up,which I wasdelighted to do

To still be involved,even in a small way, when ahorseyou hadathome is winningraces likethat is ahugethrill. People often ask if you have regrets when ahorseleavesand goes on to achievethat level, butI

genuinelyget joyfromit.

Iwould love to see himgoto Punchestown.Ithas been mentioned, and the ground would suit him.But he has hadtwo tough races, even if he makesit look easy, so I think they will just see howheisin another weekorso. It would be greattosee him there.

As for Joe talkingabout retiring, Iwould saythereismore chance of me beingelected Taoiseachthanthereisofhim givingitup.

We have alsobeenver y lucky with BoleyBob,another by Snow Skyand nowwiththe same connections.Hewon twice for me and haswon all four of his starts in points in Britain so far.Heisa different type, more of astayer, whereas Barton Snow wasalways sharper and abit quicker through his races

Hisfirstcouple of runs were disappointing, butonce we made afew small changes, he improved quickly.Itold the lads theyshouldhavehim, they did a deal, and he hasn’t looked back since.Itis very satisfyingto see ahorse likethat go on and keep progressing. To recommend horses likethat and then see them do what theyhavedone gives you massive satisfaction. It’s greatfor the yard andfor the stallion.

Snow Skyhas beenver y goodtous. He would nothave coveredbig numbers or had the best mares, butfromwhat he hashad,Iwould puthis results up againstany of them Thebig thingwith his stock is their temperament. They just wanttoeat and sleep and arever ystraightfor ward to

train, whichisabig help when youare dealingwithyoung horsesand tr yingtoget them startedthe rightway

We also stand Flag Of Honour hereatBallycurragh, and the studisrun between me,mybrother Jimand Moira. We’vehad stallions herefor morethan50years, goingback to my parents,sowewereborn into it,and it is all we have ever known

Earlier in the season, we trainedour firstfour-year-old winner in nearly 12 years.We liketogiveour horsestime,so we do not runmanyfour-yearolds,but when we do,they tend to be good.Patience is somethingwehavealways believed in.

Clonmeen winningat Fair yhouse on Easter Monday wasanother highlight. He is an older horse who hastaken his time,but patience pays off.Not ever ythingisabout four-yearolds.Some of them just need that bit longertocome right.

We have about 25 horses and they’ve beenrunningwell. We have hadfive winnersand plenty of placed horses and it’s

probably the nicestbunch we have hadinawhile.That is what makesthe current situation so frustrating. Oilseed rape is causing seriousproblems and thereis very littleyou cando. We have fields of it rightbesidethe yard and gallop.Iran amarelast Sundaywho scoped cleanthe daybeforeand she ran abysmally, and after wardsshe wasfull of mucus. Thereare plenty of yards affectedand it leavesyou in a difficult position. Iamtryingto find somewheretomovenine or ten horses to because unless we canget them away from it we aregoingtostruggle to run them.I’d hoped we’d have a strong finish to the season but it is lookingunlikely now. That is the game.Lastweek showed both sides of it –the highs of Aintree, andthen problems completelyout of yourcontrol. Butwhen youget weeks like that, it reminds you whyyou do it,and seeing horses likeBarton Snow go on and achievewhat he hasdone gives yougreat belief in what you aretryingtodo.

THE Gr and Na tion al ev aded po in t- to- po in te rs as t he 16 horsesinthe field of 34 with a po in tg ro undi ng we re un ab le to thwart IAmMaximus

It wa st he Cheltenh am Fe st ival wi nner Jo hn ny wh o, a four-year-old maiden winner at Ra th ca nno nf or El lm ar ie Holden, who fared best of them with acommendable effor tin fourth under Richie McLernon.

Th er ew er eb et te rr es ul ts acrossthe three days of racing at Ai nt re e, he adlined by the Grade 1triumph of JangoBaie

Th eC hel ten ha mG old Cu p ru nn er-up se cu re dh is th ir d top-level successwhen he beat Protektorat by 16 lengths

Th eT ig er Gr oom ge ld in g ha ds tar te dh is ca re er by finishingsecond in afour-yearold ma iden at Kn oc ka na rd when in the care of Mick Goff

Th at Gr ade 1s ucc es sh as coinc ide dw ith aw el com e ch an ge in f or tu nes for his former yard between the flags

Go ff ’s Mo at eS ta bles ha d endur ed aw in le ss pe ri od bet wee nD ancin gS oldier ’s su cces sa tB allindeni sk in No ve mb er and the vi ct or yo f

ho does pointi ng proudi nNat iona l

FrenchAdventure at Loughanmorethis month

Th es ta bl e’sr un ne rs ha ve continuedinbetter form since wi th thr ee ma ide nr unner s finishin gs ec ond last Su nd ay , includingAll In Focus, who was deni ed by ah ea di nt he Dr om ah ane fo ur -y ear -old geldings’maiden.

Ba ck at Ai nt re e, the re we re als ov alua ble ha ndic ap su cce ss es for Ry an’sR oc ke t (e x- Ma tt yF lynn O’ Co nno r), Wi ll Th eWis e( An dy Slatt er y) andWade Out( TomKeating).

Ho we ve r, th ec ov et ed Foxhunters’prize remained on British soil once again.

Ba rt on Sn ow ,w ho ha d st ar te dh is ca re er in Ca rl ow with WillieMurphy, winninga Dr om ah ane ma id en thr ee ye ar sa go ,f ollo wed up hi s Cheltenh am su cces sw ith an even moreimpressive victor y. Th eM ag sM ullins -tr aine d Le ts Go Ch am pf ar ed be st of the tw oI ri sh ru nner sa sh e su ppl ie dh is joc ke yS op hi e Carter with adream first effort ov er the Na tion al fences ,t o tak es ec on d, wi th the 2024 Foxhunters’ winner,Its On The Johnnyw

Line,onlymanagingninth Pa ddy Tu rl ey ’s fine se as on con tin ue da tTat tersal ls last Su nday, when the tw oh or se s he to

costjust€6,000 at storesales in the Ta tte rs al ls sales com plex bes id et he po in t- to -p oi nt course.

Amid the current pricey store pu rc ha se sw hi ch po pu la te so ma ny of th ef ou r- ye ar -old maiden races,that is aparticularly good ex am ple of shrew d purchasing

Tullaherin returns with aleft-handedcircuit Tu llaher in pr ov ed ap op ular addition to the po int- to -p oi nt ca len dar last ye ar,w ith the Ki lk enn yF ox ho un ds ’i nitial fix tu re at the tr ac k, which is close to Bennettsbridge,having attracted 181 entries lastyear Ra cin gr et ur ns th er et his Sunday, when it is one of three fix tu re ss ch ed ule d. Th et ra ck will have arevised layout,with the co urs erev er tin gt oa lefthandedconfiguration. Th is wi ll als os ee th ef inish lin er el oc at ed to the st ra ig ht parallel to themainroad, with an uphill finish over twofences Th em ov ew as ma de aft er feedback from trainersand the new layout is settoimprove the viewing experience

LOUTH AT TAT TE RSALLS SU NDAY

Dora D’Or answersopen question forSha na ha n

FRE SH from secur ingher first hunter chasesuccessatDown Ro ya lj us tu nder three wee ks ea rl ie r, Do ra D’ Or ad de da n initial open victor ytoher blossomingCVwhen she proved to be aclassabove her 12 rivals

JameinaScarisbrick’s sevenyear-oldbidedher timeunder LeeShanahanbut,once asked to putthe race to bed early in the home str aigh t, the Ro ss O’Sullivan-trainedseven-yearold fo und ge nerou sly to den y YewtreeHillathirdsuccessof the season by sixlengths “Weexpectedher to runwell comingh ere,”Sha na ha nsai d. “Itw as ah ot eno ugh con tes t with my initial plan beingtotry to ri de her to pl ac e, and anythingmorethanthat would be ab on us.Tob ef air to her, she just keeps answering ever y questio nw ea sk of her and im pr ov in gw it he ve ry ru n, provingshe’s atop-classmare.”

Paddy Turleysenttwo horses to the ve nu ef ro mh is Do wnpatrickbase, andboth returned victorious All Nois e wasfirst to st ri ke,a st he Ma xi os ma re, in the coloursofher rider,Declan Laver y, made asuccessful start to hercareerinthe four-yearold mares’ maiden

A€ 6,000 pu rc ha se from the

Star performance Down JonesRoad never had to be askedaserious ques tion to makeaneyecatching st ar ttohis career

July Sale adjacenttothe course, All Noisehad rivals in frontof her tu rnin gi nt ot he home st ra ig ht bu ts he fi ni sh ed powe rf ully to den yh er fe ll ow new comer Gi ve me you rw or d by three-quartersofa length

“Everythingwentwrong, but alot of abilitygot her through it ,” La ve ry sa id. “S he didn’t ju mp gr ea ta nd di dn’t ge ta good ru nt he whol ew ay ,b ut she proved howtalentedshe is to get up at the line,a nd she wonsnugenough in the end.”

TheTurley/Lavery combination re tu rne dt ot he wi nner ’s enc los ur ew hen Le ss Sa id suppliedBatsfordStudstallion Ke wGardens wi th hi ss ec ond point-to-point winner in three we ek sa sh em ade aw in ni ng de bu ti nt he fo ur -y ear -old geldings’maiden.

Th eb ay wa sf ar fr om fo otpe rf ec ti nh is ju mp in gb ut he ov er ca me se ve ra li ndiffe re nt leaps to reel in CormacDoyle’s Bend TheRules after the last to prevail by twolengths

Down JonesRoad registered the ca rd ’s lar ge st wi nnin g ma rg in when he ma de an impressive starttohis career in the second division.

The€45,000 Goffs Arkle Sale pu rc ha se is ou to ft he thr eetime Liste dw inning racemare

St eph anie Fr anc es ,a nd he ap pe ars to ha ve inher ite d pl en ty of he ra bi lit yo nt his evid en ce as he ca rr ie dB ar ry O’ Neill to an eight-length win over TheSupersonic Kid.

“Wereally, really fanciedhim cominghere; he’s done ever ythi ng so easily at ho me the whole timeand jumped really well,”O’Neillsaid. “I’d sayhe’s amach in ea nd he’ll go to the sales now.”

Havinggot as far as the third fence at Cu rr ag hmor es ev en da ys earlier, An nie Mu lli ga n ga in ed sw if tc ompe nsat io na s she wa sr ew ar de df or th re e consecutive placedfinishes by ma kin gt he br ea kt hr ou gh in the five-year-old-and-upwards mares’ maiden.

Tr aine db yS ue O’Go rm an, sec re ta ry to the We xf or d Fo xh ou nds po in t- to -p oin t, Ja mes Mu rray to ok advantage of front-runningtactics aboard the daughterofCrystalOcean, as the yh el do ff Th eC ur re nt

DU HA LLOW AT DROM AH AN E SU NDAY

Wife by alength and ahalf St ephen Con no rr od eh is fourth winner in six days when he supplementeda career-first hat-tr ic ka tL ou gh anmor eo n EasterMondaybylanding the five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard EasyBreezy

Th ir do nh is de bu ta t Fa rm ac aff le y, the Je tA wa y geldingensured Paul McAleese did not have awastedtripfrom his Ba llymo ne yb as ea sh e ma de exp er ience co un tb y defeatingthe newcomer Idaho Road by alength

Sara Pe yroles registered her first success in the saddle when Da cman ra no ut as urpr is e wi nner of the older ge ldin gs’ maiden for novice riders

Theseven-year-old hadbeen beaten by atotal of 67 lengths in twooutings this season, but the Pe ter Mc Cr ee ry -tr aine d Champs Elyseesgelding took a si gni fic an ts te pf or wa rd from that to force Pacheco to fill the ru nner -up po sition for a second consecutiveouting.

“That’s my firstwinner, so I’m deli ghte d,”Pey ro les sa id .“ He ra ni nM onk sgr an ge and the grou nd wa st oo deadfor him. He travelle dw ell and ju mp ed pe rf ec tly. He mi gh tg ot ot he Bishopscourt in Punchestown.”

Wonder wa ll stands ta ll agai n

THE Sa mC ur lin g- tr ai ne d Wo nd er wall bo un ce db ac k fr om hi ss ev en th in the Pr incessRoyal Op en Hunters’

Ch as ea tt he Che lt en ha m Fe st iv al by ha rd ly br eaki ng sweatinthe open to bringupa DerekO’Connor double.

Th es cin ti lla tin gw in ner of la st se as on’sh un ter ch as ea t the fes tiv al, Wo nder wa ll wa s held up at the rear of the eightrunner field until easingcloser three ou ta nd he soo nm oved to the frontafter that fence

Th et en-y ear -o ld wa si n comm and fr om tw oo ut and, wi th an inch of re in be in g re leas ed fr om th el as t, he coastedclear to beat Gin Coco, aGreatwoodHurdlerunner-up for Harr yFry,byfourlengths “T hin gs ju st di dn ’t ha pp en for him at Che ltenh am th is time as he got ab ad sta rt ,” Curlingsaid. “He’sareal class horseand it’s greattohavehim back. Iwantedtoget arun into him be for eP unchest ow n. Now, we co uld giv ePunchestown amiss and givehim arun

Star performance

Mifa D’Airy will be making headlinesafter this dominant debu tinw hich shetook thef ield apar t

in another open beforegoingto St ratfordf or the hu nt er chas e thereatthe endofthe season.”

O’Connor wasearlier on the ma rk on the Ro be rt Ty ne rtrained OneDay In May in the ma iden for five- and six-yearold ma re s. On eD ay In Ma y br ou gh tt he be st for mt ot he ta bl ea ss he ha df in is hed sec ond on all thr ee pr ev i ou s st ar ts,i nc ludi ng at this ve nu e on her twoforayslastterm.

Thesix-year-old ledfromthe thirdfence and wa st rave ll ing best in fronttwo out. Although she edged right-handed on the flat, shewasn’t troubledtobeat Me dinaBlu ebyt hree le ng ths in thecoloursofthe Time Will Tell SyndicatefromNohoval.

“She really deser vedthat and se tt le db et ter in fron t,”Tyner sa id of the Id aho ma re. “S he

will go for the mares’ point-topointbumperatWexford.”

Sean Doyle is experiencinga su pe rb ru na nd th eWexf or d handler struck with newcomer Mifa D’Airy in themaidenfor four-year-old mares.

TheMaskedMar velmare, a €70,000 graduate of lastyear ’s De rb yS al ew ho tr aces to AuteuilListed-winningchaser Palibel D’Airy,travelled well for JamieScallan and easily swept to thefront three out.

Th eF re nc h-b re dp ow er ed cleartodispose of AmberAlert by 16 lengths in the styleofone we will be hearing alot moreof.

“Tod ay is th ef ir st da yI ’v e been ner vousgoing racingina longtime,” Doyle said. “I have a lot of nice you ng ho rs es ,b ut she 's differ en tg ra vy.”T he Mo nb eg Pa rt nership-o wn ed mare wasaddedtotomorrow’s Tattersalls Sale at Cheltenham

Am be rA le rt ’s ri de r, Ro b Ja mes ,d idn ’t lea ve em pt yha nde da sh ec om bine dw ith Gearoid O’ Loughlin to colle ct the fiv e-y ear -o ld ge ld in gs ’

Star performance

Aladin Du Rheu clocked thequickes tt imeont he card in makingan impressivew inning debu t

maiden on C’estL eCapri,who ha ds uffer ed in ter fer e nc eo n his Monksgrange debut.

St ri kin gt he fr on tf ou ro ut , C’est Le Ca pr io ve rc ame a final-fenceblunder by staying on te na cio us ly to ho ld Th e Weighbridgebyfourlengths

Theday's closest finish came in themaiden for four-year-old ge ld in gs ,i nw hich al le ig ht ru nners we re ne wc omers

Chanson Du Jury gave Jonathan Fogartyhis third winner in this category in threeweeks,leading three outfor Finian Maguire to denyAll In Focus.

Th eJ uk eb ox Ju ry ge ld in g, re pres en tin gt he Gaynes to wn

St ud Pa rt ner ship ,w as pu rc ha sed for €55,00 0a tl as t year’s Goffs ArkleSale

Ow ner /tr ai ne r/b re ed er Paddy Cronin wasonthe mark wi th Th eB oy so fa irhi ll in the adjacentmaidenfor five-yearolds and up wa rd s. Th ef ir stseas on seven-year-old gamely as se rt ed fr om the last wi th Da rr ag hA lle nt ob ea tB en s Baby by twoand ahalf lengths

JU ST se ve nd ay sa ft er re giste ri ng his firs tr aceco ur se su cces sc ou rt es yo fFive St ar Ge tawayi na hu nt er chas

Fa ir yho

Jo

Be

yw as back amongthe winnersashe secured his second double of the campaig

The21-year ro de af ir s wi nner fo r Mark Scallan with Double Annie ( ri gh t )w ho domi nat ed the fo urye ar -old ma re s maiden. Th ed au gh Ol’Man River hadbeen unable to overcomeaneighthfence mistakeonher debutat Mo nks gr an ge thr ee wee ks earlier

proved 20 lengths toogood for Cool Ocean.

“H er wo rk wa sv er yg ood,” Sc allan sa id .“ Sh ew en tt o Monksgrange andmade abad mistakeathalf wayand it was kind of game over from there. Butshe came backwith her tail on her bac ka nd she wa si n gr ea to rd er co min gh er e today.”

“ T ru nne i d

TheWexfordr ider returne d to th ew in ne r’se nc los ur eo n Ba ll y tei g e in th ef iv el dg eldin gs ’ iden for a in er Sha ne R oc he .T he W es ter ner ge ldin g ma de ab ig im pr es si on by ea si ly ac co un tin g o rt he Bo is e uebird. That’s my first r this ye ar,” Ro c h es a id .“ Is tar te d trainingonlylastyear andhad twowinners lastseason. He just took abit of time to getgoing; he wasabig, weak horse “I expe cted hi mt od o so me thi ng lik et hat ;h ew as gr ee ni nf ro nt an di de al ly gn. -o ’ ter of h d b -o ma tr a f Blu

Pictures: HEALY RACING

LI ME RIC KATR ATHC AN NO N SU NDAY

Red-hot Berr y on his way with Double An nie

would have wanted a lead for a lit tle bit lon ge r, bu tt hat ’s ju st the wa yt he ra ce pa nn ed ou t.

He’ll gallop all day.”

Wa ter for dr ide rJ ohn

Gl ee so nm ade hi si nitial ri de for Ti pper ar yh andl er Pa t Do yle co un ta s Al adi nD u Rheu made the perfect start to his care er in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

A€60,000purchasefromthe

Go ffs Ar kle Sa le ten mo nt hs earlier,the French-bred Choeur Du No rd ge ldin gb ec ame the sec ond hors et his se as on to carrythe double-blue colours of Si mon Mu nir and Is aa c

So ue de ’s Je tB lo od st oc kt o su cces si naf ou r- ye ar -old ma iden when he be at fello w newcomer Contain Yourself by six and ahalf lengths

“He’sag oo dr ider,t hat lad. Th at ’s the firs tt ime he ’s ev er sa to na hors ef or me,” Do yl e said of Gleeson.

“I tho ugh tA ladin Du Rheu wa sm or eo fab um pe rh or se th an this ,b ut he ju st ju mp s very well.”

Th es il ve rb ridle fini she d with aflur ry to claimthe fiveand six -y ear -old ma re s’ ma ide n. Jo hnn yH ur le yw as content to give the principals a heads tar ta bo ardt he Wi lli am O’ Br ien- tr aine dW esterner mare, who st ill hadfourr ivals in fr on to fh er en ter in gt he home straight.

Th ec onfid en ce pr ov ed justified as she powered up the hill to defea tJunior Fb yf ou r lengths

“J ohnn ym us th av eb ee n watchingPaulTow nend in the Gr and Na tion al ,t he wa yh e wo n. Sh ef lew hom e,”O ’Br ien sa id of his si st er Ma ry ’s ha lfsi ster to th eG ra de 2Web ste r Cup winner Senecia Cor kr aiders far ed we ll on the ca rd ,w it h Ro ng orig ht

Cork

Mon Apr 6th

Hurdle course - YIELDING (Good to yielding in places) Chase course - GOOD TO YIELDING

457 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Mares Maiden Hunters Chase (5yo+) 3m100y

316 TIFFINY’S GIRL (IRE) 6 11-11 Mr J C Barry 1

b m by Mahler - Tiffiny Gale (IRE) (Glacial Storm(USA)) raced in second, led before 3 out, shaken up and went clear approaching last, kept on well run-in, won going away RPR 104

369 Rebel Treaty (IRE) 8 11-4cp Mr J G Murphy(7) .........12 2

b m by Ol’ Man River (IRE) - Almnadia (IRE) (Alhaarth(IRE)) led, not fluent 2nd, not fluent 4 out, headed before 3 out, outpaced and lost second before last, kept on and went modest second run-in RPR 84

388 Lucy Wang (IRE) 6 11-4t FAV Ms A M Connolly(7) ...........3 3 b m by Mastercraftsman (IRE) - Hold Me Now (USA) (Bernstein(USA)) didn’t always jump with fluency, held up in last, reminder when detached 4th, joined main group before 11th, headway before 3 out, outpaced when briefly went second before last, weakened run-in RPR 81

405 Dceilingcantholdus (IRE) 5 11-2 Mr L Burke-Ott(7) took keen hold, raced in third, not fluent 2nd, dropped to last when bad mistake 2 out, soon weakened RPR 29 .........50 4 SP 100/30

LAWFUL RULER (IRE) 7 11-10 Mr T J Stafford(4)

con tr ib utin gt ot heir thr ee su cce ss es at the Li mer ic k venue when he prevailed in the wi nners -of -tw of or no vice riders

Mi tchelsto wn ha ndle r Jo nat ha nF it zger al dh as supplied each of Glenville rider

Mark O’Flynn’sthree point-topoi nt wi nner s, wi th this

Co nd ui tg eldi ng the la te st of them following his half-length defeat of Black Dakota

Th ew inn in gm ar gin wa s even tighterinthe maiden for si x- ye ar-olds and up wa rd sa s the ju dg ew as re quir ed to separate St Michael’s Well and Te aI nT he Pa rk ,w ho fl ashe d past the post locked in battle

As hor t- head ve rd ict wa s aw ar de dt oD enis Ahe rn’ s Diamond Bo yg eldin g, who con tin ue dC al Sh ine ’s be st season, with the Banteer native mo vin go nt ot he six-w in ner mark for the campaign

left in third last, stayed on towards finish RPR 107

369 The Happy Huntsman (IRE) 6 12-0 Mr L Burke-Ott led, hit 12th, headed 3 out, weakened after 2 out, left in fourth last RPR 93 .........14 4 377 Occupational Force (IRE) 7 11-10 Ms J E Grant(4) held up in rear, headway after 4 out, midfield 3 out, stayed on run-in RPR 88 .......43 4 5

370 Atlantian (IRE) 9 11-10 Mr J Costello(4) midfield, hit, dropped to rear when not f uen and ockey lost irons 2nd recovered into midfield 5th, some headway after 4 out, weakened after 2 out RPR 83 ...........5 6

416 Our Story (IRE) 8 11-10 Mr B Aherne(4) jumped left, in rear, some headway from 3 out, never dangerous RPR 78 .......51 2 7

369 Dromleigh (IRE) 10 12-0 Mr D Doyle always behind RPR 73 .......41 4 8 589 Pure Decent (IRE) 11 11-10 Mr W Verling(4) always behind RPR 73 3 4 9

372 Focus Point (IRE) 10 11-12h Mr D T Hyde(2) midfield, weakened after 2 out RPR 71 .......11 4 10

372 Sampoet (IRE) 9 11-12cp Mr S Cotter(2) prominent, weakened after 4 out RPR 68 .......31 2 11

352 Bens Baby (IRE) 5 11-12t,cp Mr Andrew Burke-Ott midfield, weakened after 4 out RPR 53 .........13 12

369 Nibbles (IRE) 9 11-12cp Mr T O’Connor(2) always behind RPR 54 .........nk 13

382 Begger (IRE) 6 11-12 Ms H Phillips(2) in touch with eaders, went third after 12th, challenging when mistake and unseated last RPR 107 U

342 Pirate Island (IRE) 8 11-12cp Mr A T Feeney(2) prominent, weakened after 4 out, pulled up before 2 out P 587 Robin Elite (IRE) 8 11-10 Mr T P Aherne(4) jumped left on occasions, prominent, lost position after 8th, weakened after 9th, pulled up 4 out P

SP 22/1 TIME 6m 28.80s 16 ran

OWNER: James Joseph Stafford

459 Jack Tyner Memorial Hunters Chase (5yo+) 2m4f

376 JOURNEY WITH ME (IRE) 10 11-7t Mr D Doyle(7) 1 ch g by Mahler - Kilbarry Demon (IRE) (Bob’s Return(IRE)) prominent, pressed leader 3 out, good jump and led last, ridden and kept on run-in RPR 142

344 Asian Master (IRE) 9 11-7 FAV Mr T Costello(7) .........nk 2

b g by Shirocco (GER) - Wakare (IRE) (Yeats(IRE)) towards rear, midfield after 6th, headway before 8th, led narrowly after 3 out, not fluent and headed last, kept on fina 110yds RPR 142

269 Jetoile (IRE) 11 11-7 Mr E Mahon(7) .........14 3

b g by Jeremy (USA) - Accordingtoherself (IRE) (Accordion(IRE)) disputed lead, led clearly before 4th, mistake 7th, not fluent 9th, headed after 3 out, weakened after 2 out RPR 128

450 Solitary Man (IRE) 8 12-0 Miss A B O’Connor soon midfield reminder after 4th, dropped to rear before 7th, some headway after 4 out, went fourth run-in, never dangerous RPR 127 3 4 4

269 Temptationinmilan (IRE) 10 11-7 Ms A T O’Reilly(7) in touch with leaders, weakened before 2 out RPR 121 .......61 2 5

208 Bartlemy Boy 8 11-7 Mr S Cotter(7) prominent, lost position before 5th, dropped to rear before 7th, some headway before 9th, weakened after 4 out, finished 7th, placed 6th RPR 120 .........hd 6 189 Run Wild Fred (IRE) 12 11-7b Mr C J Shine(7) soon towards rear,

STORMINGGEORGE, fromhis sire’sfirstcrop, looksafine chasingprospect

❝Ilovethe OrderOf StGeorges❞

TrainerNeilKing

FORTHFACTOR, tookhis bumper record to 3 from4 withasmartperformance

❝Ithoughthewas reallygood❞

TrainerDanSkelton