HRI Review

Racing Review

Mullins And Walsh Continue Good Form At Galway

Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh brought their good form from Listowel to Galway and they shared a further two winners at Ballybrit on Monday. The pair were on the mark with 1/2 favourite Stratum in the 2m maiden hurdle and followed up with the minimum of fuss when 15/8 favourite Contingency took the mares’ hurdle. Noel Meade and Sean Flanagan took the 2m5f maiden hurdle with 5/4 favourite Moyross and another popular winner with punters was Henry de Bromhead’s 9/4 favourite Montana Belle which won the beginners’ chase in the hands of Andrew Lynch. Donie McInerney teamed up with Mags Mullins to land the 2m handicap hurdle with 11/2 chance Dundrum Lad while Fenlon’s Hill won the handicap chase at odds of 5/1 for Oldtown, County Dublin trainer Paul Stafford and 7lbs claimer Adam Short. Liam Quinlan rode his third winner when another 5/1 chance, Mysloegin won the mares’ bumper for Nenagh trainer Jimmy Finn.

Beach Bows Out At Galway On Tuesday

Airlie Beach, a Grade 1 winner over hurdles, ended her racing career on a high when landing the Listed Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes at Galway on Tuesday. Sent off the 2/1 favourite, she led turning for home under Pat Smullen and readily accounted for Remarkable Lady to record a ninth career success. Smullen had earlier won the 8f maiden on the Dermot Weld-trained Hazapour and his title challenger Colin Keane hit back with a winner of his own as the Madeline Tylicki-trained Coeur D’Amour won the fillies’ maiden at odds of 7/2. Apprentice riders Denis Linehan, Dylan Hogan and Conor McGovern all paid visits to the winners’ enclosure. From Glantane, County Cork, Linehan won the rated race on Johnny Murtagh’s 5/4 favourite Sister Blandina while Hogan from Newmarket-On-Fergus, County Clare struck on 20/1 outsider Cosmic Symbol for Birr, County Offaly trainer George Webb. Conor McGovern, who hails from Clones, County Monaghan won the apprentice handicap on 6/1 chance Get Out Of Jail for Stamullen, County Meath trainer John McConnell. Dawn Choir ran out a good winner of the concluding Sean Cleary Memorial Fillies Maiden at odds of 7/2 for trainer Ellmarie Holden.

Foley On Fire At Fairyhouse

Shane Foley has been unstoppable in his new role as a freelance and he shared two winners with Jessica Harrington at Fairyhouse on Wednesday. The pair teamed up to land the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes with 5/1 chance Brick By Brick which made all the running to beat 8/11 favourite Gobi Desert in grand style. And he had an even easier time of it on 5/2 favourite Nearly Famous which scored a seven-length victory in the 10f claiming race. Oisin Orr rode his 16th winner of the season and trails the side-lined Ana O’Brien by just two in the apprentice championship when the Tony Martin-trained 11/4 favourite Tudor City won the 10f handicap. Aidan O'Brien and Seamus Heffernan were on the mark with 1/2 favourite Threeandfourpence in the two-year-old maiden and the nursery handicap over the same distance went to 6/1 chance Solar Wave which was ridden for Jim Bolger by Kevin Manning. Bolger and Manning completed a double of their own when 4/1 shot Focus On Heaven won the 6f maiden while Ross Coakley partnered the ten-year-old Bubbly Bellini to his 19th career success when taking the apprentice handicap for Ado McGuinness at odds of 13/2. Willie McCreery and Billy Lee won the 7f maiden with 5/1 chance Covetous.  

Nina Carberry Returns With Ballinrobe On Thursday

Nina Carberry made a winning return to action when scoring a facile success on the Noel Meade-trained 9/4 co-favourite Cask Mate on Ballinrobe on Thursday. Eleven months since her last ride and four months after giving birth to daughter Rosie, the former champion amateur eased to a 12-length victory on the four-year-old. Ruby Walsh, Carberry’s brother-in-law, rode two winners, scoring on 7/4 favourite Court Artist for Willie Mullins in the mares’ maiden hurdle and then making all the running on 4/1 shot Call It Magic for Ross O'Sullivan in the 2m7f conditions’ chase. The opportunity handicap chase went to the Donie McInerney-ridden 5/1 chance Off The Charts which is trained by Martin Brassil. Another conditional rider on the mark was Liam Gilligan who partnered the Brian Cawley-trained 4/1 chance Nellie Pledge to success in the mares’ handicap hurdle. Denis Hogan enjoyed a double as both a trainer and a rider. He landed the opening three-year-old hurdle with 14/1 chance Foxy Lass and followed up in the 2m4f handicap hurdle on 3/1 shot Eiri Na Casca. The brace came to odds of 59/1.

Carberry A Winner Again At Downpatrick

A winner on her return to action at Ballinrobe on Thursday, Nina Carberry followed up when taking the bumper on the Noel Meade-trained Roseriver Has at Downpatrick on Friday. In contrast to the previous day’s success, Carberry had to work hard for this victory but she got the most out of the 5/2 chance to pip Jamie Codd on 4/5 favourite Stooshie. Edward O'Grady and Paul Townend also beat trainer Gordon Elliott into second place as 13/8 chance Slippery Serpent got the better of 11/10 favourite Hardline in the opening maiden hurdle. Elliott was beaten into second place for a third time when Andy Oliver’s Scotch Beg beat Canny Tom to win the rated novice hurdle at odds of 9/1 under Andrew Lynch. But the County Meath trainer finally got a winner when 4/5 favourite Poormans Hill ran away with the handicap chase to complete a double for Jack Kennedy who had earlier taken the 2m3f handicap hurdle on the Adrian Murray-trained 9/1 chance Charms Bracelet. Ruby Walsh added to his Ballinrobe double with a win in the maiden hurdle on the Conor O’Dwyer-trained 4/1 chance Floramar. Colin Bowe and JJ Slevin took the beginners’ chase with 9/4 joint-favourite Tranquil Magic. The winner was backed on-course from 3/1.  

Gary Halpin Lands Dundalk Double On Friday

Gary Halpin kept his hopes of being crowned champion apprentice alive when bringing his season’s tally to 16 winners with a double at Dundalk on Friday. He trails the side-lined Ana O’Brien by two winners after sharing his brace with Curragh trainer Johnny Feane who saddled 5/4 favourite Pure Action to win the claiming maiden and the nine-year-old Six Silver Lane to take the 10f handicap at odds of 5/2 favourite. Six Silver Lane was winning at the track for the eighth time. Tom McCourt, who trains in Stamullen, County Meath and the season’s leading rider Colin Keane won the opening 5f handicap with 3/1 favourite My Good Brother. At odds of 33/1, Adrian Keatley’s Quiet Company won the opening division of the 8f handicap in the hands of Wayne Lordan while Denis Coakley enjoyed his first winner as a trainer when Boxer Dunford won the second leg of the same event. For good measure, the 11/2 winner was ridden by Coakley’s son Ross. Jessica Harrington and Colm O’Donoghue struck with 25/1 chance Cristale in the 6f median auction maiden. Sean Corby made the best possible start to his new job with Joseph O'Brien as he partnered 5/1 Legiti to a narrow success in the apprentice handicap. Corby only returned from a spell in England in the past two weeks. O’Brien’s father Aidan was also a winner as 5/1 shot De Coronado won the conditions’ race under Seamus Heffernan.  

Jack Kennedy Back In His Stride With Another Winner

Jack Kennedy continues to make up for lost time and he added to his Downpatrick double on Friday with another winner at Navan on Saturday. Having missed most of the season with injury, the County Kerry rider bagged his fourth winner of the campaign when the Gordon Elliott-trained 6/5 favourite Mengli Khan easily landed the 2m maiden hurdle. Another successful favourite was Noel Meade’s Moulin A Vent which eased to an eight-length win under Sean Flanagan in the 2m6f hurdle despite some indifferent jumping. The father and son team of Philip and Luke Dempsey won the 2m handicap hurdle with 7/1 chance Kilkeaskins First which made all the running for the Carbury, County Kildare team. Joseph O'Brien and Mark Walsh took the 2m6f handicap hurdle with 9/1 chance Let’s Twist Again while over fences there were wins for Ellmarie Holden and Rachael Blackmore who captured the beginners’ chase with 2/1 shot Call The Taxie and Alan Fleming and Denis O'Regan who won the handicap chase with 8/1 chance Hurricane Darwin. The bumper went to 7/1 chance Sally Park which was ridden for Colehill, County Cavan trainer Paul Flynn by Barry Browne.

New Favourite For 2018 Derby As Warrior Wins At Naas

Aidan O'Brien won the Group 2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes for the 17th time and for the seventh year in a row when 5/6 favourite Saxon Warrior landed the spoils under Ryan Moore at Naas on Sunday. In beating his stable companion Delano Roosevelt by two and a half lengths, the son of Deep Impact jumped to the head of the ante-post betting for next year’s Epsom Derby for which he is as low as 6/1. The Group 3 CL & MF Weld Park Stakes went for export as Colm O’Donoghue partnered the Karl Burke-trained 10/1 shot Ellthea to a cosy success over O’Brien’s Sizzling. Burke made it a Group 3 double as Quiet Reflection, the 5/2 favourite, won the Renaissance Stakes under Martin Harley. There was another significant success for an English-based trainer as Tylery Wonder beat his stable companion Monsieur Joe to give Paul Midgley a 1-2 in the Joe McGrath Handicap. Leigh Roche rode the 10/1 winner. Renetti has the Long Distance Cup at Ascot next month as an immediate target after his five-length win in the Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes for Willie Mullins and Pat Smullen. Colm O’Donoghue made it two wins on the day as Pincheck took the 8f handicap at odds of 100/30 favourite for trainer Jessica Harrington. McMunigal looked a juvenile of some potential when taking the 7f maiden by five lengths at odds of 13/2 for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane. Tom Mullins and Niall McCullagh won the 6f auction race with 16/1 chance Powersville.

Racing News

New Pension Scheme for Stable Employees 

Trainers and stable staff are being encouraged to attend a series of roadshows which will illustrate the details of a new stable staff pension scheme, aimed to provide a meaningful benefit at retirement for long serving employees. The roadshows will highlight the provisions of the new defined contribution pension scheme that has been developed by a committee comprising representatives of Horse Racing Ireland, the Turf Club, Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association and the Irish Stablestaff Association. There are six initial membership roadshows scheduled for the next three weeks: Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge (Wednesday September 27), Canal Court Hotel Newry (Thursday September 28), Woodford Dolmen Hotel Carlow (October 2), Clayton Silver Springs Cork (October 4), Dunboyne Castle Meath (October 5) and Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel Tipperary (October 9). The new defined contribution pension scheme will continue to be funded by the proportion of prize-money deducted from trainers. Stable staff benefiting from the scheme do not have to make a contribution. 

Death Of Former Champion Rider Buster Parnell

Buster Parnell, champion flat jockey in Ireland in 1969, died in Copenhagen last Monday. He was 83. Born in London in 1934, he rode his first winner in 1950 when apprenticed to Willie Stephenson. He rode three Classic winners in Ireland, winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Atherstone Wood and Mistigo for Stephen Quirke in 1967 and 1968 and the Irish 1,000 Guineas on Miralla, trained by Sir Hugh Nugent, in 1975. Parnell rode winners also rode winners in Kenya, Singapore, India and South Africa before retiring from the saddle in 1986. He was predeceased by his son David who died in a car crash close to the Curragh in 1990.  

Sizing John Heads For Haydock

Jessica Harrington’s Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John could be set for a thrilling clash with RSA Chase winner Might Bite in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on November 25, the first leg of the £1 million Chase Triple Crown. Connections will scoop the £1 million bonus – which is on offer for the third season in succession – if their horse wins the Betfair Chase, the 32Red King George VI Chase and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the initiative certainly appears to have caught the imagination of the in-form Moone trainer. Sizing John completed an unofficial triple crown of his own last season in winning the Gold Cups at Leopardstown, Cheltenham and Punchestown and his trainer said: “Ever since Sizing John won in April at Punchestown we have had the Triple Crown on our minds. Our aim is to start him off in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November.”