Tubber trainer Grainne O’Connor was among the winners at Thurles last Thursday where her 10/1 shot Sherika ran out a clear cut winner of the two and three-quarter mile Leugh Handicap Hurdle.

A first ever winner for Ms O’Connor when scoring at Gowran last November, Sherika disappointed when favourite for a similar event at Limerick over Christmas but the daughter of Beneficial put that below-par effort behind her with a fine display at the Tipperary track.

Promising five-pound claimer, Mark Enright, was on board Sherika who made good headway across the top of the track before running on strongly in the closing stages to beat Enda Bolger’s Drawn N Drank by four lengths.

O’Connor trains the winner at the Knocktoby yard she shares with her husband, point-to-point trainer Paurick, for the five-strong Heading For Aintree Syndicate from the Killaloe area.

“This mare disappointed us a little last time but just didn’t handle the very heavy ground at Limerick,” she said, “I’m thrilled she’s won for the lads who own her, as they are a very enthusiastic bunch and are having great fun.

“She’s gone up nine pounds to a mark of 102 over hurdles after her latest win and we’ll try and find another opportunity for her as soon as we can. Her chase rating is 93, so she’ll go back over fences at some stage as well,” added the Newmarket-on-Fergus native.

Elsewhere on the Thurles card, Colm Murphy’s Quito De La Roque bounced back to his best when pulling off a 12/1 shock in the featured Grade 2 Matty Ryan memorial Kinloch Brae Chase.

One of three representatives in the race for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House operation, Quito De La Roque jumped to the front six out under Paul Townend before see ing out a strong gallop to beat Gordon Elliott’s Roi De Mee by half a dozen lengths.

The winner, who looked like being a very good horse earlier in his career, will probably line-up in the Hennessy at Leopardstown early next month, following which future plans for the French-bred may well become clearer.
Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh are one of the most potent combinations in Irish racing and the pair were on the mark when bagging two winners.

The pair struck first when Mikael D’Haguenet ran out a facile winner of the WT O’Grady Memorial Novice Chase.

A top class sort over hurdles, the winner has taken a bit of time to sort himself out over the larger obstacles, but the 1/2 favourite, who races in the colours of leading owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, looked good here as he strolled to a very easy 12-length success over He’llberembered.

Mullins mentioned that the victorious nine-year-old will be entered for Cheltenham, but is far from certain to travel across the Irish Sea with the Power’s Gold Cup at Fairyhouse also on the winner’s agenda.

If Mikael D’Haguenet was impressive his win, then Mullins and Walsh must have been thrilled with the manner in which ex-point-to-pointer Ballycasey performed when routing his rivals in the two-mile, six-furlong novice hurdle.

Sent off 4/6 favourite, Ballycasey was always up front and Walsh only had to steer the son of Presenting towards the winning post as he disposed off runner-up Milborough by a very snug three lengths.

The winner is yet another useful recruit to race in the Ricci silks and Mullins indicated he will enter the six-year-old in both the Albert Bartlett and the Neptune Investment Novices Hurdle at the upcoming Cheltenham Festival.

Mullins will be hoping his run of big-race successes continue this weekend as his leading Champion Hurdle hope, Hurricane Fly, lines up in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.

A ready winner of the Istabraq Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas, Hurricane Fly has been pleasing his trainer at home in the build-up to this weekend’s race and anything other than a win for the 2/5 favourite would come as a huge surprise.

Meanwhile, the weather put paid to all but one of the four scheduled point-to-point meetings last weekend with Sunday’s Ballinaboola, Wexford fixture the only one to survive.

Derek O’Connor, who wouldn’t be a regular on the south-eastern circuit, managed to get on the score sheet when steering 5/1 chance, Down Ace, to victory for Kildare trainer Ross O’Sullivan in the second division of the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

 

Russell four-timer lights up Naas

Champion jockey Davy Russell must have been delighted that last Saturday’s Naas card received the green light following an early morning inspection as the Youghal-born jockey emerged with a 100% record, scoring on all of his four booked mounts.

For good measure, Russell also managed to claim the two-feature races of the day, landing the Grade 3 Limestone Lad Hurdle aboard Solwhit before bagging the Grade 2 Woodlands Park Novice Chase with Toffino Bay.

Solwhit has been a great servant to his County Limerick trainer Charles Byrnes and the French-bred, who returned from a long lay-off when second at Punchestown last time, was sent off 4/5 favourite to account for his five rivals and he did so with the minimum of fuss.

Russell settled his mount in third place behind the leader Whatuthink in the early stages before making smooth headway to hit the front at the final flight. Once safely over, Solwhit stuck his neck out in good fashion on the uphill rise to the line to see off the Ruby Walsh-ridden runner-up So Young by four lengths.

Half an hour later, in-form Russell was back in the winner’s enclosure as 2/1 chance Toffino Bay, trained by Dessie Hughes for Michael O’Leary’s powerful Gigginstown House operation, came out the right side of a ding-dong battle with Aupcharlie in the Woodlands Park event.

Favourite backers looked set to draw when 1/2 shot Aupcharlie (Andrew Lynch) came to tackle the front-running Toffino Bay at the final fence, but Russell was able to conjure up a renewed effort from the winner, who ran on stoutly on the stand side to defeat the flattering favourite by half-a-length.

The day had started brightly for Russell as he teamed-up with Carlow trainer Pat Fahy to land the opening maiden hurdle aboard 10/11 favourite Morning Assembly.

The successful six-year-old, who had caught the eye when second to Sizing Gold at Leopardstown over Christmas, built on that promising effort here when quickening up impressively on the heavy ground to beat runner-up Mad Brian by three parts of a length.

Russell’s four-timer was completed aboard another Gigginstown House runner as French import Un Atout (2/7 favourite) underlined his class with an authoritative winning performance in the Irish Racing Writers Novice Hurdle.

A good winner of his bumper at Naas last June, Un Atout made an equally good  start over timber when running away with a maiden hurdle at Navan in November and he continued his rise through the jumping ranks when never coming off the bridle on the way to his latest win.

Ridden with loads of confidence, Un Atout cruised into the lead off the home bend and hardly broke sweat when striding to a 19-length victory over Andrew McNamara’s mount Rory O’Moore.

The winner is by Robin Des Champs – a horse Mullins loves as sire – and it comes as no surprise that Un Atout features very prominently in the betting (best-priced 10/1 shot) for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham seven weeks from now.