NEWMARKET-on-Fergus trainer Pat Lynch started the new year in the best possible fashion when his Moving On sprung a 20/1 surprise to land the two-and-three-quarter-mile Horse and Jockey Handicap Hurdle at Thurles on Thursday of last week.

Unplaced in a similar event on heavy ground at Limerick over Christmas, Moving On proved a totally different proposition here under up-and-coming five-pound claimer Ben Dalton.

Settled in fifth in the early stages, Moving On went to the head of affairs with four to jump and proceeded to put plenty of daylight between himself and his 12 rivals when pulling effortlessly clear to beat runner-up All Honours by half a dozen lengths.

Winning trainer Lynch and his brother, John, are two of the most popular figures in Irish racing and this success underlines how well they compete with the small string they have on the go at their Latoon yard.

“This was Moving On’s 99th race and he won very well today,” said Pat Lynch.

“This horse’s owner, Jim Madden from Limerick, bred him as well and it’s nice for him and for Aidan Corbett from Bodyke, who also has an interest in him. He came to me last year and that’s his second win for us. He has been busy, so he deserves a little break now.

“The bit of nice ground made all the difference and, while he ran a good enough race at Limerick last time, he just didn’t handle how deep it was there. We might try and find a few more opportunities for him over the summer,” concluded the winning trainer.

The feature race at the Tipperary track was the Grade 3 Beamish Stout Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase, where Willie Mullins’ Call The Police justified short-priced 2/7 favouritism under a good ride from Ruby Walsh.

On ratings, Call The Police looked the clear choice in the two-mile, two-furlong contest and so it proved as the 10-year-old fended off the spirited challenge of the John Ryan-trained Foildubh to beat that rival by half a length.

Mullins, who trains the winner for the north of Ireland-based DD Syndicate, commented, “We missed Christmas with this horse to come here as it’s a good pot and, thank God, it’s worked out well. He’s a nice horse and jumped very well today. Anything between two and two-and-a-half miles suits him fine and he’ll probably come back here for the next meeting (January 17) for the Kinloch Brae Chase.”

The Closutton handler, whose team are in fantastic form at present, went on to register a short-price double when his 1/5 shot, Briar Hill, scored in the concluding bumper under his trainer’s son, Patrick.

Purchased by leading owners Andrea and Graham Wylie following an easy point-to-point success for northern trainer Colin McKeever, Briar Hill was always in the front rank and only had to be driven out in the closing stages to beat runner-up Boondooma by seven lengths. The successful son of Shantou may well turn up in a winner’s bumper somewhere over the next few weeks but his future surely looks over jumps and, long-term, he can prove a good addition to Mullins’ already powerful team of novice hurdlers.

Meanwhile, the first action of 2013 on the point-to-point front took place last Sunday with meetings going ahead at Dromahane and Tinahely.

Nine-time champion jockey Derek O’Connor was in action at Dromahane, where he visited the winner’s enclosure following the success of 3/1 shot, Moss Cloud, in the second division of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Trained in County Waterford by Paul Moloney, Moss Cloud edged to the front on the run to two out and quickly sealed the issue when pulling away on the uphill climb to the post to see off runner-up Rockingtimes by five lengths.

While O’Connor was keeping his impressive strike-rate going at the North Cork venue, his main championship rival, Jamie Codd, also registered his first success of 2013 when he was among the winners at the Tinahely, Wicklow outing.

The Wexford amateur tasted success when bringing 4/5 favourite Three Oscars home in front in the opening five-year-old mares’ maiden, thus maintaining his one-winner lead over O’Connor (21-20) in the race for the 2013 Jockeys’ Championship.

 

Monbeg Dude claims Welsh National

PAUL Carberry has few equals when it comes to giving a horse a waiting ride and the Meath rider was at his brilliant best when bringing Monbeg Dude from last to first to land the rescheduled Coral Welsh National at Chepstow last Saturday.

A point-to-point winner at Nenagh in 2010, when trained by Colin Bowe, Monbeg Dude was subsequently sold to join Michael Scudamore’s Hereford yard and he showed his staying abilities in this stamina-sapping three-mile, five-furlong contest, which was run on heavy ground.

Sent off a 10/1 shot, Monbeg Dude was out with the washing for most of the race as Carberry threw his mount the reins and allowed the Witness Box gelding do things in his own time.

Heading towards the third-last, champion jockey Tony McCoy sent 11/4 favourite Teaforthree to the front but a motionless Carberry didn’t panic as he coaxed Monbeg Dude, who looked out of it down the back, into a challenging position. Jumping the final fence, Carberry had Monbeg Dude upsides Teaforthree but a bad mistake almost put paid to his challenge. Carberry doesn’t do panic, however, and he forged Monbeg Dude into the lead and then fought off a renewed rally from the favourite with half-a-length between the pair at the line.

Naturally, winning trainer Scudamore, whose grandfather Michael claimed the race as a trainer in 1957 and dad Peter won it four times as a jockey during a star-studded career, was full of praise for the winning jockey.

“What can you say about Carberry? The man is a genius. How he had that much confidence is beyond me. I couldn’t see Monbeg Dude down the back straight and then I thought he might get a place but still he hadn’t moved. For a small yard like ours, it’s a dream come true and, hopefully, we can get a few more, and better horses, as a result of today’s win,” he said.

Reflecting on his own performance, Carberry said, “I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a better race than that. I told Michael [Scudamore, trainer] I’d let the horse do his own thing and, to be fair, Monbeg Dude picked up when I needed him to. He has his own way of jumping but managed to get to the other side of each fence and that’s all that matters. I only got the call to ride him last Thursday and it’s a brilliant race to win.”