Confined maiden victory for Cnoc na Gcon

 

LAST Sunday’s County Clare Hunt point-to-point meeting attracted a good crowd to the well-appointed lands of Dermot and Jennifer Linnane at Belharbour, where Newmarket-on-Fergus trainer/rider James Conheady struck gold when guiding Cnoc Na Gcon, owned by his father Michael, to victory in the confined maiden.

A market drifter from 6/1 out to 10/1, Cnoc Na Gcon, who had finished second to subsequent dual winner Imjoeking in this event 12 months earlier, edged to the front on the downhill run to the final and found plenty when required to beat the Derek O’Connor-ridden runner-up Manor Court by a length.

A delighted Conheady junior outlined, “We felt this horse was unlucky in this race 12 months ago and it was always our intention to come back this year and try to win it. He’s a good, tough horse and kept on well today when he had to. We’ll probably go for a winners’ race somewhere with him now.”

There was also a strong Clare connection to the winner of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden where Top Cat Henry (3/1-4/1), who is jointly owned by Clooney-born, Ennis-based accountant Pat Clune, impressed.

Trained in Windgap, County Kilkenny by two-time All-Ireland hurling medal winner with the Cats, Kieran Purcell, Top Cat Henry was given a power-packed ride by top jockey Jamie Codd, who punched his mount clear in the closing stages to beat Jim Culloty’s Prince Of Lombardy by a length and a half.

“This is a very good horse and we really fancied him coming here today,” said Purcell, who is 50/50 with Clune in the winner.

Codd was one of three jockeys to ride two winners during what was a thrilling afternoon’s action and he completed his double when teaming up with fellow Wexford man, Sean Doyle, to land the winners’ race aboard the long-absent 4/1 shot Will Fight.

Always in the firing line, Will Fight lived up to his name when digging deep over the final half-mile to beat Richard Pugh’s Schlinders Rock by three lengths.

Derek O’Connor enjoys a huge following at Belharbour and he didn’t let his supporters down when also riding two winners.

The nine-time champion kicked off his afternoon in the best possible fashion when claiming the opening Costello Family-sponsored four-year-old maiden under hot-favourite Vedettariat (4/5) from Pat Doyle’s Hollycross, County Tipperary stables.

This son of Lavirco races in the colours of Dungarvan, County Waterford veterinary surgeon Walter Connors and he underlined his potential when quickening up impressively to beat runner-up Bellorophon by two and a half lengths.

The well-bred winner appears to have a big future, with Doyle reporting, “We think this fellow is a really good horse. Derek gave him a great ride as he was very green and will come on a lot. This was his first time to gallop on grass and he did it well.”

Reigning champion O’Connor, who currently trails Codd by four (31-27) in the race for this season’s riders title, completed his brace when successfully joining forces with Kinsale trainer Robert Tyner’s Aughrim Article in the second leg of the concluding older geldings’ maiden.

Backed from 100/30 to 9/4, the winner was given a confident ride by O’Connor, who bided his time until launching his challenge between the final two fences when, despite a slow jump at the last, he ran on to beat the staying on Kilene Brook by two lengths.

The first division of this event went to the Davy O’Leary-ridden Insatiable Buoy from the Ballyneety, County Limerick yard of trainer Brian Mortell.

This 6/1 shot showed good reserves of stamina as he plugged on courageously to beat Martin Cullinane’s Castle Ellen Wood by three lengths.

Cork duo trainer Michael Winters and jockey Ciarán Fennessy will have fond memories of Sunday’s fixture, having landed both divisions of the mares’ maiden.

The pair certainly had luck on their side in the first division where warm favourite Lemmond Lady (4/5) took full advantage as both Maizeys Honour and Mothers Tree, who were fighting out the finish at the time, fell at the final fence.

This left the market leader, much to the delight of her supporters, clear to beat runner-up Kicking Kate by five lengths.

Winters, who reported his stable star Rebel Fitz on course for a crack at the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran later this month prior to a possible run in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, was back in the number-one berth following the second leg, where his Fennessy-ridden 6/1 chance Churchtown Love just shaded it.

The winner had to withstand a tremendous challenge from the Derek O’Connor-ridden Lady Cloudings, with just a head separating the pair at the line.

Paurick O’Connor may have been out of luck at Belharbour but he fared better at last Sunday’s Tallow, County Waterford meeting, where his 7/4 favourite Tyrone Golden Rain landed the open lightweight, under latest female sensation Jane Mangan, to give the Tubber trainer his fourth winner of the season.

Mangan, a daughter of Conna trainer Jimmy Mangan on whose lands this West Waterford fixture takes place, gave the nine-year-old a forceful ride as she sent the son of Rainwatch to the front two out, before staying on dourly in the closing stages to beat Rudi Trucker, trained by her father, by two lengths.

Results
Going: Soft
Costello Family 4yo Maiden 2m 4f
1. Vedettariat (FR)    ; 2. 2½L: Bellorophon (IRE); 3. ½L: Fight Commander (IRE); 4. 20L: Le Posh Frog (FR).
Trainer: P M J Doyle; jockey: Derek O’Connor; owner: W B Connors.

Clare Marts Ltd & Celtic Salads 5yo Geldings Maiden 3m
1. Top Cat Henry (IRE); 2. 1½L: Prince Of Lombardy (IRE); 3. 1L: De Kerry Man (IRE); 4. 6L: Guido D’arezzo (IRE). Trainer: Kieran Purcell; jockey: J J Codd; owner: Pat Clune and Kieran Purcell.

Monks Bar & Restaurant & Gain Horse Feeds 5yo+ Mares Maiden (DIV 1) 3m
1. Lemmond Lady (IRE); 2. 5L: Kicking Kate (IRE); 3. 2 ½L: Biffy Clira (IRE); 4. 2L: Sing A New Song (IRE). Trainer: Michael Winters; jockey: CW Fennessy; owner: Kevin O’Leary.

Monks Bar & Restaurant & Gain Horse Feeds 5yo+ Mares Maiden (DIV 2) 3m
1. Churchtown Love (IRE); 2. hd: Lady Cloudings (IRE); 3. 4L: Naughty Molly (IRE); 4. 6L: Monks Return (IRE). Trainer: Michael Winters; jockey: CW Fennessy; owner: James Gordon.

Pier Head Bar & Restaurant 5yo+Confined Maiden 3m
1. Cnoc Na Gcon (IRE); 2. 1L: Manor Court (IRE); 3. 10L: Wakattack (IRE); 4. 6L: Black Zero (IRE). Trainer: James Conheady; jockey: J Conheady; owner: Michael Conheady.

Monks Bar & Restaurant, Ballyvaughan Winner Of One 4yo+ (Mdns Excl) 3m
1. Will Fight (IRE); 2. 3L: Schindlers Rock (IRE); 3. 5L: Golden Moments (IRE); 4. 1L: Saddlers Luck (IRE).
Trainer: Sean Thomas Doyle; jockey: JJ Codd; owner: Monbeg Syndicate.

Six Mile Bridge Co-op Mart & Kerry Co-op, Corofin 6yo+ Geldings Maiden (DIV 1) 3m
1. Insatiable Buoy (IRE); 2. 3L: Castle Ellen Wood (IRE); 3. 10L: Moose Track (IRE); 4. 2L: Kilcolman Wizard (IRE). Trainer: Brian Mortell; jockey: DJ O’Leary; owner: Jackie Sinnott.

Six Mile Bridge Co-op Mart & Kerry Co-op, Corofin 6yo+ Geldings Maiden (DIV 2) 3m
1. Aughrim Article (IRE); 2. 2L: Kilene Brook (IRE); 3. 10L: Gone Bust (IRE); 4. 4L: Make It Count (IRE).    Trainer: Robert Tyner; jockey: Derek O’Connor; owner: William Noonan.