LOCALLY owned, Dazzlers Day underlined the importance of the horses for courses theory when landing the Friends Of Liam Hogan Handicap Chase at Limerick last Sunday.

 

A shock 20/1 winner of a handicap hurdle at Greenmount Park last Christmas, the Charles Byrnes-trained six-year-old was well backed on this occasion, having been supported from 7/2 into 11/4 favourite.

A confirmed front-runner, the son of Lando again made most of the running under Cork jockey David Splaine in this three-mile contest and showed good reserves of stamina when staying on best in the closing stages to beat Cherry’s Son, trained in Kilcolgan, County Galway by John Neilan, by a length and a half.

Dazzlers Day is proving a good money spinner for his owners, the Jonsdel Partnership that includes Doora brothers, Matt and James Jones, and on the evidence of last weekend’s win, he can score again.

Winning trainer, Byrnes, who was still on a high following his brilliant Cheltenham success with Solwhit in the World Hurdle, revealed, “It’s great to win with a horse like this. We have no firm plans for him and we’ll try to find something similar for him soon enough, as he loves that very heavy ground.”

The going at the track for the two-day St Patrick’s weekend meeting was very testing but didn’t deter Charlie’s Vic, who turned in a fine display to claim Sunday’s Grade 3 Dawn Milk Mares’ Novice Chase.

Trained in Derry by Noel Kelly, the successful daughter of Old Vic handled the prevailing conditions with aplomb when coming with a perfectly-timed effort under 20-year-old Sligo jockey Derek Fox to beat Avondhu Lady by a neck.

Interestingly, winning trainer, Kelly revealed the hectic schedule he had to arrive at the Patrickswell track.

“This mare was fed at 4am this morning and it took us five and a half hours to get here,” said the winning trainer. “This race has been the plan since this mare won her beginners’ chase. This two-mile, six-furlong trip was ideal and we might even step her up to three miles now, as I think she needs that kind of distance to be seen at her best,” added Kelly.

Cork trainer, Michael Winters, who opted not to travel his 2012 Galway Hurdle winner Rebel Fitz to Cheltenham last week, took the other Grade 3 contest on the card, the Kerry Group EBF Mares’ Novice Hurdle, with the Barry Geraghty-ridden 11/8 shot Missunited.

The all-conquering Willie Mullins/Ruby Walsh alliance, fresh from a memorable Cheltenham, were fancied to land this €30,000 two-mile event with even-money favourite Twigline but Missunited came off best, following a terrific tussle between the pair on the home straight when beating the market leader by half a length.

Irish dominate at Cheltenham festival

THE dominance of top trainer Willie Mullins continued at Cheltenham last week where the champion trainer enjoyed a fantastic run.

Going into the meeting, the Closutton handler need just two winners to surpass the record tally of 26 Irish wins held by legendary Tom Dreaper and he wasted little time in passing that milestone when posting an incredible opening-day treble.

The very first race of the 2013 festival saw the powerful Mullins/Ruby Walsh team strike when last year’s Champion bumper winner, Champagne Fever landed the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

The winner of his maiden at Quakerstown point-to-point back in 2011, Champagne Fever (6/1) really impressed as he made every post a winning one to beat Nicky Henderson’s hot-favourite, My Tent Or Yours.

Things were to get better later on during the opening afternoon when well-backed 13/8 favourite Hurricane Fly became only the second horse ever to regain his Champion Hurdle with a gutsy success in the 2013 renewal.

The Montjeu-sired 2011 champion, who was below-par when only third to Rock On Ruby last season, gained his revenge on Harry Fry’s runner when bounding up the hill to beat the title holder by two and a half lengths.
Quevega completed a great day for Mullins when registering her fifth consecutive success in the concluding OLBG Mares’ Hurdle.

This was one of her best ever efforts as the super mare had a heart-stopping moment at the top of the hill where she almost parted company with Ruby Walsh, following an uncharacteristic stumble. Walsh doesn’t do panic, however, and having nursed his mount back into the contest, the pair flew up the final hill to beat unconsidered 33/1 French raider Sirene D’ainay by a length and a half before returning to a tumultuous reception.

Back In Focus, a former inmate of John Costello’s Newmarket-on-Fergus yard, continued Mullins’ rich vein of form when successful in Wednesday’s four-mile National Hunt chase under his trainer’s son Patrick, while Walsh and Mullins were at it again when recording the Closutton trainer’s fifth of the week when teaming up to take the concluding bumper with 25/1 chance Briar Hill.

Other highlights of what was a terrific week at the home of jump racing included the breathtaking success of Sprinter Sacre in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Barry Geraghty’s mount was superb as he turned in a spectacular round of fencing with the 1/4 favourite outclassing his rivals when slamming former winner Sizing Europe. Nicky Henderson’s brilliant two-miler is only seven and appears set to dominate all the top races at the minimum distance for some time to come.

Bob’s Worth continued the good run of favourite backers when also scoring for Henderson and Geraghty in Friday’s Betfred Gold Cup.

Fitted with cheekpieces for the first time, former winner Long Run attempted to make all the running under Sam Waley-Cohen but it was his stable mate, Bob’s Worth, who appeared to have plenty to do at one stage, who came home best when quickening up impressively to beat the always prominent Tony McCoy-ridden Sir Des Champs by seven lengths.

No proof is required that Charles Byrnes is a top-class trainer but the Ballingarry, County Limerick man cemented his position when sending out 17/2 chance Solwhit to claim Thursday’s World Hurdle.

The nine-year-old, attempting three miles for the first time, was given a peach of a ride by Paul Carberry, who gave Solwhit the office on the run to the final fight with the duo staying on best to beat 40/1 shot Celestial Halo by two and a half lengths.

On the local front, Noel Glynn’s Becauseicouldntsee ran a fine race when fifth in Thursday’s Kim Muir Chase.
Booked rider Robbie McNamara had to cry off with a stomach bug with Wexford jockey Barry O’Neill a late replacement and he gave Glynn’s Grand National-bound 20/1 shot a good ride as he disputed up front until fading in the closing stages to finish fifth.

This race was to prove heartbreaking for Derek O’Connor, who gave 11/2 favourite Super Duty a brilliant drive from the front only to be pipped in the final strides when beaten by a head by 16/1 chance Same Difference.

McNamara’s injury overshadows successful week

A BRILLIANT week – in fact the most successful ever with Irish-trained horses registering a record-breaking 14 wins – was overshadowed in many ways by the horrific neck injury suffered by well-known Limerick jockey, John Thomas McNamara in last Thursday’s Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase.

Award-winning McNamara is quite simply a legend in the amateur ranks in this country and his injury has stunned supporters of jump racing everywhere.

The 37-year-old from Croom shipped a heavy tumble for Jonjoe O’Neill’s Galaxy Rock at the first fence in the Kim Muir.

The start of the following Cross-Country Chase had to be put back as medics on-course attended to the stricken McNamara, before an air ambulance arrived to the Cotswolds track to ferry him to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.

McNamara has since undergone surgery on his fractured C3 and C4 vertebrae and remains in an induced coma with doctors revealing that the rider, who posted his 600th winner between the flags when guiding Montana Slim to victory at Kilfeacle in January, is set to have further scans to reveal the full extent of his injuries over the next few days.

The entire racing community, on both sides of the Irish Sea, are hoping and praying that father-of-three McNamara, whose family are steeped in jump racing, makes a full recovery.