Easy win for Rebel Fitz

Galway Hurdle hero Rebel Fitz continued his meteoric rise through the hurdling ranks when running out a very easy winner of the featured JP McManus Hurdle at the Cork Racecourse in Mallow on Sunday.

Sent to post at the restrictive odds of 4-11 favourite, Rebel Fitz was settled in the main pack in the early stages by his regular partner, Davy Russell.

Up front, Ballyadam Brook and Fosters Cross took the six-strong field along at a good clip in this two-mile, two-furlong contest but favourite backers were on good terms with themselves as Russell moved his mount into contention and jumped to the front at the third-last flight.

From here on it was only an exercise canter as Rebel Fitz sauntered to an effortless four-and-a-half-length success over a game Fosters Cross.

Winning trainer Michael Winters remarked, “I’m delighted with today’s performance. He pulled a shoe off during the week but Davy (Russell) said he was electric out there. He was in better shape for this race than he was going to Ballybrit and I fully expected him to win, as he did.

“We will stick to hurdling with him for now as the prize money is great and his next outing will be in a Grade 2 Hurdle at Tipperary in October.

“If we get put in our place over hurdles by a couple of good ones, we’ll have a rethink. I’d have no fears of him going over fences, we’ve schooled him at home and he jumps great,” added Winters, who trains the successful French-bred for Brian Sweetnam, a London-based banker who is a neighbour of the winning trainer from the Kanturk area of north Cork.

Elsewhere on the card, the day belonged to jockey Barry Geraghty, who reached a notable milestone in his career when registering his 1,000th Irish winner courtesy of an 83-1 hat-trick.

The Meath rider opened his account when causing an upset aboard 4-1 shot Ted Dolly, who overturned hot favourite Pique Sous in the opening Family Day Out Maiden Hurdle.

A leading bumper horse, Pique Sous was expected to make a winning debut over timber but Geraghty had other ideas as he produced the Eddie Hales-trained winner with a telling run between the final two flights en-route to a clear-cut two and three-quarter length win over the costly 1-3 favourite.

Half an hour later Geraghty was back in the winner’s enclosure in the Corkracecourse.ie Hurdle aboard the very impressive 11-10 favourite, Pageboy.

A rare runner these days over jumps for top flat trainer David Wachman, this son of Galileo really knew his job as he stretched clear from two out to beat White Feathers by eight-and-a-half lengths.

Geraghty completed his three-timer in dramatic fashion when his mount Face Facts (7-1) came late and fast to claim the Cork Handicap Hurdle.

This was an incident-packed affair with Craigs Dream, who was in the lead throughout, crashing out at the second-last hurdle when still holding an eight-length advantage.

In falling, Craig Dream impeded the chasing Two In A Row, with his rider Tony Kelly being unseated as a result. This left Mark Me Up in command but Geraghty was getting a right tune out of Face Facts with the Mrs Prunella Dobbs-trained son of Luso coming from well off the pace to mug Mark Me Up in the dying strides for what appeared at one stage a very unlikely half-a-length win.

 

Oliver strikes with Cornerstone

Tyrone trainer Andy Oliver is rapidly making a name for himself and he got a quick return on his money when his First Cornerstone (7-2) ran out a good winner of the four-runner €95,000 Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.

Supplemented at a cost of €9,500 the previous Tuesday for this seven-furlong contest, First Cornerstone was given a good ride by in-form Chris Hayes, who produced the Hurricane Run colt with a well-timed challenge on the rain-softened ground as the pair upset the odds when beating Aidan O’Brien’s 7-4 joint-favourite Flying The Flag by a length-and-a-half.

“It is always nice when a plan comes to fruition. This horse got new owners this week, US-based Team Valour, and I’d like to thank them for going along with my plan to run here today. They have horses in training in America and First Cornerstone may end up there as well,” stated a delighted Oliver. 

Small trainers find it very hard to compete against the ‘big boys’ on the flat scene but Ballinasloe-based Muredach Kelly was celebrating his first Group race success as his 10-1 shot My Girl Anna did the business in the Group 3 Flying Five Stakes.

Rory Cleary surged this daughter of Orpen to the head of affairs a furlong down and she showed her speed when passing the post a length and three-quarters to the good over runner-up Fire Lily in this valuable sprint.

While Aidan O’Brien suffered a few setbacks during the afternoon, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Ballydoyle handler as his filly, Up, showed no ill-effects from her travels when scoring in the Landwades Stud Fillies Stakes.

Ridden by Joseph O’Brien, the 3-1 winner, who only returned from an unsuccessful trip to Arlington Park in Chicago the previous Monday, found plenty when needed as she dug deep to repel the challenge of runner-up Aloof by three lengths.

Frankel remains unbeaten

Wonder horse Frankel kept his unbeaten 13-race record intact when destroying the opposition to claim the Group 1 Judmonte International Stakes at York on Wednesday of last week.

Stepping up to 10 furlongs for the first time, Sir Henry Cecil’s colt was dipping his toe into unknown waters but it mattered little to Tom Queally’s mount, who scored with consummate ease.

Always travelling easily on the stand side, Queally asked Frankel to go for his race and he responded in brilliant fashion as he made fellow Group 1 winner St Nicholas Abbey and runner-up Fahr look like cart horses when, without ever coming off the bridle, he trounced those rivals by seven lengths.

This was yet another demolition job by Frankel. It was great to see Henry Cecil present among the 30,000 on the Knavesmire as the winning trainer has been under the weather of late and this performance will surely give him a much-needed fillip.

It is now 13 straight wins at distances between seven furlongs and one and a quarter miles for Frankel, with the big question now, where will Khalid Abdullah’s star next appear?

The Arc at Longchamp in October has been mentioned but that would require a further step up in trip and it remains to be seen if Frankel’s connections will follow that route. The QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot on Champion’s Day is, for now, the more likely target.