Electric performance books place in Ballybrit

POWERSTATION booked his ticket to the Galway Plate at Ballybrit later this summer when turning in a fine effort to land the featured McSweeney’s Arms Hotel Handicap Chase at Killarney on Monday evening.

Racing in the colours of the 10-strong Fat Frog Syndicate, that includes a group of employees at the ESB power station in Ardnacrusha and well-known Clarecastle bookmaker Neil Casey, Powerstation had to overcome some problems in running to land this €15,000 pot under a superb ride from Davy Russell.
Sent off 3/1 favourite, Powerstation, who is better known as a hurdler having finished third to Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, was racing off a mark of 123 over fences (close on 30Ib lower than his 151 rating over the smaller obstacles) and he found himself towards the rear in the early stages having been bumped at the first fence.
Russell didn’t panic, however, and with precision timing, he produced his mount to lead well inside the final furlong en-route to a well-deserved head success of runner-up Head Waiter.
Eamonn O’Connell, who trains the winner at his Cullen, County Tipperary yard, said, “That was a very brave effort as he got a good a few bangs during the race and lost a front shoe in running as well. He’s in very good form at the moment despite his busy schedule and he wouldn’t have won here today if he wasn’t.”
Looking ahead to Galway at the end of July, O’Connell is hoping the 10-year-old can make an impact in the now Tote-sponsored Galway Plate.
“We will give him three to four weeks off now and start thinking about Ballybrit then,” explained O’Connell. “He’ll probably get the mandatory six-pound penalty for winning this race and that will put him up to 129 over fences which means he should get into the Plate. He won’t run in the meantime and I’d be hoping he’d have a good chance of making the line-up.”
Another Galway Festival-bound animal is Alpine Glade, who caused an upset when defeating the odds-on Sweeps Hill in the MD O’Shea & Sons Handicap Hurdle.
Barry Cash had the mount on this Willie McCreery-trained mare by Oscar who got first run on the market leader when forging ahead two out and, clear at the last flight, she stayed on powerfully to beat the John Kiely-trained favourite by four and-a-half lengths.
McCreery, who played at midfield on the Mick O’Dwyer-trained Kildare team that won a Leinster football final a few years back, is now also eyeing a trip to the west for his 9/4 winner.
“I didn’t think there would be much for her in the summer, but she is improving all the time. Her hurdling was spectacular today and she was so fast at her flights. We’ll target all the big handicap hurdles with the Galway Hurdle her main target during the summer.”
Elsewhere on the card, John Kiely had compensation for the upset of his hot-pot Sweeps Hill when his Taking Stock justified 3/1 favouritism in the first division of the Laurels Bar Maiden Hurdle.
Mark Walsh did the steering on this J P McManus-owned six-year-old who, despite a sketchy round of jumping, pulled clear from the penultimate flight to beat Arthur Moore’s Theatre Festival by three-and-a-half-lengths.
Thurles trainer Tim Doyle struck in the opening mares’ maiden hurdle where his Mick Darcy-ridden Queen of Cool scored at 5/1.
This daughter of King’s Theatre mounted her challenge three out and was soon clear as she powered to a four-and-a-half length victory over second-placed Carrig Cottage.
Fifteen went to post in the Dan Linehan’s Bar Hunter’s Chase with victory going to 12/1 outsider Close Review.
Trained in County Wexford by Richard Rath, Close Review hit the front approaching the final fence and only had to be kept up to his work in the closing stages by his jockey Bon O’Neill to beat Turtle Gale by a length-and-a-half.
Derek O’Connor, who finished fourth in this contest aboard Willie Murphy’s charge Burnt Oil Babe, had tasted success on the point-to-point fields over the weekend when riding three winners.
The Tubber rider, who is well on his way to a seventh jockey’s championship in-a-row, was in action at the Limerick Hunt fixture at Athlacca on Saturday evening where he guided Charming Tipp (9/2-7/2) to a hard-earned success in the first division of the concluding five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.
The winner, who is trained in Nenagh, County Tipperary by Rory O’Meara, had to withstand a spirited challenge from runner-up So It Will Be with just a length separating the pair at the line.
On Sunday, O’Connor was displaying his skill at the Ballindenisk, County Cork meeting where he teamed-up with Grand National-winning trainer Jimmy Mangan to record a double.
The pair struck first in the opening four-year-old maiden at the Leeside venue where 11/10 favourite Prince of Valour led home a one-two for Mangan when beating stable companion Bevnott by half-a-length. 
A son of Brian Boru, the winner carries the colours of Angela McCarthy, whose husband, Bobby, is well-known in breeding circles as the proprietor of the Beeches Stud in Lismore, County Waterford.
O’Connor and Conna, County Cork-based Mangan went to complete their short-priced double in the open lightweight where Annacarton (4/6F) cruised to a facile three-length win over Tom Cooper’s Dreux.
The winner, who is a much improved performer of late, was taking his fourth race in quick succession and looks a shoo-in to add to his tally (he’s entered in the open lightweight at Cork’s Bartlemy meeting next Sunday) before the season comes to a close at Ballingarry, County Tipperary on the Bank Holiday Monday in June.

Midas joins O’Brien’s Epsom team
MIDAS Touch staked his claim for Classic honours when registering a smooth success in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Aidan O’Brien’s Galileo colt came from last to first under Johnny Murtagh en route to beating fellow 2/1 joint-favourite, Address Unknown, by a cosy two lengths.
Midas Touch was trimmed from 25/1 to 14/1 by most bookies for the Investec Derby at Epsom next month and he joins a strong Ballydoyle team who will be seeking to give Aidan O’Brien his first success in the race since High Chaparral scored back in 2002.
While Sunday’s race was described as ‘a decent Derby trial’ by Pat Smullen who rode runner-up Address Unknown for his boss Dermot Weld, Midas Touch remains very much the Ballydoyle ‘second-string’ with expensive 2,000 Guineas failure St Nicholas’ Abbey seen as very much the number-one contender from the Coolmore-led outfit.
Speaking at an open day at his Ballydoyle yard last Monday, O’Brien reiterated his belief in St Nicholas’ Abbey, who heads the market at 3/1 for the June 5 12-furlong Classic, despite his disappointing effort at Newmarket.
“St Nicholas’ Abbey has always done things very easily at home and, before he ran in the Guineas, the only time he was off the bridle was in his three races last year,” said O’Brien.
“We might have been too easy on him and he was possibly too fresh going to the 2,000 Guineas. With that race behind him, that freshness should be gone.”