Good Knight for Ronnie at weekend point-to-point

East Clare trainer Ronnie O’Leary was among the winners at last Sunday’s Co Limerick Hunt point-to-point meeting at Kilmallock when his 7/4 shot Musical Knight ran out a good winner of the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
A promising second at Templemore on his previous outing, Musical Knight, who races in the silks of his trainer’s wife Vicky, was ridden by Wexford jockey Matt O’Connor and, having hit the front on the run to the final fence, the son of Vinnie Roe quickened up impressively from there to beat runner-up Credos Island by two lengths.
The win delighted Ogonnelloe-based O’Leary, with the Cork-born former jockey commenting: “This is a good horse and he went very close to winning last time. He travelled really well all the way today and jumped superbly. He has plenty of scope to come on again from this run and he may be sold now.”
There was also good news for local pointing fans in the second division of this race where Tubber trainer Paurick O’Connor sent out the useful looking Long Wave (2/1-6/4F) to score an emphatic success.
John Thomas McNamara deputised for the still sidelined Derek O’Connor aboard this Milan-sired gelding who answered every call from the former champion to beat Niall Madden newcomer Bit Of A Jig by two lengths.
“That’s my first winner for Waterford veterinary surgeon Walter Connors and it’s nice this horse has won for him,” said O’Connor.
“We fancied him today as he ran a very good race when fourth at Quakerstown last week where he didn’t have much luck in running. John Thomas said he felt like a good horse and we’ll see now where we go with him from here,” continued the in-form O’Connor who was registering his 11th success of the 2011/12 campaign which puts him in the top five in the handlers’ championship.
Meanwhile, Newmarket-on-Fergus man Martin Brassil rounded off the recent Fairyhouse Easter Festival in style when sending out 8/1 shot Mister Farmer to land a valuable three-mile chase at the Co Meath track on Easter Tuesday.
Racing in the familiar Grand National-winning colours of Ennis-born, Dublin-based property developer Bernard Carroll, the winner, who like national hero Numbersixvalverde was ridden by Niall Madden, edged clear into the home straight and was never threatened after that eventually running out a facile 12-length winner over runner-up Kylebeg Krystle.
Former amateur jockey Brassil, who trains at Dunmurray, Co Kildare, explained, “My horses have been sick for a good while and are only now coming back into form. I thought this horse might have won earlier in the season but he’s been showing signs lately that he was on the way back and I’m glad he’s won a nice pot like this. Mister Farmer has had a few problems in the past but seems in good order now. We’ll have a look for something at the upcoming Punchestown Festival for him next.”

Big Buck’s enters history books

Top staying hurdler Big Buck’s entered the history books when winning his 17th consecutive race over hurdles in the opening race of last week’s Aintree Festival, Thursday’s BGC Partners Liverpool Hurdle.
Dispatched 2/9 favourite, Big Buck’s cruised to a facile nine-length success over Crack Away Jack and Ruby Walsh’s mount was totally superior to his rivals in a race he was winning for the fourth year in-a-row.
In fact, this latest success was way simpler than any of his other victories this season and in winning, Big Buck’s was beating the previous record of 16 straight wins set by Sir Ken back in the 1960s.
It is difficult to envisage anything lowering Big Buck’s colours next season either and, provided his trainer Paul Nicholls can keep his charge fit and healthy, Andy Stewart’s nine-year-old, who is a best-priced 7/4 chance for the 2013 World Hurdle, is likely to continue his winning ways.
Thursday’s Grade 1 Betfred Bowl produced a shock winner as Oliver Kiernan’s 50/1 shot, Follow The Plan, did just that when scoring under a fine ride from jockey Tom Doyle.
The winner, who thrived on the better ground, squared up to the second-last fence going better than any of his rivals and once Doyle gave his mount a shake of the reins after the last he flew home to beat Burton Port by three lengths.
Follow The Plan was proving that his victory in last year’s Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown was no fluke and the nine-year-old, who has now won three Grade 1s for his Rathcoole, Co Dublin-based trainer, will bid for back-to-back successes in that race at the Kildare track during next week’s eagerly-awaited five-day 2012 Punchestown Festival.

Neptune ends Nicholls’ National hoodoo

Last Saturday’s John Smith’s Aintree Grand National was a dramatic affair with Neptune Collonges getting up in the dying strides to score for champion trainer Paul Nicholls and his Wexford-born jockey Darryl Jacob.
Sent off a 33/1 shot in the face of stiff opposition, Neptune Collonges was at the tail of the 40-runner field in the early stages before weaving his way into a challenging position three fences from home.
At this point, nothing appeared to be going better than Katie Walsh’s mount Seabass, with the Kildare girl’s bid to become the first lady rider to win the national bang on track.
Seabass, however, began to tire after jumping the second-last, with Cheltenham Festival winner Sunnyhillboy taking up the running under Cork native Richie McLernon.
Hitting the famous elbow it seemed that the well-known green and gold colours of JP McManus were destined for victory, but Jacob was bearing down on the leader with every stride and, literally, right on the line he forced Neptune Collonges up to score by a nose, the shortest winning margin in the history of the race.
Seabass filled third making Walsh the highest-placed female rider in Grand National history while Cappa Bleu came home in fourth for Evan Williams and Paul Moloney. Fifth place went to 100/1 shot In Compliance with last year’s hero Ballabriggs one spot further away in sixth.
This was a fairytale first success for Nicholls as prior to Saturday’s race he hadn’t enjoyed much luck in the race. Neptune Collonges was his 53rd National runner and things may well have been much different had the Ditcheat trainer not persuaded owner John Hales to let his beloved grey take part in the race.
Hales hasn’t been a fan of Aintree since his One Man lost his life in a fall at the Merseyside track back in 1998 and he reluctantly allowed Neptune Collonges face the starter. It was a good call by the owner, who has since decided to retire the successful 11-year-old following Saturday’s exploits.
While it was joy for the winner’s connections, news that two horses lost their lives following the race illustrates the up and down nature of jump racing.
Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Synchronised suffered a broken leg following his fall at Beecher’s first time round and had to be put down while Malcolm Jefferson’s According To Pete was also a casualty having been brought down at the 22nd fence.
Spancilhill trainer Noel Glynn was hoping for a bold showing from his Davy Condon-ridden BecasueIcouldntsee, but things didn’t quite to his way as his charge made an early exit. Having opted to go the shortest way round down the inner, Condon found himself in a bit of a traffic jam at the Canal Turn where he was one of four jockeys unseated on the landing side of this tricky fence.
Top jockey Noel Fehily suffered a broken leg when unseated from State Of Play at the fifth fence. A real quality rider, Cork native Fehily, who shone when guiding Rock On Ruby to victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, will be out of action for up to three months. Ruby Walsh missed his intended ride in the race aboard Willie Mullins’ On His Own (fell at 22nd fence) when shipping a heavy fall from Zarkardar earlier in the day. Thankfully, the Kildare rider suffered nothing worse than bad bruising and he is due to return to the saddle at Ayr on Friday.