Hassett savours success as trainer/owner

QUIN trainer, Brian Hassett registered his fifth point-to-point winner of the season when his 4/1 shot Bendala Bleu recorded a comfortable success in the winners’ race at last Sunday’s Carberry Hunt meeting held on picturesque Inchydoney Island near Clonakilty.
A good winner of his maiden at Dromahane on his previous start, Bendala Bleu was sent to the front by Ciarán Fennessy with four fences to jump and, despite a hair-raising moment when he ploughed through the second-last fence, the son of Beneficial was not to be denied as he stayed on strongly to beat runner-up Fernando’s Song by two lengths.
Hassett, who also owns the winner, revealed, “This horse has really come to himself over the last few months and all he needed was time to mature and fill into his frame. He travelled well today and is improving all the time. I’ll probably go to Kinsale with him next weekend and he might go the sales in Doncaster in August after that.”
Norman Lee made the long journey to the Leeside track from his Gort base worthwhile when saddling the winner of the concluding older horses’ maiden where his 7/2 shot Ultimate Risk scored in impressive fashion to complete a double for Cork jockey Fennessy.  
Held up in the early stages, Ultimate Risk came with a well-timed run when forging the front at the final fence before surging clear to beat 5/4 favourite Paddyseanmore by four lengths with Jeannie Bell, trained in Newmarket-on-Fergus by John Brassil, a further length and a half back in third.
“This horse won well and Ciarán gave him a great ride. I told him to settle him out the back and sneak in, to which he did and it’s great he’s won,” reported Lee, who trains the successful seven-year-old for his partner, Marie Costello.
“Ultimate Risk used to be breaking blood vessels in his races but we train him out of the field now and being out all the time seems to have cured that problem. He’s rated 87 over hurdles and I’m hoping he’ll pick up a modest handicap hurdle over the summer,” concluded the Kilmacduagh-based handler.   
Tubber trainer, Paurick O’Connor has also enjoyed a good run this term and he was on the mark at the North Kerry Harriers fixture at Ballybunion on Saturday evening where his Primo Capitano (9/2) came home late and fast to claim the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Owned by Dungarvan, County Waterford veterinary surgeon, Walter Connors and his wife, Una, Primo Capitano jumped the final fence in third place but quickly began to eat up the ground as he powered home under a strong Colman Sweeney ride to pip Michael Hourigan’s representative Doesheeverstop by a neck.
“This is a grand horse and I’m thrilled he’s won,” said O’Connor, who was greeting his 10th winner of the current campaign. “I’m delighted for the owners as they have been friends of ours for a long time and my brother, Derek has ridden a lot of winners for Walter over the years. Hes jumps, gallops and stays and will develop into a smashing staying chaser,” added the winning trainer who was denied a quick double when his Battleship Boy, owned by Ennis businessman Sean Moran, was unluckily beaten less than a length into fourth in the second division half an hour late.r
Quin-born, Ennis-based accountant, Pat Clune has struck up a successful association with Kilkenny trainer, Kieran Purcell and the duo were among the winners at last Saturday afternoon’s International meeting at Tattersalls Farm adjacent to Fairyhouse Racecourse.
Here, Blacknamber Cat, ridden by Newry jockey Jason McKeown, fulfilled some of his earlier promise when quickening up well on the run-in to beat Foxland by two and a half lengths. The 5/1 winner, who is trained by dual All-Ireland winning hurling medallist, Purcell at his Windgap yard, will now head to the track. 
Meanwhile, there was shock among the point-to-point fraternity in the Mid-West area when the news broke last weekend that the traditional end-of-season two-day Bank Holiday Fixture at Ballingarry, County Tipperary had been abandoned due to ground conditions.
While it has been very much a stop-start kind of season due to the horrific weather this winter, it was felt this fixture would survive given the recent improvement in that respect. However, following a track inspection last Friday, the Turf Club announced the course had been deemed unfit for racing and therefore the meeting, which was due to take place this Sunday and Monday, had been called off.
This means the 2012/13 season will now draw to a close at Kinsale on Sunday afternoon where the local hunt have received huge entries for their annual two-day fixture which kicks off at 4pm on Saturday evening.

Mixed luck for Kilmaley owner
KILMALEY owner, Eugene McMahon certainly enjoyed a week of mixed fortunes where the horses are concerned as his Seskinane came out the wrong side of a very contentious decision when disqualified at Sligo on Wednesday of last week, before receiving a welcome boost when his Binowagh Bay scored over hurdles at Cartmel in the UK last Monday.
Seskinane’s demotion at Sligo was one of the big talking points of last week as the 7/1 shot, who was backed at 14s in the morning, ran out an emphatic eight-and-a-half-length winner of the two and a half-mile winners’ hurdle.
All the drama unfolded after the race, however, as jockey Derek Fox appeared to barge his way through the Willie Mullins-trained pair On His Own (evens favourite) and Twigline (who stumbled as a result) off the final bend aboard the Mark McNiff-trained winner and a stewards enquiry was promptly called.
At the subsequent enquiry, Fox admitted to dangerous riding and this resulted in Seskinane’s automatic disqualification. The jockey was also suspended for 10 days and ordered to forfeit his riding fee.
While that all seems fairly straightforward, what it doesn’t allow for is that the best horse clearly won the race. Yes, Twigline did suffer interference but Paul Townend’s mount only finished third (promoted to second) while the Ruby Walsh-ridden On His Own, who was awarded the race, didn’t suffer any interference at all.
The fact that it was two of Willie Mullins’ horses that were involved makes it all the more interesting and opinion is certainly divided on whether justice was done or not by altering the result.
In any case, McMahon, whose family are heavily involved in both hurling and camogie at club and county level in Clare, has lodged an appeal against the decision,  while jockey Fox is also appealing his lengthy ban.
No date has been fixed for those appeals but Seskinane’s connections will have been boosted by the success of the McNiff-trained and Fox-ridden Binowagh Bay at Cartmel on Monday.
Racing in McMahon’s blue and gold silks (Clare colours), Binowagh Bay went off a well-backed 9/2 shot in the opening mares’ selling hurdle at the Cumbria track and the daughter of Flemensfirth, who was fourth on her first start inside the rails at Sligo three weeks earlier, finished best of her nine rivals when staying on well on the run-in to beat 8/15 favourite Phase Shift by a length.
Things were to get even better for the McNiff/Fox partnership when half an hour later, the duo were back in the winner’s enclosure following the success of 12/1 shot Celtic Monarch in the four-year-old novices’ hurdle.
The big news on the national hunt front this week is that Ruby Walsh had ended his highly successful 11-year association with leading English trainer, Paul Nicholls.
Walsh and Nicholls, who combined for a host of big-race wins with the likes of Kauto Star, Master Minded, Big Buck’s and Denman, have split on an amicable basis with the Kildare rider opting to concentrate on riding here at home from now on thus cementing his link with top Irish trainer Willie Mullins and allowing him to spend more time with his family. Wexford-born Daryl Jacob will replace Walsh in the plum job as number-one jockey to Nicholls’ powerful Ditchheat team.