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Impressive race card as Limerick Racecourse celebrates 10 years

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Limerick Racecourse is the place to be on Sunday as the Greenmount Park facility celebrates its 10th anniversary with the staging of the Ladbrokes Munster National.

While it is hard to believe that it is 10 years since the Patrickswell track opened its doors to the public for the very first time, a great afternoon’s racing has been put in place to celebrate that landmark and the turnstiles are sure to be clicking from early in the day as a huge turnout is expected for what is, ­undoubtedly, the most important fixture of the year at the popular Shannonside track.
An all National Hunt seven-race card kicks off at 2.30pm and, as expected, the €90,000 Ladbrokes.com Munster National has attracted a top-class field. Some very good horses have competed in this race in recent times, with the likes of Dear Villez from Paul Nicholls’ all-conquering UK yard and last year’s hero Treacle among those to have tasted success in this Grade A contest.
Glancing at the 22 entries for Sunday’s race, local trainer Michael Hourigan appears to have a strong hand with his two ­representatives, Mossbank and Dancing Tornado.
The former, who won this race as a novice back in 2007, has been off the track since finishing third to Neptune Collenges and Snowy Morning at Punchestown two and a half years ago and will have to overcome that long absence if he is to succeed. Michael O’Leary’s chaser was due to return to action in the Kerry National at Listowel last month but Hourigan withdrew his 153-rated 10-year-old on the morning of the race as he wasn’t happy with the ground. Mossbank is a class act, however, and it will be very interesting to see how he fares if going to post.
On the other hand, Dancing Tornado comes into the race in top form having chased home the vastly improved Alfa Beat in the Kerry National. A mistake six out did Tony McCoy’s mount no favours on that occasion and there is surely a good handicap to be won with him some day.
Philip Hobbs is responsible for the sole UK raider, Fairoak Lad, who must be respected, while the likes of Noel Meade’s Oscar Looby and Paddy Pub from Kieren Purcell’s in-form Kilkenny yard are also worth noting. Operation Houdini has had a few outings of late to sharpen him up for this race and now that Davy Fitzgerald’s Askeaton yard has returned to form, he could be one to run a big race at a nice price.
All eyes will be on Let Yourself Go in Grade 3 Pricewaterhousecoopers Chase. Adrian Maguire’s charge ran a blinder behind Captain Cee Bee at Punchestown in the spring and he’ll be fancied to bag this €31,000 prize.
Off track, there is plenty to keep all the family entertained. Ladies’ Day is set to bring out the girls in all their finery, with Patrick Keane of Keane’s Jewellers sponsoring a Best Dressed Lady competition that carries a winner’s prize of a diamond ring valued at €5,000.
There is also free admission and entertainment for the kids, which should prove very popular, while all present will have a chance to win two tickets to see Man Utd V Spurs at Old Trafford on October 30.
Elsewhere, Newmarket-on-Fergus native Martin Brassil, who famously sent out the Niall Madden-ridden Numbersixvalverde from his Dunmurray, County Kildare yard to land the 2006 Aintree Grand National, enjoyed a welcome change of fortune when scoring with the JP McManus-owned Double Seven in the countysligoraces.com maiden hurdle at Sligo last Thursday.
A promising fourth on his debut in what looked a much stronger contest at Listowel two weeks earlier, Force Seven went off the well-backed 7/4 favourite (from 5/2) to score here under Mark Walsh and the son of Milan didn’t let his supporters down when quickening up nicely on the rain-softened ground to beat Asiya by a neck.
Brassil said, “This is a nice type of a four-year-old. His jumping let him down at bit the last day but he was much better today. He’s had two quick runs so we’ll give him a break for a month and then look for something.” 

 

Impressive reappearance for Tyrone Golden Rain

Derek O’Connor continued his blistering start to the new point-to-point season when riding three winners that included an impressive success aboard his brother Paurick’s, Tyrone Golden Rain in the open lightweight, at last Sunday’s Westmeath Hunt point-to-point meeting at Castletown-Geoghegan.
One of the most improved horses on view last term, Tyrone Golden Rain was making his seasonal debut at the midlands venue and the 4/5 favourite, who moved to the head of affairs before three out, was always doing enough as he strode to a comfortable two-length victory over David Christie’s runner-up, Ross An Ri.
A six-time winner from eight starts between the flags, Tyrone Golden Rain is a hugely exciting animal and his Tubber owner-trainer, who has 15 horses riding out at present, was delighted with Sunday’s performance.
He said, “That was a nice return to action. This horse mixed it with the best of them last season and was sick when he finished down the field in the Champion Hunter chase at Punchestown in April. Derek told me he feels the horse has improved, mentally and physically, after his summer break and he must have a big future”
While the Rainwatch six-year-old will continue on the point-to-point circuit for the time being at least, his shrewd trainer has bigger things in mind for his stable star.
“He’ll probably go to Roscommon next month (Nov 7) for another open lightweight and then on to Limerick for a hunter chase at Christmas.
“His long-term target is the Foxhunters at Cheltenham,” confirmed O’Connor, who will have up to half a dozen horses competing at this weekend’s two meetings, the Newry Harriers session at Taylorstown on Saturday afternoon and the Tinahely, County Wicklow fixture on Sunday.  
Half an hour earlier, seven-time champion jockey O’Connor had paid his first visit of the afternoon to the winner’s enclosure when steering Pat Doyle’s All That Remains (3/1-4/1) to victory in the first division of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
In front from an early stage, the King’s Theatre gelding was strongly pressed two out but O’Connor had cleverly kept a bit up his sleeve and eased his mount clear to beat Over The Phone by six lengths.
The O’Connor hat-trick was completed in the concluding older horses’ maiden as he brought 6/4 favourite, Leading Diamonds, trained in County Meath by Michael Cunningham, home in front. The winner, who assumed command at the third last, was tackled by the Jamie Codd-ridden Cost A Fortune at the final fence but the winner readily asserted his authority when forging clear on the run-in to beat that rival by five lengths.

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