Just For Joe makes a successful debut for Lee

Gort trainer Hannah Lee has a smart-looking recruit on her hands in Just For Joe, who made a successful debut over jumps when running out a facile winner of the concluding maiden hurdle at Roscommon on Monday.
A wide-margin bumper winner at Cork back in April, Just For Joe went off the 8/11 favourite to account for his nine rivals on this occasion and he hinted at better things to come when comfortably landing the odds.
Waterford-born rider Shay Barry settled the son of Presenting just behind the leader Dowd’s Angle for most of the way as the five-year-old took a keen hold. Approaching the turn into the home straight, Barry allowed his mount stride on and he quickly asserted when forging clear to register a four-and-three-quarter-length victory over runner-up, Charlie Swift.
Mrs Lee, who trains the aptly named winner for her husband Joe at her yard on the Galway Road side of Gort, wasn’t present but her assistant trainer Kevin Foy divulged, “We had Just For Joe engaged at Navan last weekend but the ground was just that bit too quick for him so we opted to come here instead. He did it well this evening and is an exciting horse. He got a bit tired late on, which is understandable but you couldn’t ask for any more from a horse on his fist outing over hurdles.”
Outlining future plans for the exciting novice, Foy continued, “He’ll probably go for a winners of one somewhere now and we’ve always felt he was a very good horse. Shay (Barry) thought the same today and he should be up to contesting all those good races during the winter.”
There was also success at the western venue on Monday night for a group of international soccer players as the horse they own, St Devote, scored at odds of 8-1 in the featured Kilbegnet Novice Chase.
Trained in Kilkenny by Eoin Griffin, St Devote carries the silks of the Dubs Vs Culchies Syndicate, which is headed by Irish soccer international John O’Shea. The Sunderland defender is joined in ownership of the Barry Geraghty-ridden winner by fellow Irish footballers Robbie Keane, Stephen Hunt, Damian Duff, Kevin Doyle, Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane and Daryl Murphy.
St Devote impressed when scooping the €24,000 first prize on Monday evening, quickening up nicely from the final fence to account for Nakajima Nate by three-parts of a length.
Winning trainer Griffin commented, “This horse won a valuable handicap hurdle at Listowel last year and has taken well to fences. The flat track and two-and-a-half miles was ideal for him and we might consider somewhere like Aintree for him in the spring. He’s had a long season and will get a well-deserved break now.”
The arrival of the soft ground has prompted the expected reappearance of some of our top jumpers and Gowran Park next Saturday has attracted a few big names.
Nine horses have been entered for the Grade 2 Price WaterhouseCoopers Champion Chase and among those are this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase winner, Sizing Europe. Henry De Bromhead’s charge is top class on his day and, having been just touched off when beaten three-parts of a length by Big Zeb at Punchestown on his final start last term, all eyes will be on Ann and Alan Potts’ chaser should he make his seasonal bow.
Possible opponents to Sizing Europe in Saturday’s contest include Tom Cooper’s 2009 Cheltenham Festival Arkle Chase hero Forpadddydeplasterer, who has been on the sidelines since being pulled up in the rescheduled King George at Kempton back in January. Rubi Light is also a possible for the two-and-a-half-mile contest and his star is certainly on the rise following his impressive showing when landing the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase over this course and distance for his Dublin trainer Robbie Hennessy last February.

O’Connor off to a flyer

Eight-time champion jockey Derek O’Connor got off to the perfect start when taking the opening race of the new season aboard Michael Hourigan’s Clear Hills at last Sunday’s Bruff point-to-point held at Rathcannon, County Limerick.
A big market drifter from an opening show of 7-4 out to 7-2 at the off, Clear Hills belied that lack of confidence when coming through under a typically patient O’Connor ride to hit the front on the run to the final fence.
There is a stiff uphill climb to the winning post at Rathcannon but O’Connor had timed his effort to perfection as he forged the victorious son of Marju clear to beat fast-finishing runner-up Minella For Ball by two lengths.
Coincidentally, this was O’Connor’s second year in a row to win this particular race aboard a Hourigan-trained runner, having taken the 2010 renewal with recent Listowel Festival winner Run With The Wind.
Hourigan, who trains Clear Hills for London-based builder Tom Doran at his Patrickswell yard, reported, “That’s my first winner in a long time for Tom and we go back a long way. Doran’s Pride was the best horse I’ve ever had and he also ran in the Doran colours. As usual, Derek gave this horse a brilliant ride. He’ll go for a bumper now.”
O’Connor had hopes for a quick double when teaming up with his brother Paurick to take the ride aboard 11-10 favourite Tyrone Golden Rain in the open lightweight. The Tubber duo had to settle for second best on this occasion, however, when comprehensively outpointed by 10-1 outsider Mattock Ranger.
This northern raider from David Christie’s County Fermanagh yard hit the front on the approach to the final fence with his rider Jason McKeown only having to steer the now 11-year-old to a clear-cut 15-length success over the market leader.
Cork teenager Maxine O’Sullivan kept her 100% record over the course intact when guiding Present Citizen (11-2), trained by her father Eugene at his County Cork stables, to victory in the winners’ race.
The 19-year-old, who also won on her only previous ride at this venue, was seen to good effect when giving the home-bred son of Presenting a power-packed drive to beat John Gleeson’s Thetalkinsover by eight lengths.
On a day when the 17 bookmakers present had by far the better of the argument, 8-1 shot, De Faoithesdream also did the layers a favour when making the most of the running to land what appeared a competitive five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Declan Queally – brother of top Flat jockey Tom Queally – was on board the winner, who stayed on powerfully where it mattered most to beat Betterthanallright by two lengths.
William Power has care of the above-average winner at his County Waterford yard and the five-year-old will now go through the ring at next month’s Brightwells Sale at Cheltenham Racecourse.