Miss Mary Mac lands Declan a first win

LAST Friday’s evening’s Wexford meeting proved memorable for Cratloe’s Declan McNamara, who recorded his first winner as a trainer when sending out 6/1 shot Miss Mary Mac to land the two-and-a-half-mile Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle under rising star of the weigh room Adrian Heskin.

Successful three times when trained in Newmarket-on-Fergus by Lorna Casey and her husband Fachtna Twomey, Miss Mary Mac has been in the care of her current trainer since McNamara was granted a licence to train by the Turf Club back in February.
A dual bumper winner, Miss Mary Mac landed her maiden hurdle at the Listowel Festival last September and a couple of unplaced outings back in the spring had left her spot-on for this latest assignment.
In touch with the leaders heading towards the second-last hurdle, Miss Mary Mac made steady progress to lead on the run-in with the 101-rated mare digging really deep in the final 100 yards to hold the persistent challenge of runner-up Walter Blue by a head. This was a gusty effort by the daughter of Dushyantor and she fully deserved to get her head in front having rallied well when tackled by the eventual runner-up.
McNamara, who trains the winner for his father, Seán, has a trip to the Kerry for the upcoming festivals in that county in mind for his brave six-year-old now.
“We will try and get some black type (win or be placed in a Listed race) for her now. There is a mares’ final at Killarney next week that might suit if she comes back to herself in time. There is also a suitable mares’ race for her in Listowel next month so we have plenty of options to look forward to. She is for sale with a view to keeping her in yard and we are hoping to find a new owner who will have plenty of fun with her,” McNamara said.
Reflecting on having landed his first training success, he confessed, “It is fantastic to have gotten off the mark. I have five horses in training at the moment and I have my own gallop and all the facilities I need here. It’s a tough business but one I love and I am looking forward to more success in the future.”
Meanwhile, Clare native Flan Costello is a man a little further down the road in the training business and the popular Limerick publican was on the mark when sending out his own Golden Nugget (9/1) to score in the aptly named Costello McDermott Handicap over nine furlongs at Ballinrobe on Monday evening.
A surprise 25/1 winner of a maiden at Sligo back in June, Golden Nugget obviously likes the Western air and showed real battling qualities to get his head in front at the popular Mayo venue.
Seamie Heffernan was on board the son of Intikhab, who having gotten to the front a furlong and a half out, stayed on best on the downhill run to the post to beat Shark Hanlon’s One For Joules by three-parts of a length.
Costello, who hails from Scariff and runs a popular watering hole named Costello’s Tavern on Dominick Street in Limerick City, was thrilled with the winner’s performance.
“It is great to win, even if it wasn’t the most competitive of races. We fancied him the last day at Roscommon but the ground was very fast there and he didn’t act on it at all. I had a few bob on today which makes it even sweeter,” he said.
Looking ahead to where he will go next with his useful three-year-old, Costello, who has a dozen horses riding out at his Hospital, County Limerick yard at present, explained, “We’ll have to wait and see what the handicapper does to us now before making any decision. I like to find another weak race for him if possible and sure we’d be dreaming of Listowel next month as well.”  

Zoffany triumphs as Harbinger retired
AIDAN O’Brien’s Zoffany leaped to head of the betting for next year’s 2,000 Guineas when recording an emphatic success in the Group 1 Keenland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
English raider, Strong Suit, went off a very warm 4-9 favourite to supplement his Coventry Stakes win at Royal Ascot for the all conquering trainer/jockey partnership of Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes but the in-form duo were to suffer disappointment on this occasion as the market-leader was no match for the Ballydoyle runner.
Johnny Murtagh was on board Zoffany, who went into this race on the back of four wins from five outings, with his only defeat coming when beaten eight lengths by Strong Suit when the pair clashed at Ascot.
On the basis of that form, Strong Suit was entitled to be hot favourite (given that what was perceived as the leading Irish hope, Dunboyne Express, was a late withdrawal due to injury) but things didn’t pan out that way as Strong Suit came under pressure at the head of affairs when tackled by Zoffany at the furlong pole.
It was evident that 3/1 shot Zoffany was going much better than the jolly at this point and Murtagh just edged his mount home to beat Jim Bolger’s Glor Na Mara (12/1) by half a length with the disappointing Strong Suit a short-head back in third.
Winning trainer O’Brien revealed, “He was just a big baby when he went to Ascot and it all happened a bit too fast for him. We stepped him up in trip so things would go a bit slower for him. The National Stakes back here next month looks a likely option now.”
Most betting firms have installed Zoffany at the head of the market for next year’s Newmarket Classic, with 8/1 the general price on offer about the Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs John Magnier-owned Dansili colt.
While Zoffany’s career is only just beginning to take shape, sadly, the news on Sir Michael Stoute’s Harbinger is that he has run his last race.
A brilliant success in last month’s King George V1 and Queen Elisabeth Stakes at Ascot, where he slammed a small but select field by 11 lengths in a record time, had seen Sir Michael Stoute’s four-year-old officially crowned the best Flat horse in training in the world but an injury on the gallops last Saturday morning means he has had to be retired.
The six-time winner, who was scheduled to run in the Judmonte International at York later this month before bidding to give Stoute a first-ever training success in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, fractured his near-fore cannon bone during a routine canter leaving his connections with no alternative but to bring his racing exploits to an end.