Limerick a happy hunting ground for the Jones brothers

Limerick’s Christmas Racing Festival did well to beat the bad weather, with all four days going ahead without a hitch. The Greenmount Park track proved a happy hunting ground for Doora brothers Matt and James Jones, who tasted success when their horse, Dazzlers Day, who races under the Jonsdel Partnership banner, sprung a 20-1 shock in last Friday’s Ryans Cleaners Handicap Hurdle.

Trained in Ballingarry, County Limerick by Charles Byrnes, Dazzlers Day stepped up on his previous form when, under an enterprising ride from promising claimer Rob Jones,  the five-year-old pulled away in the closing stages to beat 9-4 favourite Missie Ella by four-and-a-half lengths.

The winner, who was wearing blinkers for the first time, handled the heavy ground really well and his success came as something of a surprise, according to Matt Jones, who stated, “It was something of a Christmas miracle to be honest that this horse won, as we weren’t really expecting it. He hadn’t run that well in his races up to now but the addition of blinkers and popping him out in front seemed to make all the difference.

“It’s fantastic to have a winner at our local track at Christmas and we were roaring him home from the top of the hill. We hope he will go on from here and it would be nice to have a bit of fun with him now,” concluded Jones, who works with Allied Irish Banks in Limerick.

Mullins rules at ­Leopardstown
Champion trainer Willie Mullins enjoyed a terrific run at the recent four-day Leopardstown Christmas Festival, with a host of big-race winners that included an impressive victory for Hurricane Fly in Saturday’s Grade 1 Istabraq Festival hurdle.

Successful on his seasonal reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, Hurricane Fly went off at the very cramped odds of 1-5 to beat what appeared on paper four inferior rivals and he duly kicked that quartet out of his way with the minimum of fuss.

Paul Townend took the field along at a steady clip aboard Hurricane Fly’s stable companion Thousand Stars until Walsh allowed his mount stride to the front on the approach to the home straight.

In a short few strides, the race was put to bed as Hurricane Fly eased away in effortless fashion to beat Dermot Weld’s filly, Unaccompanied, by an easy seven lengths.

Mullins said afterwards, “We’re delighted with that performance, not just the way he won but how he settled. He was much easier to lead around the ring beforehand and seems to be a much more settled horse in general this season.

“Ruby said he travelled beautifully throughout the race and he was very professional. I have been a lot happier with him at home this year than I was last season. We’ll come back here again for the Irish Champion Hurdle with him, before going onto Cheltenham. If we can get him back to Cheltenham in the same form as he is now, he’ll have a very good chance,” added the Clostutton, County Carlow-based trainer.

It proved an emotional day for Mullins at the Foxrock track, as earlier in the afternoon he had witnessed his son, Patrick, make history when claiming the ITBA Fillies Scheme Mares’ Hurdle aboard Zuska.

The cosy triumph on the 11-10 favourite provided Mullins junior with his 73rd win of 2012, breaking the record for the number of winners by an amateur jockey in a calendar year in Ireland, which had stood since Billy Parkinson rode 72 back in 1915.

Back In Focus was another high-profile horse to deliver for the Mullins/Walsh combination when coming with an expertly timed Walsh run to land last Friday’s Grade 1 Topaz Novice Chase.

A point-to-point winner at Kilfeacle when trained by John Costello, this son of Bob Back, who races in the silks of leading UK owners Andrea and Graham Wylie, needed all of his rider’s urgings when getting up in the dying strides to beat stable companion Aupcharlie by a neck.

The winner is an out-and-out stayer, with the RSA Chase at Cheltenham looking right up his street. He’s a superb jumper but the one worry that exists where the festival is concerned is that Back In Focus does appear to need soft ground to be seen at his best and the going at Prestbury Park in recent years has tended to be on the good side.

Walsh brilliant on Tidal Bay
If Ruby Walsh was good on Back In Focus, he was nothing short of superb aboard UK raider Tidal Bay half an hour later in the Lexus Chase.

This race was billed as a match between rising starts Flemenstar and Sir Des Champs but it was the veteran 11-year-old Tiday Bay who put the youngsters in their place when recovering his best form to provide the Wylie camp with their second Grade 1 success of the day.

In what looked an outstanding renewal of the race, all eyes were on Flemenstar as Peter Casey’s stable star, who had captured the imagination of jumping fans everywhere, stepped up to three miles for the first time after a series of really impressive displays over shorter distances.

As the field rounded the final turn, Flemenstar cruised into the lead under regular partner Andrew Lynch. At that point, it appeared anyone who doubted his ability to get the trip were going to be put firmly in their place as Flemenstar rose to the final fence with a healthy lead.

Halfway up the run-in, First Lieutenant began to make a race of it with Flemenstar and for a brief moment it looked as if Mouse Morris’ charge was going to win the day. However, Walsh began to work the oracle aboard Tidal Bay, who swept between Flemenstar and First Lieutenant to score by a head from First Lieutenant, with Flemenstar a further half-a-length back in third.

This was vintage Walsh for sure as Tidal Bay, who had posted a good effort when second to Bob’s Worth in the Hennessy at Newbury, is a tricky old character who definitely has a mind of his own.

Summing up his latest big-race success, winning trainer Paul Nicholls said, “Tidal Bay has been quirky in the past but we have got to the bottom of what was bothering him. He travels and jumps much better now and, while I thought he had too much to do at the fourth last, Ruby said he was always confident he could pick up the ones in front.  The Cheltenham Gold Cup is now his target.”

While Tidal Bay’s connections were celebrating, those associated with Flemenstar were left scratching their collective heads. He seemed set to win early in the home straight but ran out of petrol at an alarming rate on the run-in. Flemenstar didn’t seem to get the trip fair and square and, when you add in the extra two furlongs and even steeper uphill climb to the finish at Cheltenham, it is hard to make a serious case for his Gold Cup prospects.

It was interesting to hear in his immediate post-race musings Peter Casey mention dropping back to two miles for the Queen Mother Champion Chase (and a possible clash with Sprinter Sacre) but he appears to have rowed back on that in the meantime when nominating the Hennessy Gold Cup back in Leopardstown next month as Flemenstar’s next outing.

Runner-up First Lieutenant ran a blinder for Mouse Morris and while Sir Des Champs did his chances no harm at all when coming home well (after a number of jumping mistakes) on the stands side under Davy Russell.

With so many good performances to look back on, it is hard to cover all the angles but one that must get a mention is Jessica Harrington’s Jezki, who looked the real deal when scorching home in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle on Paddy Power day Thursday, December 27.

Tipped a future star when he ran away with the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse a few weeks earlier, Jezki (11-8 favourite) cemented his position as a top two-mile novice hurdler when surging clear to beat Waheeb by half-a-dozen lengths.

The winner has been installed 6-1 for the opening Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

O’Connor rounds off year with a superb four-timer
Nine-time champion point-to-point rider Derek O’Connor enjoyed a wonderful 2012 and he finished off the year in the best possible fashion when riding four winners at last Sunday’s Dromhane, County Cork meeting.

The Tubber rider, who is getting married to his fiancé Carol O’Donnell from Crusheen next June, got his afternoon off to the perfect start when guiding even-money favourite County Champions to victory in the opening four-year-old maiden.

A good third to the highly rated Foxrock in Loughrea last time out, County Champions surged to the front on the climb to the post to beat runner-up Lemmond Lady by a length and a half.

An hour later, the O’Connor/Tyner combo were back in the number-one berth when taking the second division of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden with the well-supported Bar Stood Bob (5-1-5-2). The successful son of Gamut struck the front on the run to the final fence and stayed on well from there to beat the Mark Spillane-ridden Line D’Aois by two-and-a-half lengths.

Winner number three of the afternoon for O’Connor was also supplied by Kinsale-based Tyner as 9-4 shot Sterling Stuff scored by a length-and-a-half from runner-up Azure Aware in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

O’Connor, who goes into 2013 one behind Jamie Codd (20-19) in his quest for a 10th jockeys’ championship in a row, was seen at his inspired best when bringing up his four-timer aboard Suir View Girl (6-4) in the second leg of the concluding older mares’ maiden.

Two out, this daughter of Oscar, who is trained in Tipperary by Sam Curling, appeared to have it all to do but the champion worked his magic on the six-year-old, producing her in the shadows of the post to beat Vicalus by a short-head.