Russell off to a fast start in Killarney

Killarney’s four-day summer festival kicked off on Monday night with top jockey Davy Russell quickly into his stride when taking the opening two races.

Former champion point-to-point rider Russell joined forces with Ballingarry, Limerick handler Charles Byrnes to land his opening success at the scenic Kerry track when steering 5/1 shot Beabus Jack to victory in the opener, a two and a half-mile maiden hurdle.
Tucked away in mid-division in the early stages, Beabus Jack, who ran out when well in contention on his previous start at Clonmel, made steady progress to track the leaders on the approach to the home straight.
Once given the office by Russell, the six-year-old by Lord Americo forged clear from the final flight to beat runner-up Plato by five lengths.
The winner, who races in the colours of the Woodlands House Hotel & Spa syndicate from Adare in Limerick, may well turn up at the upcoming Galway Festival.
Half an hour later Youghal-born Russell was back in the winner’s enclosure as he guided the Gordon Elliott-trained 3/1 favourite His Excellency to victory in the featured €15,000 Aer Lingus Chase.
Prominent for most of this two-mile, one-furlong contest, His Excellency pokes his head in front at the final fence with the Michael O’Leary-owned four-year-old having to dig deep on the run-in to fend off the determined challenge of veteran Banna Man by a neck.
Elsewhere on the card, Joseph O’Brein, who had ridden two winners earlier in day on the all-weather at Dundalk brought his daily score to four when also completing a double.
The baby-faced 19-year-old is really flying this season and he was seen at the top of his game when bringing 5/4 favourite Happy Anniversary home in front in the one-mile O’Keeffe’s Marquee Hire Rathmore Handicap.
Owned and trained in Kilkenny by Dick Donohoe, the successful daughter of Inthikab was completing a quick hat-trick having scored at Leopardstown and Bellewstown the previous week and she needed all of O’Brien’s strength when sticking her neck out gamely inside the final furlong to record a one and a half-length win over runner-up Macnas.
The O’Brien four-timer was sealed an hour later when he teamed up with his dad Aidan to land the Killarney Avenue/Munster Joinery Handicap aboard Beach Of Falesa.
In contrast to his earlier success, O’Brien junior gave this 5/4 favourite a more patient ride delaying his challenge until just outside the furlong pole from where Beach Of Falesa, in the silks of his jockey’s mother Ann-Marie, stretched clear to beat Tommy Stack’s Equity Swap by a length and a quarter.
Tommy Stack, who had to settle for the runner-up berth with Equity Swap, had earlier visited the number one spot as his Billy Lee-ridden Pussycat Lips scored an impressive win in the two-year-old auction maiden race.
A good third on her debut at Naas late last month, this filly by Holy Roman Emperor made no mistake this time round as she powered clear from early in the home straight to deny Dermot Weld’s Cool Metallic by three and a quarter lengths.
Monday action came to a close with a competitive bumper where 10/1 shot Railway Zira made a winning debut for Tipperary trainer David ‘Harry’ Kelly.
A daughter of Westerner, Railway Zira was sent to the head of affairs by her jockey Pa King well inside the final furling and he timed it just perfectly as the pair ran on strongly to beat Tom Mullins’ 2/1 favourite Klepht by half a length.
Listed Belgrave success for Slade Power
After being rained off twice in a week, Fairyhouse finally got the green light to race last Sunday with Eddie Lynam’s Slade Power showing up well when landing the Listed six-furlong Belgrave Stakes.
Slade Power has not been out of the first two in his six starts to-date and the Dutch Art colt showed his class here when quickening up in impressive fashion under regular rider Wayne Lordan to beat Tracey Collins’ Arctic by half a length.
The winner, who was supported from 7/2 into 11/4, races in the colours of well-known bookmaker David Power and is developing into a very smart sprinter with successful trainer Lyman outlining: “This horse has that bit of class about him. I was in two minds whether to run him or not on that type of (soft) ground but he handled it even though Wayne (Lordan) said he wasn’t totally in love with it. I’d be hoping he’d develop into a Grade One horse and might do so next season.”
Cork-born Lordan went on to make it a double when taking the following Fairyhouse Members Handicap aboard Colours Of Love.
This 13/2 shot is trained by former Kildare footballer Willie McCreery for the GAA Legends syndicate and the winner just came out the right side of head-bobbing photo-finish to beat Invincible Ridge by a nose with Bubbly Bellini a short-head away in third.
The all-conquering Ballydoyle domiciled O’Brien team took the day’s honours at the Meath track with Aidan and his son Joseph leaving the meeting with three winners apiece.
The duo struck first in the opening six-furlong maiden where Parliament Square, a big disappointment at Naas four days earlier, put the record straight when scoring a facile four and a half length success at the restrictive odds of 4/9.
Warwick Avenue provided the O’Brien camp with their second success of the afternoon when defeating Blue Corner by a head in the 10-furlong Value Packages At Fairyhouse Race with the hat-trick completed in fine style when the father and son combination joined forces to claim the concluding one-mile, four-furlong Fairyhouse Sunday Market Handicap with 5/2 chance Chicago.