Kilkenny racing success on busy Easter Weekend of action around the country

At Cork on Easter Monday, Emmet Mullins won the first of the point-to-point bumpers with the John Gleeson-ridden Clay Pigeons. Owned by Paul Byrne, the 11/4 chance came from a little off the pace to lead inside the final furlong to beat 14/1 shot Cloudio. Gleeson also won the concluding bumper on Henry de Bromhead’s 7/2 shot Miss Doyenne. 

Willie Mullins landed another treble at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday where his winners were ridden by three different jockeys.

Mark Walsh won the opening two-mile handicap hurdle on the JP McManus-owned Last Kingdom. A 10/1 chance, he won by a length and a half from Gavin Cromwell’s 18/1 chance Stuntman Steve. The 2/1 joint-favourite Blue Lemon won the Grade 2 O’Driscoll’s Irish Whiskey Juvenile Hurdle with Paul Townend in the saddle. He had plenty in hand when racing clear from the final hurdle to win by seven lengths from Henry de Bromhead’s Its Bilbo, the other 2/1 joint-favourite. Patrick Mullins completed his dad’s treble on the Michael Feeley-owned 5/2 chance Sortudo. The five-year-old made all the running to score by 12 lengths from Declan Queally’s 4/1 shot I’ll Sort That.

Willie Mullins added to his success elsewhere with a treble at Cork on Easter Sunday. The JJ Slevin-ridden Mister Policeman ran away with the Grade 3 Michael O’Sullivan Chase to set the ball rolling. A 7/2 chance, he led before the final fence to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained 100/30 chance Fil Dor by seven lengths. Mullins was on the mark again as the Jody McGarvey-ridden 8/11 favourite Mirazur West took the beginners' chase. He won by a length and three-parts from the Elliott-trained 16/1 chance Harsh. Jody Townend was in the saddle as the 11/8 favourite Doctor Du Mesnil won the concluding bumper to complete the champion trainer’s treble. The Over The Sticks syndicate-owned five-year-old beat Paul Nolan’s Thedeviluno, an 18/5 chance, by an easy 11 lengths.

Willie Mullins landed his first winner at Fairyhouse when the Danny Mullins-ridden Spindleberry took the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup on Sunday. A 3/1 chance in the colours of Fearghal and Bronagh Eastwood, he led after the second-last hurdle and was well on top in beating Gordon Elliott’s 6/1 shot Firefox by four and a half lengths with the champion trainer’s 7/4 favourite Champ Kiely six lengths away in third place. Mullins completed a Grade 1 double when the Paul Townend-ridden 12/1 shot Aurora Vega scored an authoritative win in the two and a half-mile Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle.

Leading from the fifth hurdle, the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate-owned seven-year-old saw off the challenge of Fergal O’Brien’s 50/1 chance That’ll Do Moss by two and a quarter lengths. Pat Fahy and Harry Sexton shared their second winner in four days as the JP McManus-owned Drop The Anchor took the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle. The 11-year-old came from off the pace to lead after the final hurdle and he beat Gavin Cromwell’s 100/30 favourite Money Heist by a length and three-parts at odds of 12/1.

Tippinaway scored a narrow success in the opening two and a half-mile maiden hurdle for Richie Deegan and County Tipperary trainer Eric Larkin at Clonmel on Thursday. A first winner for the trainer in two years, the 20/1 chance led after the final hurdle and held off the late surge of the Sam Curling-trained Glenmore River, a 7/2 chance, by a nose. Pat Foley was next into the winners’ enclosure as 1/3 favourite Fad Eadrainn recorded a far easier win in the second maiden hurdle over the same distance. He led early in the straight under Simon Torrens and drew clear to win by an easy 10 lengths from Denis Hogan’s 100/30 shot Polemon. Pat Fahy and Harry Sexton combined to win the two-mile one-furlong mares handicap hurdle with the seven-year-old You Make Me Smile. The 10/1 chance led after the second-last hurdle to beat Queenofthelodge, another trained by Sam Curling, by two and three-parts of a length. Owned and ridden by Adam Leahy, the five-year-old Party President followed up on his Naas win earlier in the month when taking the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle for trainer Tony Mullins. A 9/2 chance, he led before the second-last hurdle and comfortably beat the Eamon Courtney-trained 4/1 shot Old Kenmare by two lengths.

Moonhall trainer Alan McIntyre landed the concluding 14-furlong handicap with the 15/2 chance Molly Hall at Gowran Park on Wednesday. With Robert Whearty in the saddle, the seven-year-old made all the running and was eased well inside the final furlong to beat the Jessica Harrington-trained 7/1 shot Gangster Granny by two and a quarter lengths, a fair performance on her first start since September last year.

The seven-year-old Star Official ran out the easiest of winners for Dick Donohoe and Danny Mullins in the two-mile handicap hurdle at Tramore on Monday. Owned in partnership by the trainer himself and Donal Doyle, the 4/1 chance led at the second-last hurdle and went right away to score by 10 lengths from the Garrett Ahern-trained 100/30 shot Nusra, his third success and his first since October 2023. In the colours of the Sarsfields Racing Syndicate, the Ross O'Sullivan-trained Prove Yourself landed a comfortable success in the two-mile maiden hurdle at Tramore on Monday. With Donagh Meyler in the saddle, the 9/4 shot led at the final hurdle to beat Paul Hennessy’s 33/1 chance Onyx Storm by two and a half lengths.