Joseph O’Brien has a week of winners as flat season nears conclusion
The Kilkenny based trainer starts and ends week on a high with a series of successes
Joseph O’Brien rounded off his week on a high with four winners across Sunday’s two meetings. He dominated at Naas with a treble, with Joey Sheridan partnering two winners and Jamie Powell the other.
Sheridan was in the saddle as the Eleanora Kennedy and Ronan Hurley-owned Formous took the near six-furlong fillies’ maiden in fine style. The 3/1 joint-favourite raced to a comfortable two and a quarter-length success over Jim Bolger’s 7/2 shot Ita Florence.
The Tipperary jockey was also on board the Janine Byrne-owned 100/30 chance Princess Child who got up on the line to deny Ger Lyons’ 9/4 favourite Faiyum by a shorthead in the Listed Garnet Stakes.
O’Brien scored a 1-2 in the Listed Bluebell Stakes with the Jamie Powell-ridden Snapretend winning at odds of 25/1. Owned and bred by John Farrell, the four-year-old led well before halfway and stuck to her task to hold off the late run of her own stable companion Beset, the Joey Sheridan-ridden 11/10 favourite, by half a length.
Shane Foley and Jessica Harrington landed a notable success of their own as the It’s All About The Girls-owned Diamonds And Dames ran away with the €120,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final. The 13/2 chance skipped clear over a furlong out to win by an easy six lengths from Michael Mulvany’s 15/2 shot Banks Of The Boyne.
Mark Walsh rode his first winner as first-choice jockey to owners Sean and Bernardine Mulryan when partnering the Joseph O'Brien-trained Atomic City to land the three-year-old maiden hurdle at Cork on Sunday. The 4/5 favourite came from off the pace and led after the final hurdle to win by half a length from the Aidan Howard-trained Step By Step, ridden for owner JP McManus by Harry Coben.
Owned and ridden by Michael O’Neill, the 9/4 shot Minella Emperor scored a much easier success for trainer Emmet Mullins in the three-mile novice hurdle. The seven-year-old led before three-out and was soon clear to beat Josh Halley’s 6/1 chance Siege Of Carthage by 12 lengths.
Jim Bolger landed a 20/1 winner in the colours of his granddaughter Claire Manning as Admired Beauty scored a last-gasp success in the opening eight-furlong maiden at Naas on Saturday. Ridden by Andrew Slattery, the two-year-old challenged the Joe Murphy-trained 6/1 chance Ted’s Turn inside the final furlong and led in the final strides to win by shorthead. Shane Foley and Jessica Harrington won the concluding seven-furlong handicap with their Listowel maiden winner Storm Ready. Owned and bred by John Kirkland, the 7/2 joint-favourite battled well from over a furlong out to beat Pat Flynn’s 14/1 chance Key Witness by half a length.
Danny Mullins also featured among the winners at Fairyhouse on Saturday where he landed the two-mile five-furlong beginners' chase on the 6/1 shot Antrim Coast. Trained by Rory Devine for owners Watchman Racing, the eight-year-old led well after the final fence to score by three-parts of a length from Gordon Elliott’s 10/1 chance Kainsbourg.
Tom Mullins won the 12-furlong handicap with the Jimmy Dalton-ridden Max Meridius at Thurles on Thursday. Leading on the run out of the back straight, the Helen Mullins-owned five-year-old stretched clear over a furlong from home to win by all of seven lengths from the Henry de Bromhead-trained 100/30 favourite Red Glory.
Tony Mullins and his son Danny shared a winner at Tramore on Thursday where the 12/1 chance Baymount took the two and a half-mile mares’ maiden hurdle. Owned by Francis Somers, the five-year-old hardly saw a rival as she made all the running for a three-length success over Henry de Bromhead’s 11/10 favourite Tutu Twist.
The nine-year-old Pahlavi was a winner for Shark Hanlon in the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle at Downpatrick on Friday. Owned by the Shark Hanlon Racing Club, the 7/1 shot was ridden by Harry Sexton and he headed Noel Kelly’s 10/11 favourite Invincible Oscar after the final hurdle for a one and a half-length success. Danny Mullins was an all-the-way winner again as he partnered Ross Crawford’s seven-year-old Iamagetaway to take the two-mile three-furlong beginners' chase. The 3/1 favourite went clear from the final fence to win by 12 lengths from Anthony McCann’s 9/1 chance Rockstown Girl.
Joseph O'Brien landed another winner as the 4/11 favourite Jesus Green easily took the eight-furlong maiden at Navan on Wednesday. With Joey Sheridan in the saddle, the two-year-old led over a furlong out to record a three-length success over Aidan O'Brien’s 3/1 chance Choctaw Nation. Jim Bolger took the second division of the 10-furlong handicap with the Declan McDonogh-ridden Ballaghkeen. In his wife Jackie’s colours, the 14/1 shot saw off the challenge of Paul Flynn’s 28/1 chance Nottooshabby by two lengths.
The Brian Hayes-ridden Road To Home got Willie Mullins off the mark for the week in the two and a quarter-mile beginners' chase at Galway on Tuesday. At odds of 9/2, the seven-year-old led from the third fence and was two and three-parts of a length too good for the Philip Fenton-trained 7/2 chance Karl Des Tourelles.
Joseph O’Brien landed his first winner of the week as the Julian Pietropaolo-ridden Shay’s Dream won the 11-furlong apprentice handicap at Killarney on Monday. In the colours of the Shane Hayes & David Newcomb Partnership, the 5/1 chance came with a late challenge to beat Jessica Harrington’s front-running 7/2 favourite Wie Wunderbar by a length.