Hidden Cyclone whips up a storm at Killarney
Ridden to lead over a furlong out by Patrick Mullins, he did just enough to hold off heavily backed favourite Affinisea by a short head.
“He’s a fantastic horse to ride. For a horse 11 years of age which has done a lot of racing, he moves like a four-year-old,” said Mullins.
“He was slow out of the stalls, but we got a lovely position, the one in front was probably going a little too fast. I’d say he probably needed it — in the last 100 yards he got very tired. I think he’ll improve from it.
“He’ll probably be entered in the GPT, the Hurdle and the Plate. He’s an amazing horse that he could be one of the favourites for all three of those races.
“Without doubt he could be a force in the Hurdle or the Plate. The feel he gives you, if you didn’t know what he was you’d say he was a four or five-year-old on the up.
“Shark has done a fantastic job keeping him enthusiastic for as long as he has.
“He ran very well in the Galway Hurdle last year, and I’d love to ride him in that race — I’m not sure what we have at home for that race, so I’ll have to get dad in a corner somewhere.”
There was further drama post-race, as, under rule 212 — using the racecourse as a training ground — sixth-placed Pyromaniac was banned for 42 days, his trainer, Tony Martin, fined €2,000 and jockey Patrick McGuigan given a seven-day ban.
In similar fashion to Hidden Cyclone, Lilly The Lioness ran out a determined winner of the Bourn Vincent Memorial Handicap Chase for trainer Garrett Power and jockey Jack Kennedy, who remains one of the sport’s brightest young talents.
Winner of a chase at Wexford in mid-June and a Flat race in Tipperary at the end of the month, the mare completed her hat-trick by finding extra to beat Marvellous Moment by half a length, and could bid for the four-timer at Galway, where she was successful over hurdles last year.
“She’s brilliant, you could do anything with her,” said a thrilled Power. “She’s as hard as nails, to go out one week after another, over hurdles, fences or on the Flat. This year she has come back bigger and stronger, and may go back to Galway now.”
Mr Ormsby had shown precious little in his first four starts but has come to himself this summer, finishing placed in a maiden and a handicap before winning the opening maiden here.
Trained by Sheila Lavery and ridden by Ronan Whelan, he tracked favourite Sean O’Casey for much of the trip, and asserted late to win by a couple of lengths.
Lavery said: “He needs better ground, but all the family are soft-ground horses. The handicapper killed me when he gave him 17lbs for finishing third in a maiden. He’s very lazy, but got a lovely ride from Ronan. He’ll go for a handicap next.”
Ruler Of France, rather than showing the ill-effects of his run here 24 hours previously, displayed rude health when making all the running to take the Celtic Steps Handicap Rated Race for jockey Leigh Roche and trainer Paddy Twomey.
More than a dozen lengths clear at one stage of the one-mile contest, he maintained a healthy advantage into the straight, but was all out to hold the late effort of odds-on favourite Mr Right by the minimum margin.
Roche said: “He had top weight here last night but, with General Macarthur coming out of this race, we felt we had a decent chance. We probably got through the ground better than the rest, and I thought when Ronan (Whelan, Mr Right) came to me, my lad put his head down and went on again. At the line, though, I thought we were done.”
A tidy gamble was landed International Hotel Killarney Handicap when Sister Blandina completed an across-the-cards double for trainer Johnny Murtagh, who was earlier successful with at Dundalk with Keukenhof.
Backed from 9-2 to a starting price of 5-2 favourite, the grey filly hit the front early in the straight, and stayed on strongly all the way to the line to score with plenty in hand.
It was a second winner of the week for Mallow jockey Denis Linehan, who said: “She’s improving, the horses are running well, and it’s great to get another winner. I was in front two and a half furlongs out, so she had to be tough.
“She improved again today, is definitely going the right way, and is still learning, so she can go on again. It’s great to get the two winners this week. We were quiet for a while, but it’s good to get two winners.”
On what could be his last start for Conna trainer Jimmy Mangan, Kilcrea produced a terrifically game effort in the MC Group Handicap Chase.
Ridden confidently and cleverly from the front by Philip Enright, the nine-year-old made all and really put his head down to fend off the challenge of the well-backed Na Trachtalai Abu.
“The rain dance worked. It is a big help to us, as he likes to get his toe in,” said Mangan. “Philip gave him a great ride. He was able to dictate, and slow it up, and I knew he’d be there in the finish when he was allowed to do that.
“If he goes up much in the handicap, he probably belongs in England. He’s getting a bit long in the tooth, like the rest of us, and there mightn’t be much left for him over here, but he could have a great future in England.
“If that’s the case, we’ll replace him with a new horse, and start again.”
When the meeting came to a close with a first success at the venue for the Jessica Harrington-trained Sandymount Duke, it had jockey Robbie Power dreaming of Irish Grand National glory.
“He’ll be finished blowing before I will be,” joked Power, of his mount which was off the bridle for a full circuit. “He’s a wonderful horse. He never wins races by far, only does what he has to do, and makes you work for it. He saves plenty for himself.
“We’ll have a chat with the trainer and see what our options are. He’ll stay novice chasing for the summer, but would be suited by an extreme trip, and something like an Irish National, over three-miles-five, could be right up his street.”
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