Rock suited by switch to pointing

THE John Halley-trained Perce Rock, a former 140-rated chaser when under the care of Tommy Stack, showed that he’s ideally suited by the switch to the point-to-point sphere by making a winning hunt racing debut in the open at the South Union Foxhounds meeting at Farrangalway outside Kinsale yesterday.

Perce Rock (7/2), who recorded the final of his eight track successes for former owner JP McManus in the 2009 renewal of the Dan Moore Memorial Chase at Fairyhouse, took up the running with Halley’s 20-year-old son, Josh, at the second fence. Runner-up Annacarton closed from the penultimate of the 15 obstacles but Perce Rock overcame a final fence error to dismiss Derek O’Connor’s mount by two lengths with the pair being the only finishers.

Owner/trainer Halley said: “I have this horse since the summer, but he wasn’t fully wound up here. He’s a grand fun horse and we’ll see where we go from here.”

Molly Boru, owned, trained and bred by Pat Crowley from Ballyoran outside Fermoy, indicated that’s a likely track scorer by destroying the opposition in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

The well-supported Molly Boru (2/1 – evens), an excellent second at Avaune last December, gamely made all the running and she was well and truly in command from two out as promising newcomer Approach The Dream came through to occupy the runner-up slot, 10 adrift of the winning grey. Molly Boru is now likely to contest a mares’ bumper at Limerick over Christmas.

Molly Boru’s rider Ciaran Fennessy departed with two winners for he also captured the closing seven-year-old and upwards maiden aboard James Condon’s teak-tough mare Isitkittyorbaby (6/1). Homebred by Condon’s Goatenbridge-based father Bob, Isitkittyorbaby led or disputed practically throughout en-route to defeating Shannon Fall by two lengths.

Clonakilty-based handler Sinead O’Sullivan’s West Cork Flash (7/4) returned to a rapturous reception with Declan Queally following his narrow success over Coursey Rover in the winners of three. Owned by a 10-strong syndicate that’s headed by Neil O’Neill of the Fernhill House Hotel in Clonakilty, West Cork Flash wasn’t found wanting in the closing stages as he dug deep to oblige by a head in what was the closest finish of the afternoon. A tilt at a beginners chase is now probable for West Cork Flash.