Captain back in charge at Tipperary

Veteran Captain Cee Bee turned over odds-on favourite Rebel Fitz in the Grade 3 Friends Of Tipperary Hurdle in Tipperary yesterday.

On a day when crowd and betting figures showed an increase on last year, the Eddie Harty-trained eleven-year-old, patiently handled by Mark Walsh, swept past Mick Winters’ stable star between the last two fights before drawing clear to win by eleven lengths,

Winning trainer Eddie Harty declared: “He’s a very, very good horse and never got the credit he deserves. To do what he did today, as an eleven-year-old, was great. I’m thrilled.”

“He’ll keep going through the winter, although plans are fluid. There are plenty of races for him, from two to two and a half miles.”

Rebel Fitz’s rider Davy Rusell admitted: “He ran flat and ran out of petrol in very bad ground. But we have no excuses,” while trainer Winters conceded, “He’s due a break and will definitely get one now. He got a bit buzzed up beforehand, but he’s in one piece. He’ll probably come back over hurdles in the spring.”

Whatever Jacksays and Pride Of The Artic have proven tremendous money-spinners for Oliver McKiernan and Peter Fahey respectively over the summer and both made a successful transition to Grade 3 company in the later graded action.

The 142-rated Whatever Jacksays, whose winning run started off a mark of 99 at Wexford in April, pulverised his rivals when making all to land the Dolores Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle by twenty lengths from Passage Vendome.

McKiernan said of Robbie Colgan’s mount: “Three miles will be his trip, but we came here because it was such a good pot. He just keeps galloping and his heart is in the right place. He’ll have to step-up again, but I have no real plan for him.”

And, after Pride Of The Artic, ridden by his brother-in-law Andrew Leigh made all, jumped as impeccably as ever and outbattled Jacksonslady in the Like A Butterfly Novice Chase, Fahey commented: “His jumping was unbelievable. He’s very tough and kept battling when they tackled him. He deserves a break and might not run again until Christmas.”

In the other jumps action, the John Ryan-trained Foildubh, better known as a chaser, made a successful return to action when defying top-weight under Paul Carberry in the Woodlands Handicap Hurdle.

Ronnie O’Neill’s Rory O’Moore, ridden by his son Johnny, galloped his rivals into the ground to land the bumper and will revert to hurdling at Galway in three weeks.

Most valuable prize on offer was the Group 3 Coolmore Home Of Champions Concorde Stakes, which went, for the third consecutive year, to Dermot Weld as even-money favourite Yellow Rosebud reversed Galway and course and distance form with Lady Wingshot, scoring emphatically by three lengths.

Winning rider Pat Smullen, now just one behind Joseph O’Brien in the title-race, explained: “I was a bit more positive on her today and she stuck at it well.”

Kris Weld, representing his father, pointed out that Yellow Rosebud’s success was a fourteenth for the stable at Group level and added: “She has won a couple of Group 3’s and has probably done enough for the season. But, if she does run again, it will be in the Garnet Stakes in Naas. She’ll be staying in training.”

Earlier, Kevin Manning whose only previous win for Aidan O’Brien was on Johann Cruyff in the 1997 Gallinule Stakes, had to work hard to bring the gambled-on leading Light (7/2 to even-money) home in front in the two-year-old maiden.

Castlemartyr-based Victor Clifford has the listed Knockaire Stakes in mind for Hurricane Twister after he defied a 12lb. hike in the ratings by bolting up in the Glenvale Stud Handicap.