McNamara shines as Good Step prevails
And winning trainer Enda Bolger, who won this prestigious ‘hunters’ prize once as a jockey, on Dromin Leader in 1991, declared, “John Thomas is riding great at the moment. And I hope he’ll be able to ride Spot Thedifference in the National on Saturday, even if he has to put up a few pounds overweight.”
McNamara didn’t panic in yesterday’s race when Good Step lost his place early in the last mile. He brought the JP McManus-owned seven-year-old with a well-timed challenge to beat First Down Jets, to which head failed narrowly in the ‘Joseph O'Reilly’ at Fairyhouse last week.
And Bolger explained: “The Ladies Cup (at Punchestown) is the next stop for him. And, in time, he could be our ‘Sporting Index’ horse, to take over from Spot Thedifference. His jump at the last clinched his win today and, with his pedigree, he should keep improving.”
On a day when early shocks lulled the bookmakers into a false sense of security, the later victories of Whyso Mayo and Oscar Orange took them by the roots.
Unlucky at Cork on Easter Monday, Whyso Mayo made no mistake this time in the Craigsteel Maiden Hunters Chase, justifying 11/8 favouritism for trainer Raymond Hurley and jockey Damian Murphy.
Whyso Mayo was the second winner for Hurley, since he returned to the training ranks after a serious back problem. Hurley said: “I have some nice horses, mostly point-to-pointers. And this is the best of them. He needs soft ground, so I’m not sure where he’ll go next.”
The well-touted Oscar Orange, trained by John Flynn and ridden with supreme confidence by Colman Sweeney, sent punters home happy after recording an impressive six-lengths win over highly promising four-year-old Coolgreaney in the Luso Mares Bumper.
A delighted Flynn, who clearly holds the Oscar mare in high regard, said: “She’s a very nice mare. And this has been the plan since she won her maiden in Carrigtwohill. She could go out in the field now, or have a run over hurdles. But she’ll go chasing in the autumn. She loves the sight of a fence.”
Riding honours at this meeting catering exclusively for Point-to-Point horses went to Andrew Duff (20), who notched his first racecourse success on How Ironic, trained by ‘Tucker’ Geraghty (Barry’s father), in the opening Lord Americo Mares Hunters Chase.
Duff, who has ridden seven point-to-point winners, made it a day to remember on the double when following up on the Gerry Keane-trained King Of Killeen, which romped home an easy winner of the Carroll House Maiden Hunters Chase, a launching-pad for a chasing campaign over the summer months.
