Common World gives Hogan biggest Flat win
Produced with impeccable timing by Seamus Heffernan, Common World lengthened away from Queen Titi from the furlong pole to score by a length.
Commented Hogan: “He’s been going all season, but is a very healthy horse and we are not hard on him at home.
“Seamie gave him a brilliant ride. He used to have little problems, but has grown out of them.
“Hurdling was an option, but he’s shown he can hold his own in this class and probably won’t be doing that now.”
Dermot Weld’s long-absent Miss Mambo was all the rage in the market, taken at 11-4 in the morning and from 2-1 to 7-4 on track. She ran no race, struggling from the start and trailing in a remote sixth.
The stewards inquired into possible interference between Queen Titi and fourth placed Yaria about a furlong and a half from home. They decided no alteration to the placings was required, but found Colm O’Donoghue, who rode Queen Titi, had been careless and he was suspended for three days.
Peter Casey, second in the race a year earlier with Valentina Guest, went one better when Blessyourpinksox won the Guinness Gold Cup.
The filly was to have been ridden by Chris Geoghegan, but he was stood down for a week following a fall here on Tuesday, and Casey found the ideal replacement in Chris Hayes.
Noend tried to make all, but Blessyourpinksox gradually wore him down, led inside the final furlong and battled well to win by a neck.
Commented Casey: “That young fellow is great. I don’t know where she will go next, but it will be where there is some juice.”
For 18-year-old Hayes it was another step up the ladder and this was the 41st win of his career.
Gortinard, who scored here on Monday, produced a quite remarkable performance to follow up in the Joseph J Grace Memorial Novice Chase.
When More Rainbows fell five out he badly hampered the winner, who dropped back to be a remote fifth.
Said jockey, Davy Russell: “I was very lucky not to be brought down, I reckon we lost 15 lengths.”
But Gortinard has a real engine and retrieved the ground effortlessly. Indeed, he was in front before the third last and was eased right down in the closing stages to beat Piercing Sun a totally unflattering three and a half lengths.
Said trainer, Charles Byrnes: “I wasn’t going to run him back so quickly, but he was bouncing yesterday morning. We will find something at Listowel, he will definitely go there.”
Paul Carberry, who partnered More Rainbows, was stood down until tomorrow, suffering a stiff neck.
Liam Burke’s Robbie Mac may have had 12-0, less Colman Sweeney’s valuable 5lbs claim, in the Bank Of Ireland Handicap Hurdle, but made light of it to score by a whopping 15 lengths.
The five-year-old swept through from mid-division to lead coming away from the third last and it was quickly a one-horse race.
Robbie Mac has the cut of a chaser, but Burke won’t be rushing things. “He will go over fences as soon as Mr O’Brien (handicapper) stops him at this game”, said Burke.
Michael Halford saddled his 40th winner of the season when Stef’s Girl easily took the Imperial Hotel Handicap. Pushed ahead inside the furlong pole by Emmet Butterly, this was a ninth for him, the four-year-old eased clear to beat La Motta.
“She had a great draw and that’s a huge advantage round here”, said Halford. “We will see what the handicapper does and take it from there.”
Tom Cooper enjoyed his second winner of the week when Owennacurry Bobby repeated last year’s success, streaking away with the Ballygarry House Hotel Handicap Hurdle.
The Kahyasi gelding picked it up early on the final circuit for Niall Madden and had this in the bag a fair way out.
Said Cooper: “He’s a bit of a boyo, you have to catch him on a good day.”
Davy Russell, brought down on Burren Moonshine, missed his only other ride of the day, but is expected to resume this afternoon.
Billy Lee, with fifty on the level to his credit, rode his first winner over jumps when Tabaco streaked away with the Tom McGiff Plumbing Maiden Hurdle.
Lee made his move heading to the third last and Tabaco did the rest, surging right away from Go Ali Go.
Trained by Susan Finn, Tabaco didn’t go unbacked, finding favour at 33’s in the morning and from 20-1 to 14-1 on course.
Said Finn: “That was badly wanted, we have had no runners all year, they have been very sick.”
Loblolly Bay completed a hat-trick of successes in the Kirbys’ Brogue Inn-Lanterns Hotel Rose Of Tralee Handicap, after it took four attempts to get the field away. The stalls of two of the runners didn’t open and then they were called back twice from a tape start. Eventually, all was well and Loblolly Bay powered ahead for Kevin Manning over a furlong down to beat Shaykhan.
