Fortuitous Florrie’s Boy gets off the mark over fences

FLORRIE’S BOY, trained by Eamonn ‘Dusty’ Sheehy for the Butler Family Syndicate, proved a fortunate winner of the Gain Horsefeeds Novice Chase at Clonmel last night.

The eight-year-old, ridden by Tom Doyle, was tackled by Spes Ultima turning for home and the pair were involved in a tremendous tussle when odds-on favourite Arklow Ger loomed large between the last two fences.

The 4/7 shot looked sure to triumph under Paddy Flood, deputising for Davy Russell (who had been stood down for 24 hours after a fall from Arcadia Boy in the opening maiden hurdle) , but took a crashing fall at the final fence. Battle was rejoined by the other pair, with Doyle driving 14/1 Florrie’s Boy clear to triumph by two lengths, his first success over fences at his ninth attempt.

Barry Geraghty, denied on Spes Ultima, had earlier been on the mark on board the Kieran Purcell-trained Rickardstown, which had to dig deep on the run-in to hold off the challenges of More Sport and Joys Island by a half-length and a neck in the Hyundai Commercial Handicap Hurdle.

It was a day to savour for connections of Berkery’s Treasure, all-the-way winner of the Avonmore Milk Handicap Hurdle, and Gorthnacurra, another horse to end a long losing sequence in the Country Life Handicap Chase.

Berkery’s Treasure owned by his breeder Ger Berkery and trained by Philip Rothwell was enterprisingly ridden by Niki O’Shea to record his first career success.

Pat Morris saddled twelve-year-old Gorthnacurra, without a win since scoring at Galway in October 2005, to win the Country Life Handicap Chase in the hands of Alain Cawley, proving that perseverance in racing pays off.

Tramore-based Paul Roche, whose well-backed top-weight Joys Island came up short later, was on the mark when Philip Enright brought Lyical Assassin with a well-timed challenge to foil longtime leader Kellallshan and Paul Flynn in the opening Killenaule Maiden Hurdle.

Favourite-backers looked set to collect with the Shay Barry-ridden Sienna Storm in the Cahir Motor Company Hyundai Maiden Hurdle until Roger Loughran arrived late in the Dessie Hughes-trained mare Secret Admirer, a 16/1 shot showing dramatic improvement on all previous form.