Well-bred Hold Me Love Me boosts paddock value with game success
Opening her account at the eighth attempt, having been well-beaten at Bellewstown before contesting a listed race at Roscommon last Monday, the daughter of Sadler’s Wells showed commendable courage and tenacity to keep odds-on favourite Zamiyla at bay by a length after a protracted battle.
Although rated only 73 (61 when beaten at Bellewstown), Hold Me Love Me, a full-sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Yesterday and classic-placed fillies Quarter Moon and All My Loving, greatly boosted her value as a broodmare by opening her account. Connections can thank the enterprise and energy of Seam Heffernan for her success.
Fran Berry, out of luck on Zamiyla, later notched his 45th win of the season and restored a seven-winner advantage over reigning champion Pat Smullen in the title-race when the veteran Carlesimo landed the Campile Claiming Race.
The Noel Meade-trained ten-year-old was always prominent and shot clear before the straight to beat Lee Applause by three and a half lengths, recording his twelfth career success.
A claim (for €17,000) was lodged for the winner but was ruled invalid because it was not accompanied by a bank draft.
Meade’s stable-jockey Paul Carberry was seen to effect earlier when partnering the Gordon Elliott-trained Connemara Rose to an all-the-way win in the Poolcourt Ltd., Handicap Hurdle, the rider’s 26th win of the current campaign.
Pat Flynn has his string in good shape and was on the mark when Eritrea followed-up her recent win at Bellewstown by outstaying her rivals in the Ferrycarraig Handicap.
The versatile Red Ransom filly needed plenty of driving from Danny Grant to assert her superiority approaching the straight before staying on to beat longshot Strident by a length and a half. The winner will now head to Galway, according to Flynn’s representative Martin Maguire.
It was a night to remember for Andrew Thornton (26), from Navan, who tasted success for the first time on board Arondo, which made all the running to record a facile win in the Nick O’Donnell Memorial Handicap Hurdle.
Arondo, trained in County Tyrone by Mervyn Torrens and a faller in his last two starts over hurdles, slammed The Lady’s Man under a positive ride by Thornton, who spent some time with Howard Johnson in England.
