O’Connor reaches new heights with six-timer
But he reached new heights yesterday by partnering an initial career six-timer at the Kanturk-Duhallow meeting in Dromahane.
Indeed, four of the Galwegian’s winners were supplied by Robert Tyner and the pair initially combined to collect the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden with Pay The Bounty (11/10-evens).
Sporting the silks of Riverstick publican Maurice Kelleher, Pay The Bounty was put to sleep at the rear of the 17 runner field with the triumphant son of Karinga Bay making smooth progress to lead from the final of the 15 fences. At the post, Pay The Bounty had five lengths to spare over the eyecatching Tourig Massini.
“Last to first, that’s the job,” exclaimed owner Kelleher of Pay The Bounty, a half-brother to Alan King’s 2008 (Cheltenham festival) National Hunt Chase winner Old Benny. “He’ll have to go for a bumper now.”
Messrs O’Connor and Tyner also captured the second split of this same event with seasonal debutant Tullintain (5/4), yet another to benefit from a supremely judged patient ride. Owned and bred by Tyner’s wife Mary, Tullintain assumed command early on the run in to defeat Nick Stokes’ promising newcomer Wolf Moon by two and a half lengths.
Geoffs Bar (8/1), whom Tyner trains for breeder David Cotter, vindicated the horses for courses theory by landing the first part of the winners of one under O’Connor. Successful in a confined hunt maiden at this same venue last April, Geoffs Bar made his way to the front at the second last to dismiss the four-year-old Where’s My Soul by three lengths and a hunters chase is now probable for the winning son of Oscar.
Tyner’s Six Of Us (4/5) completed the 26-year-old’s six-timer by bravely edging out Kinard True in a desperately close finish to the second instalment of the five-year-old mares’ maiden. Six Of Us, who finished second at the previous meeting here in November, swept past the gallant Kinard True quite literally in the shadow of the post to score by a head. There were emotional scenes afterwards for Adrian Coakley, a member of the six-strong Skibbereen-based syndicate that own Six Of Us, who died in a car crash last week.
O’Connor kicked off this most memorable of afternoons by returning to the coveted number one slot aboard Pat Doyle’s newcomer Master Of The Hall (5/2-7/4) in the second heat of the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. Master Of The Hall, a son of Saddlers’ Hall that’s out of a half-sister to Edward O’Grady’s former Cheltenham festival winner Sound Man, showed a powerful turn of foot on the flat to beat Debbie Hartnett’s Ballycracken by a length and a half.
Co Down trainer Peter Magill’s Model Son (2/1), a former four-time track winner that fell on his final park start for former handler Paul Blockley in the 2008 Scottish Grand National, provided O’Connor with his remaining success in the open. Model Son gamely took charge from the last to repel Theatre Lane by three lengths and he will now be prepared for the Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters Chase at Leopardstown next month.
