Treble for Murphy as Oscar Delta sparkles
The middle leg of a three-timer for rider Damian Murphy, Oscar Delta (6/4) overtook recent Clonmel hunter chase runner-up Island Peak on the approach to the third last of the 14 obstacles. Island Peak was soon beaten and whilst Debbie Hartnett’s Mr Dominator went second after the penultimate obstacle, he was still some four lengths adrift at the line. Island Peak faded in the closing stages to return a further eight lengths adrift in third spot.
In the absence of handler Mangan, otherwise engaged at Naas, his wife, Mary, remarked: “Oscar Delta will stay pointing for the moment and he could go for a hunters chase towards the end of the season.”
Murphy, the meeting’s leading rider, completed his hat-trick aboard the hitherto luckless Bog Road Lad (5/1) in the closing Six-Year-Old Geldings’ Maiden.
Bog Road Lad, representing Killeagh dairy-farmer John Mulcahy, overtook favourite Less Than Evens after four out and eased clear on the descent to the last to beat the market leader by a distance. The victory of Bog Road Lad was an initial one for 25-year-old Tallow-based handler Arthur Goulding, who took over the training licence of his brother Philip on the latter’s death last July.
Murphy’s remaining success came aboard the Howard Tarrant-trained Sonata D’Amour (6/4) in the second division of the Five And Six-Year-Old Mares’ Maiden.
Sonata D’Amour, who shaped with promise by finishing third on her previous foray at Tralee last month, took up the running at the second last and she forged clear on the flat to account for promising newcomer Bold Vicky by four lengths.
Bold Vicky’s trainer, Liam Burke, and rider Richie Harding were out of luck with well-supported newcomer My Murphy in an incident-packed first division of the Five-Year-Old Geldings’ Maiden. My Murphy held a slender advantage over Robert Tyner's Written Inthestars coming to the final fence. The pair however collided in mid-air here with Written Inthestars then falling, hampered My Murphy who in turn then cruelly deposited his rider. The newcomers, Rocky Top (8/1) and Harbour Two (12/1), both former Goffs Land Rover sale graduates who were well held in third and fourth spot at the time, were then left to fight out the finish with the judge sensibly awarding a dead-heat. The Donncha Duggan-trained Rocky Top was partnered by Sean Allen whilst it was Brian Hayes that was aboard Eoghan O'Grady's Harbour Two.
Michael Winters kept his supporters happy by saddling a two-timer. The Kanturk handler got off the mark with Tailors Hill (7/4) in the Confined Hunts Novice riders maiden, a second winner for Annagh amateur David O'Leary.
Clount's Native (4/6) completed Winters’ double in the Winners Of Two. Clount's Native assumed command at the third last and came home by an unextended four lengths from Castlesaffron in the colours of Rathmore vet Dan Horgan.
Clount’s Native rider, Mikey O’Connor, was also in double form for he earlier collected the second division of the Five-Year-Old Geldings Maiden with Kevin O’Sullivan’s 2009 Derby sale graduate Leave Him Alone (5/1 - 7/2).
Pulled up on his debut at Carrigtwhill just over a fortnight earlier, Leave Him Alone was making smooth progress in second when the well-touted leader Avenging Ace all but fell two out. The winning son of Oscar was then left with a relatively straightforward task to dismiss Nick Stokes' Avenging Ace by five lengths whilst newcomer Clonbanan Lad made a hugely encouraging career debut by returning a further half-length adrift in third spot.
Tom Lombard’s Dangan Daylight (4/1) stepped up from her fifth-placed Tralee debut effort by landing the first division of the Mares Maiden in the hands of Ciaran Fennessy.
Dangan Daylight, a physically-imposing daughter of Old Vic, owned by Galwegian Sean Hoare, held a fractional advantage over Our Girl Lucy when Tom Cooper’s charge fell at the final fence. Danan Daylight, who will now be primed for a tilt at a mares' pointers bumper, was then left clear to beat Ballyhass by a distance.
