Ryan has evening to savour
Consistent but luckless in his previous excursions over hurdles, 116-rated Glenstar belatedly opened his account when, sent to the front by Robbie Colgan four from home, he justified 5/4 favouritism in the opening www.kilbegganraces.com Maiden Hurdle, proving too strong or chief market rival Granaruid.
Ryan declared: “He’s an out-and-out chaser and it’s great that he’s won at last, because I though he’d win the last twice. He didn’t jump great today, but will have more respect for fences. He’ll have no problem staying beyond two and a half miles and will probably go for the novice hurdle over that trip at Galway.”
The Ryan double was completed when Kalico Kim, raised 7lb. for a recent win at Listowel, emerged successful after a protracted duel with Derrinlanna in the three-mile Hurley Family Handicap Hurdle, Declan Bates’ mount earning the spoils by a length and a quarter.
A delighted Ryan, who combines farming and training a small string of racehorses, said: “This is a good mare. She needs three miles and we just about got away with running her around here. Her owner-breeder Ger Ryan is a life-long friend of mine and would love the mare to run in the three-mile handicap hurdle at Galway. So that’s where we’ll be heading next.”
A return to Kilbeggan for the €50,000 Gigginstown House Midland National on July 15 is on the cards for the Paul Flynn-trained Archie Boy, which made all under Barry Geraghty to gain a short-head win over Resolute Bay in the featured Fay Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle.
Taking advantage of a lowly hurdle rating - 29lb. lower than his chase mark - Archie Boy prevailed in a bunch-finish, to the delight of midland trainer Flynn who said: “I suppose he’s well-treated over hurdles. But the main reason for running him here was to find out if he’d handle the track, with the Midlands National in mind for him next month.
“Barry (Geraghty) said he was slugging left quite a bit, that it wasn’t ideal for the horse. But we’ll probably ignore his advice and come back for the Midlands National anyway. There aren’t many options for him over fences — the Galway Plate is the other obvious option.”
Geraghty was denied a double when 7/4 favourite Presenting Nama had to settle for the runner-up berth behind the Noel Meade trained Clonmel maiden winner Tom Horn in the T & V Novice Hurdle, first leg of a double for Paul Carberry.
Tom Horn is also owned by Meade, who commented: “He’s a very spooky horse — he’s even afraid of the winning post. Some of his runs were very disappointing. But good ground is a big help to him. And, as you saw, he stays three miles well. He might run once more over hurdles, but he has schooled over fences and is brilliant over them. So that’s where his future lies, sooner rather than later.”
Carberry followed-up when, deputising for the injured Bryan Cooper, he partnered Casey Tipp to victory for County Wexford trainer Lenny Whitmore in the Tyrrellspass Novice Chase, the eight-year-old proving too strong for Spill The Beans and favourite St. Devote. A last fence mistake by front-running Spill The Beans simplified the winner’s task, the former point-to-pointer stretching clear under Carberry to triumph by five lengths, prompting Whitmore to state: “He’ll keep going for the summer, because he loves that fast ground. He might come back here, or he could go to Killarney next.”
