Viking Splash making waves
Viking Splash (7/2) valiantly set out to make all with ‘Corky’ Carroll, who partnered Mag Mullins’ Westerner Boy to victory in a division of the four-year-old maiden at Lisronagh earlier in the morning.
Giveabobback took over on the long run to the penultimate of the 12 obstacles, but Viking Splash was back in front at this second last fence and he stormed clear on the run to the last to see-off last season’s Cheltenham Foxhunter third Oscar Delta by an unchallenged nine lengths with a one-length break to Tyrone Golden Rain.
“This is a big horse that’s difficult enough to get fit and he has come on a lot from his fourth-placed at Dromahane last month, “reported the winning handler’s partner Rachel O’Neill of the BarryConnell-owned Viking Splash. “He will go to the hunters chase at Down Royal after Christmas and then the plan will the Leopardstown hunters chase in February and the Cheltenham Foxhunters too hopefully.”
Declan Queally was the meeting’s leading rider, the Cappagh amateur partnering three winners and he got off the mark aboard the Denis Ahern-trained Al Alfa (100/30) in the second division of the four-year-old maiden. Al Alfa, a creditable third to Western Man on his previous foray at Affane on November 11, was always well positioned and the victorious British-bred fought back valiantly on the flat to overtake the promising Lisnagar State inside the final 50 yards to score by a neck.
Queally then combined with Dungourney-based owner/trainer/breeder Pat Doocey to collect the confined hunt maiden with Your A Little Star (4/1). The only mare in the six-runner field, Your A Little Star recorded a gallant pillar-to-post success to dismiss Lenamore Boy by a length.
The David Kiely-trained Grouse Lodge (5/2) completed Queally’s three-timer in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. The recent Glenbane runner-up Grouse Lodge, representing Roddy O’Byrne, who also started off former Aintree Grand National winner Minnehoma in points with the aforementioned Kiely, had his task greatly simplified however when the challenging Mickey Moo exited at the final fence.
Eoin Doyle’s Count Salazar (7/2) seems a horse with a particularly bright future judged by his emphatic success with Pat Collins in the fiercely-competitive second instalment of the winners of two. Count Salazar, who got off the mark in aMilltown maiden on November 6,mastered fellow pacesetter Poplebouchon on the run to the second last with the victorious six-year-old then storming clear to account for Oppera by 15 lengths in the colours of Fethard-based owner JimBarry.
Annestown-based owner/trainer John Halley’s Rattle’N’ Roll (4/1) just came on top for Paul Power in a gripping three-way finish to the first part of this same concluding contest.
