Boy registers first win in five years
Trainer Eddie Lynam, narrowly denied in the opener, saddled first and third in the one-mile www.dundalkstadium.com Handicap as the James-ridden Iron Major beat Joe Eile and Akasaka, Lynam stating: "He's quite useful when things fall right for him."
James followed-up when seven-year-old Blue Cross Boy, without a win since his juvenile days with Howard Johnson (in 2007), proved best in the second division of the Dundalk Stadium Handicap, beating Naked Cowboy. The Sean Gallagher-owned grey was a welcome winner for Adrian McGuinness.
Westport-born Conor Hoban brought Lord Kenmare, trained by his boss Michael Halford and without a win for more than two years, from well off the pace to beat Naoise in the Irish Stablestaff Association Handicap and rounded off the night when the versatile Tribes And Banner, trained by Charlie Swan, pipped course specialist Mutasareb and Joseph O'Brien in the finale, the Winter Racing At Dundalk Handicap, denying the runner-up a four-timer on the track.
Andrew Lynch, enjoying a tremendous season over jumps, recorded his first win at Dundalk when bringing the Harry Rogers-trained course specialist Solo Performer from last to first to land the featured Follow Dundalk On Facebook Race at the expense of King's Trail and the Mark Johnston-trained odds-on favourite Oceanway. Lynch was subsequently suspended for one day for using his whip with excessive frequency.
Joseph O'Brien, out of luck on Flavia Tatiana in this event, had enjoyed better luck in the earlier seven-furlong maiden when the Noel Meade-trained Honourable Emperor got up in the last stride to pip Eddie Lynam's Atticus Finch.
"An inch is as good as a mile in this game," stated Meade, who saddled the winner's half-sister Fountain of Honour, also owned and bred by Phonsie and Ann O'Brien, to triumph on this track last month. "He's built like a little tank and was very green and did everything wrong the first day. I expect him to improve again from tonight."
Ger Lyons, leading trainer at Dundalk and currently overseeing his team in Dubai, registered his first win since early November when Shisha Threesixty, ridden by Johnny Murtagh, landed a gamble (7/1 to 3/1) in the first division of the Dundalk Stadium Handicap, prompting Lyons' brother and assistant Shane to comment: "We've always though a bit of this horse but he's still weak and only filling into himself.”
* Johnny Murtagh picked-up a one-day ban for using his whip in front of his saddle, in the forehand position, on Joe Eile, runner-up in the www.dundalkstadium Handicap.
FEED: All old-style feeding; brown bread, meat and chicken, and the best of it — I wouldn’t give any dog anything I wouldn’t eat myself. They’d get two meals a day, morning and evening, their Weetabix, milk and tea for breakfast, meat and veg with pasta and so on in the evening, that’s it. On special occasions my mother could find some of her home baked brown bread missing from the larder.
I might change the meat to fish a couple of days a week, for variety, especially coming up to a meeting — and they like it too. Being a dairy-farmer is a big bonus, the fresh milk; we have 80 cows and I reckon one of those is exclusive for the saplings. The milk is great, turns them inside out.
TRAINING: We have a walking-machine but we’d walk them on the roads, the fields, vary it around a bit to keep them interested, take different routes.
We have our own gallop, about 350 yards with a good hill. The galloping depends on when they’re running. Some of them might be in the gallops every day, some every second day. We start off in August with two or three gallops a week, then build it up when they start coursing, then maybe drop it back again before building up for Clonmel.
WHO DOES THE MUSCLE-WORK? We have two local vets in Abbeyfeale, John O’Connor and Tom Kearney, and we have Dinny Cunningham for manipulation. Dinny is very good if they have any back problems or neck problems, he’s a great man to straighten them out, a genius. Between them they iron out the kinks, great men to have so close to us here.
SPECIAL RUB? Shane: No, not really, more or less what you’d get anywhere with maybe a drop of poteen thrown in.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN DOGS ARE IN PEAK CONDITION: They’d tell you themselves! You’re going to the kennels every morning and the day they’re not jumping up at you, you know there’s something wrong. If they’re in good form they’re fit, and they’re in good form now — hopefully we can keep them like that for a couple more weeks.
ROUTINE FOR CLONMEL: That’s what it is, routine, go over at the same time every morning and come back at the same time in the evening.
We’d go via Limerick, out the ring road and over by Tipperary town. You’d do it in an hour and a half, and I can’t see the point of staying over there if you can do it in that time. We usually leave here about half-eight, gives us plenty of time. They’re both good travellers but the bitch especially — the very minute she gets into the back she throws herself down, happy out.
AMBITIONS: Of course, a classic at Clonmel would be the ultimate achievement but winning Corn na Féile with Barrack Bimbo at our own meeting in Abbeyfeale this year was a great thrill. We are members of the club and we were honoured to win there.
