O’Connor’s great season continues as Joy books Champion Stakes place

Young trainer Pat O’Connor from Tarbert, Co. Kerry is having a great season and will be represented in the Champion Stakes at the National Meeting in Clonmel in February by Liam Nolan’s (Moyvane) Catrionas Joy, the overnight favourite, who collected his second Cup of the season at the Dungarvan meeting (at Cappoquin) yesterday when he won the Deise Cup.

The brindle son of Razor Ashmore had taken the Callanan Cup at Bandon at the beginning of the month, having previously been withdrawn from the final of the Fran Mangan All-Aged Cup. He now has 12 points for Clonmel.

O’Connor also trains Hunters Glory, also a winner of two Cups — at Cappoquin and Ballyheigue, and has also sent out Long Meadow Raz to win the trial stake at Glin.

In the final Catrionas Joy, who hit the escape heavily when winning his semi-final against Cuddly Man, came up against Callaway Eagle and came from behind to take the opening score by a length and a half.

The overnight favourite, Droopys Bestie, owned by Michael Dunphy from Portlaw, Co. Waterford, was an impressive winner of the Derby Trial Stake. In the final he led Crackling Lord two lengths for the opening points.

There was an all-Cork final to the Oaks Trial Stake with Mrs Ann Fitzgibbon’s (Newmarket) Chow Chow booking her passage to Clonmel.

The winner, joint second favourite yesterday morning at 2-1, drifted to 5-2 before her semi-final against the favourite Vacume Vavavoom but came late to get the verdict by a length in a course in which there was no turn. In the final she faced Cronody Katriona and led three lengths for the only score in the contest.