Gabrielleamee gets Hurley off the mark

It was a red-letter occasion for 20-year-old Johnny Hurley at yesterday’s Avondhu Foxhounds point-to-point fixture at Knockanard for he rode his first winner aboard Jimmy Mangan’s Gabrielleamee in the closing six-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

On an afternoon that saw two favourites winning on the six-race card, last month’s Dungarvan sixth Gabrielleamee (10/1) made smooth progress from before the second last of the 14 obstacles to join issue with Cloud Of Gold on the stiff ascent from this penultimate fence.

The winning daughter of Cloudings, owned by Mangan’s brother Billy and bred by the pair’s niece Andrea Mangan, then assumed command from the last to beat Cloud Of Gold by a length.