Grand Gold easily sees off opposition

The first session of the two-day Kanturk-Duhallow point-to-point fixture at Dromahane took place on Saturday and Sam Curling’s Grand Gold indicated that he’s set for a particularly productive campaign by easily winning the four-mile ladies open in the hands of the Liz Lalor.

The six-year-old Grand Gold (6/4), a former winner over six furlongs as a juvenile for Mick Channon, arrived from off the pace to pick up the running two out and last month’s Kilworth runner-up was always possessing too many aces for main market-rival Pocket Reader thereafter with one and a half lengths the winning margin.

“This is a grand horse that’s very versatile and we will tip away in points with him,” said Curling of the Zoe Doyle-owned Grand Gold.

Michael Winters’ well-touted newcomer Kanturk Bank brought off a nice touch from 5/1 into evens in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. Although making a few jumping errors, Kanturk Bank was always merely in cruise control and he stayed on purposefully for Mikey O’Connor in the closing stages to see-off Liscarroll runner-up Minella Treasure by a length in the colours of Winters’ brother Tony.

It’s possible that Kanturk Belle, bred by handler Winters’ mother-in-law Mary O’Connor from Kanturk, will now be offered at the Brightwells sale at Cheltenham on April 24th.

Croom-based owner/trainer Joe Casey seems to have a nice prospect on his hands in the form of Lethegoodtimesroll (4/1 – 7/2) who made a stylish winning debut in the four-year-old mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the day in 15 runners.

The Mahler-sired Lethegoodtimesroll, a graduate of the 2014 August sale at Fairyhouse, led between the final two fences to provide 23-year-old Ray Barron with an initial winner of the season.

Johnny Hurley continues to impress and the Conna amateur struck aboard his boss Jimmy Mangan’s Gabrielleamee (4/1) in the mares’ winners of one.

Gabrielleamee, representing Mangan’s brother Billy, made progress after four out to pick up the running before two out and the homebred daughter of Cloudings powered clear coming to the last to see off Garryduff Beg by six lengths.

Johnny King excelled by bringing owner/trainer Liam Casey’s recent Lisronagh third Pure Logic (5/1) from off the pace to collect a somewhat grief-stricken six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden. Pure Logic eased to the front on the outer after two out to dismiss Kadmer by five lengths and a summer track campaign is now probable for the triumphant seven-year-old, an own-brother to Asithappens whom Casey has already sent out to win two points to date this season.

The Louis Archdeacon-trained Double Dan (4/5), a fine fourth in a quite competitive maiden at the previous meeting at this same venue on March 29th, had little more than an exercise canter in the closing adjacent hunts maiden.

Double Dan made all the running with Ciaran Fennessy and, having survived a fourth-last fence blunder, the winning son of Danroad stormed clear from two out to slam Clogheen Rebel by 18 lengths.

Going: Good/Yielding

Brightwells Bloodstock 4-Y-O Mares’ Maiden of €800. 3 Miles

1) J E Casey’s Lethegoodtimesroll

ch m (Mahler – Little Pearl) 11-4 Mr R W Barron

2) Mrs C Cashman’s Snowbird

11-4 Mr P F Casey

3) Ms E Fuller’s Your Turn

11-9 Mr D O’Connor

15 ran. 3/4L, 2L, 2 1/2L. (Winner trained by J E Casey)

Brightwells Bloodstock 5-Y-O Geldings’ Maiden of €800. 3 Miles

1) T Winters’ Kanturk Bank

b g (Carlo Bank – Kanturk Belle) 12-2 Mr M J O’Connor

2) J Nallen’s Minella Treasure

12-2 Mr J T Carroll

3) R Frisby’s Artiste Du Gouet

(FR) 12-2 Mr R James

12 ran. 1L, 5L, 10L. (Winner trained by Michael Winters)

Mallow Racecourse Ladies Open of €1, 000. 4 Miles

1) Miss Z Doyle’s Grand Gold

(GB) b g (Librettist – Night Symphonie) 6-11-9 Miss E A Lalor

2) Miss I T Walsh’s Pocket Reader

(GB) 9-11-4 Miss I T Walsh

3) T Wilson’s Forever Eva

9-11-4 Miss J M Mangan

6 ran. 1 1/2L, 1 1/2L, 3 1/2L. (Winner trained by Sam Curling)

Chasers Night Club Mares’ winners Of One of €800. 3 Miles

1) W Mangan’s Gabrielleamee

b m (Cloudings – Just A Friend) 6-11-11 Mr J Hurley

2) S Gavin’s Garryduff Beg

6-11-11 Mr R Deegan

3) Ms N Crowley’s Raising Hope

6-12-2 Mr J W Hannon

10 ran. 6L, 2L, Hd. (Winner trained by James Joseph Mangan)

6-Y-O & Upwards Geldings’ Maiden of €800. 3 Miles

1) L Casey’s Pure Logic

b g (Cloudings – Rugged Valley) 7-12-2 Mr J J King

2) B O’Driscoll’s Kadmer

6-12-2 Mr L C Murphy

3) E M O’Sullivan’s Vinnie Trenta

7-11-11 Mr E M O’Sullivan

10 ran. 5L, 10L. Only 3 Horses Finished. (Winner trained by Liam Casey)

5-Y-O & Upwards Adjacent Hunts Maiden of €800. 3 Miles

1) Mrs M Archdeacon’s Double Dan

b g (Danroad – Brilliant Trees) 6-12-2 Mr C W Fennessy

2) D P O’Brien’s Clogheen Rebe

l 6-12-2 Mr M Scallan

3) E M O’Sullivan’s Kilcolman Hill

5-11-11 Mr E M O’Sullivan

4 ran. 18L, 15L. Only 3 Horses Finished. (Winner trained by Louis Archdeacon)