Antirrhinum gets Gerry O’Leary off mark

Gerry O’Leary from Ladys Bridge will treasure fond memories of yesterday’s United Hunt Club’s point-to-point meeting at Ballindenisk as he rode and trained his first winner courtesy of Antirrhinum in the confined hunt maiden.

Antirrhinum (6/4), who was virtually assured of victory when coming to grief on his hunt racing debut at Ballysteen

two weeks earlier, made virtually all the running and the ex-Ferdy Murphy eight-year-old was challenged by Predestined

from two out. The reality though was that the winning British-bred was always travelling clearly the stronger of the pair and he asserted in likeable fashion from the final fence to score by two and a half lengths.

O’Leary (29) who also rides out with Andrew Lee and Denise O’Shea, was virtually mobbed by well-wishers afterwards and he disclosed that the winning Sunny Side Out Syndicate comprise his parents Eddie and Kathleen O’Leary plus his fiancée Helen Flood.

Theatre Territory (6/4), a half-sister to Glencove Marina, indicated that a profitable track career lies in wait by destroying the opposition under her owner/trainer Damian Murphy in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden. Theatre Territory, who unseated at the second fence on her only previous start at Liscarroll in late-March, was left in the lead when Dunwoodie Dreamer fell at the sixth fence and the winning daughter of King’s Theatre had recent Dromahane runner-up Freeway Space as her closest pursuer thereafter. Freeway Space however was unable to make any meaningful impression from two out as the victorious five-year-old, purchased by Murphy as a foal, bounded clear to oblige by three and a half lengths in the style of a likely black-type mare.

Lenamore Boy (10/1), owned and trained by Denis O’Herlihy from nearby Knockboy House Stud in the parish of Carrignavar, recorded his fourth course success at Ballindenisk by making all the running with 20-year-old Darragh Allen from Araglen in the open lightweight. Lenamore Boy was tracked by Vital Plot and Pals Leg from two out and he gave the aforementioned pair a chance of sorts when erring at the last. In the final analysis, the teak-tough Lenamore Boy wasn’t found wanting as he powered clear to dispose of favourite Vital Plot by two lengths.

Going:

Good/Yielding

Coolmore Stud & McCarthy Commercials Ltd 4-Y-O Maiden of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) J Ryan’s Point Of Departure

b g (Mahler – Miranda’s Lace) 11-9 Mr C W Fennessy

2) W B Connors’ Farm The Rock

11-9 Mr B O’Neill

3) T Keating’s Book Direct

11-9 Mr J J Codd

9 ran. 1L, 3L, 15L. (Winner trained by Joseph Ryan)

Valeo Foods & The Radisson Blu Hotel, Little Island 5-Y-O & Upwards Mares’ Maiden of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) D Murphy’s Theatre Territory

b m (King’s Theatre – Specifiedrisk) 5-11-11 Mr D Murphy

2) Delton Syndicate’s Freeway Space

5-11-11 Mr D L Queally

3) A Pierce’s Boston Lady

5-11-11 Mr J J Codd

19 ran. 3 1/2L, 6L, 2L. (Winner trained by Damian Murphy)

Cork Plastics & MLS Motors 5 & 6-Y-O Geldings’ Maiden of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) P J O’Driscoll’s Murdo Mackenzie

5-12-2 Mr J J Codd

2) W J O’Callaghan’s Billy Boy

5-11-11 Mr S E O’Rourke

3) Mrs C Walsh’s Icantsay

5-12-2 Mr J W Hannon

15 ran. 5L, 1L, 1L. (Winner trained by James Joseph Mangan)

Careys Tool Hire & Aidan O’Shaughnessy 5-Y-O & Upwards Confined Hunt Maiden of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) Sunny Side Out Syndicate’s Antirrhinum

(GB) b g (Bollin Eric – Artemesia) 8-11-11 Mr G E O’Leary

2) W J Burke/E J Dwyer/F A Hayes’ Predestined

6-12-2 Mr P A King

3) J O’Callaghan’s Frosty Heights

7-12-2 Mr T Feeney

7 ran. 2 1/2L, 20L, 8L. (Winner trained by Gerard E O’Leary)

Ballymaloe Foods & Cork Builders Providers Open Lightweight of €1, 200. 3 Miles

1) D O’Herlihy’s Lenamore Boy

b g (Misternando – One Bid) 9-11-11 Mr D H Allen

2) L Kenny’s Vital Plot

(USA) 11-12-2 Mr J J Codd

3) E M O’Sullivan’s Pals Leg

9-12-2 Miss M O’Sullivan

8 ran. 2L, 1/2L, 4L. (Winner trained by Denis O’Herlihy)

Geaney Property Developments Ltd Winners Of Two of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) Ms M Ryan’s Ash Rowe

b g (Milan – Kaysel) 8-12-2 Mr J J Slevin

2) P J Redmond’s Redmond

5-12-2 Mr J J Codd

3) D O’Leary’s Castle Fall’s

10-12-2 Mr C W Fennessy

10 ran. 4L, 3L, 12L. (Winner trained by S Slevin)