Progressive Red River Gold strikes again for Donie Murphy

Point-To-Point racing returned to Tralee racecourse on Saturday as the North Kerry Harriers meeting took place at the now-defunct Ballybeggan Park venue.

The Donie Murphy-trained Red River Gold, an authoritative maiden winner at Athlacca just two weeks earlier, showed that he’s on a clear upward trajectory by landing the six-runner open lightweight in the hands of regular partner Eoin O’Brien.

In a race that was robbed of some interest when favourite Pocket Reader ran out at the seventh fence, Red River Gold (4/1) went to the front before the third last of the 13 obstacles and he stormed clear from two out to beat the mare Saddlenomore by six lengths.

“He couldn’t have won any easier and he likes a bit of cut in the ground. He could now go to Listowel for the hunters chase next weekend, “said handler Murphy of Anthony Smart’s homebred.

Donnchadh Doyle moved one ahead of Colin Bowe in the handlers’ championship by saddling two winners, the north Co Wexford-based operator getting off the mark with the Barry O’Neill-ridden Monbeg Notorious in the four-year-old geldings’ maiden. Monbeg Notorious (7/2), an embryonic chaser by Milan, moved past Global Stage on the approach to three out and when the latter fell here, the eventual winner then had little difficulty in repelling the patiently-ridden Western Cape by five lengths.

Monbeg Notorious,may now be offered at Brightwells Cheltenham sale next Thursday.

Doyle then completed his brace when Savingforvegas (5/2) destroyed the opposition in the five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the day in 18 runners.

Derek O’Connor, partnering a very first winner for Doyle, sent Savingforvegas into the lead on the run to three out and the daughter of Beneficial made the rest of the running to slam Lastbutnotleast by 20 lengths.

O’Connor likewise departed with two winners for he combined with former leading amateur rider Rosemary Rooney to collect the second division of the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden with Scobie (4/1). The 11-year-old Scobie had just moved through to join Dreamchasing when Michael Winters’ charge fell two out and the veteran was then left with the relatively straightforward task of beating the only other finisher Great Anticipation by 24 lengths.

Dreamchasing’s rider Ciaran Fennessy however won the first instalment of this same race aboard Dr Ted (5/1). Having his first run for Rathcormac-based handler David Barry, the John Cotter-owned/bred Dr Ted assumed.