Luska Lad rolls back the years in four-mile open

The ‘Shark’ Hanlon-trained Luska Lad rolled back the years by destroying the opposition in the four-mile open at the opening session of the Kinsale point-to-point festival at a wet Farrangalway on Saturday evening.

Luska Lad (6/4), a former 10-time track winner, was bounced out in front by 22-year-old John Fitzpatrick with the victorious 11-year-old making all the running and he had Vanguard as his closest pursuer from the fourth last of the 20 obstacles. Vanguard though was unable to make any impression on Luska lad from two out as the winning son of Flemensfirth asserted to score by eight lengths.

“Fair play to John Fitzpatrick as he gave this horse a brilliant ride and he was able to get a breather into him”, said Hanlon of the Barry Connell-owned Luska Lad. “The old horse jumped great today, he’s one of the best horses that I’ve ever had and this opens up a few options for him as he could be a banks horse for next season.”

There was a gripping finish in the opening mares’ winners of one with the judge awarding a dead-heat between the Robert Tyner-trained Scoop It (5/1), the mount of Derek O’Connor, and Jonathan Sweeney’s Barnhash (6/1), who was ridden by Ambrose McCurtin. Scoop It, who made most of the running, bravely came a second time to overtake Barnahash at the last. Barnahash though refused to yield and she joined issue quite literally on the line to force a dead-heat.

The Pat Barry-trained Get Rhythm (6/1) readily put his rivals to the sword under Damian Murphy in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, the race that attracted the biggest field of the evening in 15 runners. The Kayf Tara-sired Get Rhythm went to the front at the fourth last, and although none too clever three out, the winning British-bred still readily asserted from the penultimate obstacle to contain Icantsay by two lengths in the style of a likely track winner.

Theatre Princess (5/4) supplemented her facile success at Dromahane in late-April by coming home as she pleased with talented 19-year-old Chris O’Donovan, who was posting a third success of the campaign, in the mares’ open. The Michael Winters-trained Theatre Princess eased to the front on the incline from three out and she was always containing last the previous Saturday’s Tralee winner Without Wings from two out, the ultimate winning margin being four lengths. Winters intimated that Theatre Princess, representing his near-neighbour Eamon Tarrant from Kanturk, will now be primed for a hurdling campaign.

The Jimmy Mangan-trained five-year-old Bandon Bridge (6/1), owned and bred by Karen O’Driscoll, powered clear from two out to defeat Fly West by a comprehensive five lengths under Jamie Codd in the closing confined hunts maiden.

Colin Bowe joined Donnchadh Doyle on the 28-winner mark at the head of the handlers’ championship by saddling Theatre Mole (evens – 4/5) to oblige with Barry O’Neill in the five and six-year-old mares’ maiden. This season’s dual runner-up Theatre Mole was made to work extremely hard for victory by the Shane Fitzgerald-ridden runner-up Gersjoeycasey as there was just a head separating the pair at the death.

Going: Good

Celtic Ross Hotel Mares’ Winners Of One of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) Ms M O’Connor’s Barnahash b m (Clerkenwell – Sheanel) 7-12-2 Mr A McCurtin

1)The Patient Syndicate’s Scoop It b m (Darsi – One Forward) 6-12-2 Mr D O’Connor

3) D F Finn’s Bell’s Cross 8-11-11 Mr P F Casey

11 ran. Dead Heat, 1 1/2L, Hd. (Barnahash trained by Jonathan Sweeney; Scoop It trained by Robert Tyner)

O’Leary Insurance Group Florida Pearl 5-Y-O Geldings’ Maiden of €1,000. 3 Miles

1) Ms E Barry’s Get Rhythm (GB) b g (Kayf Tara – Ninna Nanna) 12-2 Mr D Murphy

2) Mrs C Walsh’s Icantsay 12-2 Mr J W Hannon

3) M Kearney’s Burgess View 12-2 Mr D O’Connor

15 ran. 2L, Nk, 6L. (Winner trained by Pat Barry)

MSL Motor Group 5 & 6-Y-O Mares’ Maiden of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) Miss M Kavanagh’s Theatre Mole b m (King’s Theatre – Emmylou Du Berlais) 5-11-11 Mr B O’Neill

2) G D Corrigan’s Gersjoeycasey 6-11-6 Mr S Fitzgerald

3) M C McDaniel-Stone & Ms M J Hanlon’s Katie’s Hen 5-11-11 Mr J P O’Rourke

10 ran. Hd, 5L, 4L. (Winner trained by Colin Bowe)

The Good Fish Company Mares’ Open Lightweight of €1, 000. 3 Miles

1) E Tarrant’s Theatre Princess b m (King’s Theatre – Super Sammy) 8-11-11 Mr M C O’Donovan

2) E Ryan’s Without Wings 7-12-2 Mr M J O’Hare

3) T Wilson’s Forever Eva 9-12-2 Mr C W Fennessy

5 ran. 4L, 10L. Only 3 Horses Finished. (Winner trained by Michael Winters)

Blackwater Motors Open Lightweight of €1, 200. 4 Miles

1) B Connell’s Luska Ladch g (Flemensfirth – Notsophar) 11-11-11 Mr J J Fitzpatrick

2) Ms K O’Driscoll’s Vanguard 7-12-2 Mr J J Codd

3) J Bermingham’s Fourth Class 11-12-2 Mr D O’Connor

10 ran. 8L, 8L, 7L. (Winner trained by John Joseph Mangan)

Bandon Co-Op & Finders Inn Restaurant of €1,000. 3 Miles

1) Ms K O’Driscoll’s Bandon Bridge br g (Presenting – Karen Mag) 5-12-2 Mr J J Codd

2) Ms A Cashman & J Barrett’s Fly West 7-12-2 Mr J T Carroll

3) C Duggan’s Whos De Baby 7-12-2 Mr D O’Connor

11 ran. 5L, 6L, 8L. (Winner trained by James Joseph Mangan)