Listowel report: Baron lording it in handicaps

The winner made the breakthrough off a mark of 65 and won again with something to spare

Baron Samedi’s remarkable rise up the handicap continues apace, and he made it four on the bounce with victory in the feature race, the Listowel Printing Works Handicap.

There was unwanted drama before the home bend where the field tightened up and well-backed favourite Sayo crashed to the ground and gave Guinevere no chance to avoid him.

The IHRB medical officer, Dr Ciara O’Carroll later reported that Wayne Lordan, rider of Sayo, and Sean Davis, who was catapulted from Guinevere, “were both conscious leaving the racecourse.” Wayne was “taken for precautionary x-rays on his right shoulder” while Sean would be having “precautionary x-rays on a lower left leg injury.”

The winner, trained by Joseph O’Brien and ridden by rising star Dylan Browne McMonagle, made the breakthrough off a mark of 65 and despite being 32lbs higher this time, won again with something to spare.

He came wide to challenge in the straight and, after edging left and then being straightened up quickly by McMonagle, went on to win by a cosy three parts of a length from Bashiyr.

O’Brien later completed a double when Druid’s Altar ran out a convincing winner of the second division of the Behan’s Horseshoe Bar & Townhouse Maiden. Shane Crosse made all the running, sent his mount on early in the straight and quickly had matters at hand.

Flying Visit continued the fine run of Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning by winning the opening race, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden, but there were some anxious moments in the closing stages.

The odds-on shot was clear into the straight, but he hung across the track all the way up the straight and Manning had to be at his strongest to get the colt to consent to run on to the winning line. Despite his wayward antics, he was still six lengths and more superior to his rivals.

Foreign Legion and Ecoeye had a good buckle at the business end of the Thorn Plant Hire Handicap and the former, trained by John Larkin and ridden by jockeys’ championship leader Shane Foley, got on top late to win for the fourth time in his career but the first time in Ireland.

Emiyn earned reward for his consistency with a game success in the Mac Fuels & General Supplies Maiden. Representing the trainer and jockey combination of Dermot Weld and Oisin Orr, whose highest profile success to date was the Irish St Leger, this Aga Khan-owned colt ran on well to get the better of market leader Charlie Bassett by a length, the pair nicely clear of the remainder.

There was a popular local success in the David McManus Bookmaker Handicap as Ramiro landed the spoils for Ian O’Connor and jockey Gearoid Brouder. A winner on his recent debut for the stable, the four-year-old travelled well just in behind the pace, went to the front a furlong out and stayed on well to hold the late rush of Kodiac Prince.

Palm Beach built on a promising effort with a hard-fought victory in the first division of the Behan’s Horseshoe Bar & Townhouse Maiden. Billy Lee and Starlight Dream made a bold bid from the front but the winner, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Seamie Heffernan, forged ahead late on for a length victory.

Michael Mulvany took the closing race with Ideal Pal, who got up late to deny well-backed favourite Call Me Rocky.

The latter attempted to make all and looked to have them all on the stretch turning for home. However, he was trying a new trip for the first time and Ideal Pal, under a strong ride by Declan McDonogh, wore him down inside the final furlong.