Day of firsts at Cork for jockey Mikey Sheehy, and trainers Pat Foley and Tom McGuinness
Queenship and Mikey Sheehy (far) win the Navigation Stakes (Listed) at Cork. Picture: Healy Racing.
It was a day of firsts on Tuesday at Cork, with Mikey Sheehy riding his first listed winner, later completing his first double, and trainers Pat Foley and Tom McGuinness both saddling their first winner.
The listed Navigation Stakes was the feature and Sheehy was aboard the Joseph O’Brien-trained Queenship, who was having her first run since April. Travelling well but caught behind runners for much of the straight, when the gap opened, she quickened up nicely to win a shade cosily, with April Showers taking second place to give the O’Brien brothers a one-two.
After a Listowel festival that yielded five winners, including the Kerry National and the listed Listowel Stakes, it was another feature race success for the Owning Hill stable.
“It was good of Joseph to leave Mikey on her as he wasn’t able to use his 5lbs claim,” said stable representative Brendan Powell. “I thought she wouldn’t get out, but the gaps came, which they usually do on this ground, and she won nicely.
“She had been off for a while. There was nothing wrong with her, but we were basically waiting for this ground. She has got black-type now and has won three out of four. She is a tall filly, is sparsely made, and I’m sure between now and the end of the season Joseph will be looking for more black-type.”
Sheehy completed his double with an all-the-way victory aboard Accessory in the one-mile handicap which closed the card. It was a welcome winner for Pat Flynn, whose horses have been in great form recently but have not always had the best of luck.
Yermanthere had a progressive profile coming into the Fermoy Maiden and duly used the opportunity to get off the mark at the fifth time of asking and, in doing so, gave Pat Foley, son of the late Tom Foley, his first winner as a trainer.
“We had hit the crossbar a good few times lately, so it’s nice to get one,” said Foley, who got his full licence two months ago. “They had been running well without winning, but it was nice to get one, and hopefully a few more will go in over the winter. I have 15 in training, a mixture of Flat and jumpers. I’m full-time training now, and it’s a family business. My sister, Goretti, rides him out every day, and it’s great for the yard to get off the mark.
“We’re very lucky to have a horse like him in the yard. We were waiting for a bit of an ease in the ground. We’ll probably go for a handicap with him. He will come back into training next year, if he’s not sold, and I do think he will improve between three and four.”
Tom McGuinness broke his duck when Coffeemeanescoffee took the first division of the Mallow Handicap under Killian Leonard. The Wexford trainer explained: “I only started in July. It felt like a long time from July to here – it’s been about 15 runners – but it’s great to get the first one.
“I train on the beach in Rosslare and have four Flat horses. We had horses with Willie Martin for years. I was working with him for five years, and we had Time Stands Still, who is a nice mare.
“During Covid, I decided to take out the permit to do something – my Covid project. It’s hard to get everything right with them, but I must commend the authorities for putting on these divides because it’s given the small man a chance.”
Just a touch belatedly, Pirate Jenny shed her maiden status with a fine effort in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Following a promising debut effort in which she finished a close second behind HMS Endeavour in a maiden which worked out particularly well, she was heavily backed to win her maiden earlier this month at Naas but got upset in the stalls and had to be withdrawn.
On this occasion there were no such issues and, having been well backed once more, she obliged under Colin Keane. Second through the early stages, she came under a little pressure inside the quarter mile but picked up really nicely to win a shade comfortably, with Hotel Wren building on the promise of his run to finish second, and third-placed Dancing Rebel going into the notebook as one for next year.
“It’s summer yielding, if that’s a going description, so it’s loose, but it was the first race of the day and she got away with it,” said Shane Lyons. “She’s still immature. She acted impeccably today, which is most important, and another thing that was most important is that she was Book 1 so she gets a Book 1 bonus. We’ll see how she comes out of the race, but more than likely we’ll finish with her until next year and get a winter under her belt.”
Keane later doubled his tally for the day when getting Secret Road, trained by his father, Ger, home in front in the second division of the Mallow Handicap. The winner and Tullypole Annie separated themselves from the field from a long way out and, in a tight finish, Keane got his father’s horse up by the minimum margin.
The Johnny Feane-trained Dragons Call ended a two-year wait for her third career victory with a runaway success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ & Mares’ Handicap. Kevin Manning led the far-side group from the outset and when she moved clear in the latter stages, her rivals had little response. Manning doubled up with Stylistic Approach, who took the one-mile handicap for his boss, Jim Bolger.
