O’Callaghan and Roche celebrate on the double

St Cianans Fire and Conor Hoban (right) wins the Punchestown Handicap for trainer John McConnell at
Punchestown yesterday. Picture: Healy Racing

Punchestown report

Michael O’Callaghan and Leigh Roche shared a two-year-old double with Gozen and Rothko as flat racing paid its annual visit to Punchestown on a day when Roche went on to complete the second treble of his career.

The well-touted debutante Gozen (7/2) got up on the line to foil front-running favourite Basil Martini in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies 2-Y-0 Maiden.

O’Callaghan enthused: “She’s a lovely big filly and we thought plenty of her at home — she’s definitely a stakes filly on her work. It’s encouraging that she did so much wrong and still managed to win — she was slow away and green, but she picked up when Leigh switched her and she hit the line strong. She’ll probably run again, but anything she does this season is a bonus.”

“She came from the Breeze-Up and Mark Landers is still involved. She’ll get a mile, no problem.”

The colts maiden, the Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital Maiden proved a carbon copy as Roche, enjoying a welcome change of luck, produced 14/1 shot Rothko with a storming late challenge to foil Intelletto (like the opener’s runner-up Basil Martini, trained by Joseph O’Brien) by a head.

“He came from the same Breeze-Up Sale as the filly and is a fine big horse, who has improved all year,” said O’Callaghan, “Leigh said he took a blow but finished well and saw out the mile well.”

“Things didn’t go ideally and he had to come wide, but he galloped through the line. We do like him and we gave him an entry in the (Group 1) Vertem Futurity.”

The day got even better for Roche when he provided trainer Claire O’Connell with her first flat winner, 50/1 shot Our Dickie, in the first division of the (47-65) Punchestown Handicap, final leg of his 3,442.5/1 treble.

Running in his second handicap, Our Dickie raced prominently throughout and held favourite Everylittlestep by a length and a half.

There were also doubles for Joseph O’Brien and Declan McDonogh, who shared in the success of the J P McManus-owned 11/10 favourite Goodie Two Shoes in the Punchestown Race over a mile and a furlong. Successful on her only previous start, a Killarney maiden back in July, and dropping in trip, the Fastnet Rock filly hit the front approaching the furlong-pole and kept quickening to hold the challenge of 96-rated Monaasib by a half-length.

“She learned a bit from Killarney, although today’s trip was probably a bit sharp for her,” explained owner’s representative Frank Berry, “You’d have to pleased by the way she picked-up. But a mile and a half would probably suit her better. I think Joseph has something in mind for her in France.”

The Carriganog double was completed when Ulysses gelding Saturn Five, unlucky on debut in Roscommon, justified 6/5 favouritism, under Shane Crosse, in the median auction maiden.

Awkward from the stalls, he was in front after less than two furlongs and, in the straight, dug deep for Crosse to hold Zoffman by a half-length, prompting O’Brien’s representative Brenan Powell to comment, “He’s tough and hardy and there’s plenty more to come from him. He’s still a big baby and that was a minimum trip for him.”

Earlier, Declan McDonogh initiated his ‘brace’ on Andy Oliver’s Band Width, who recorded his third win of the season in the Punchestown Flat Is Back Handicap, outpointing gallant front-runner Angel Girl by a half-length, prompting his trainer to quip “It’s not often I’d be in the number one spot in Punchestown.”