Kennedy and Townend keep up title race with Tramore wins
Tramore 22-4-24
Jack Kennedy and Paul Townend cancelled each other out in their jockeys’ championship race, both putting one winner on the board when they rode at Tramore on Monday evening.
Birthday boy Kennedy, 25, got off the mark first, winning the Ladies Day August 17 Maiden Hurdle aboard Touch Me Not, who became Gordon Elliott’s 200th winner of the season.
The Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding made all the running, chased throughout by market leader Al Gasparo, but he consistently made ground with his slick jumping and had his only serious rival in trouble before jumping the second-last. The victory, his 120th of the season, temporarily put Kennedy six clear of Townend.
“The track suited, and we’ve probably been riding him wrong, as well,” said Kennedy. “We tried to get him to settle the last couple of times, but I just let him gallop today, and it seemed to work for him. He jumped great, and it’s nice for him to get that.” The six-winner leader lasted little more than an hour and a half before Townend struck back with Surf Club in the Tramore Promenade Beginners’ Chase. With a hurdle rating of 98, the lightly raced eight-year-old is one of the lesser lights in Willie Mullins’ stable but this was a nice step up on previous form. In command coming down into the dip for the final time, he took a bit of a chance at the final fence but got safely to the other side and on to a first career victory.
“When you can jump and travel, it brings you a long way at this track, and he did that,” said Townend. “He was awkward enough around the track as much as anything, but he’s lightly raced. His jumping won it for him. He’s bred to be a chaser. It doesn’t always work out like that, but he has taken to chasing really well and has already shown he’s going to be a better chaser (than he was a hurdler).”
Miss Gherkin, trained by Peter Croke and ridden by Jordan Gainford, made every yard of the running in the Copper Coast Handicap Hurdle. Perhaps the biggest scare of the race came at the last, where she took off quite early, but Gainford kept the partnership intact, and she ran on to win by six lengths. This victory was off a mark of 98, which is 9lbs higher than she won off earlier this year in Leopardstown, and on this evidence she has a sporting chance of dealing with whatever penalty she receives for this.
Ian Donoghue, who saddled two winners at Down Royal on April 14, made it three wins on the trot when Brownstone, ridden by his brother, Keith, took the Anne Valley Walk Handicap Hurdle. Although keen, he coasted up to take the lead before the second-last and eased away from there to win readily.
Terence O’Brien recorded his tenth track winner of the season when Kilmurry Jj, who was having his second outing for the trainer, landed the West Waterford Handicap Chase under a well-judged ride by John Shinnick. Returning from a six-month absence, the well-backed 4-1 favourite challenged just after the last and found plenty on the short run-in to deny Gold Haven.
The Gaultier Hunters’ Chase which closed the card produced one of the most exciting finishes, with most of the runners still holding some claims after the second-last. Victory went the way of the Edward Power-trained Shiroccosmagicgem, a three-time point to point winning mare who needed all of Johnny Barry’s strength and persuasion to get up on the line for a narrow victory over The Brickey Ranger.
