Teenager Hanlon celebrates on double in Downpatrick
Kilkenny teenager Paddy Hanlon recorded a second career double at Downpatrick when landing both handicap hurdles on the seven-race Bank Holiday programme.
Hanlon’s first winner was gained for his father John ‘Shark’ Hanlon on Mr Sundancer in the 2m1f handicap hurdle as the Paco Boy gelding led after the last to beat Init Together by five lengths.
“He didn’t settle in Wexford so I put the hood on him and it made an awful difference. I thought Paddy was good on him — when they were all going for home, he stayed sitting and gave him every chance to fill up his lungs,” said the winning trainer.
Hanlon’s second winner was even easier, as Ulster-trained Portnacoo took command two out and went clear to take the 2m5f handicap hurdle by 17 lengths from My Policy.
The winner is owned and trained by Ballyclare-based Harry Smyth who said of his recent acquisition: “He was a three grand horse, that’s all I normally pay and I just heard he was for sale. He was fourth at Sligo but that was only six days ago and I thought it might have been too soon.”
Hanlon almost made it three when his mount Watch The Weather was nailed on the line by Joseph O’Brien’s Prairie Dancer in a thrilling finish to the 2m3f beginners’ chase. After four wins over hurdles and three on the Flat, this was an eighth career success for Sean Sweeney’s homebred Territories gelding who was steered home by Conor Stone-Walsh.
Both maiden hurdles on the card were won in facile fashion with Chart Topper, defeated in all three bumper starts, proving a different proposition over flights as he romped home by 25 lengths in the opener for Willie and Patrick Mullins.
Odds-on favourite Intense Approach, ridden by Alex Harvey for John McConnell, had been runner-up at the same venue earlier in the month and easily went one better in the 2m6f maiden, scoring by 15 lengths from Stormbreaker.
At a damp Ballinrobe, Punchestown festival winner Pigeon House (11/4) gained a second success of the summer season when taking the featured Hollymount Nursing Home Handicap Hurdle for trainer Jessica Harrington and jockey Mark Walsh.
The Saxon Warrior gelding defeated four rivals when overcoming some late waywardness to score by a length and three-quarters from Mordor.
Walsh said: “The slower ground and 2m2f (distance) was good for him because sometimes he can’t lie up, as all he does is stay.”
Dancing On My Own made hard work of landing odds of 1/2 in the five-runner BoyleSports Best Odds Guaranteed Chase.
The Henry de Bromhead-trained ten-year-old, victorious in valuable handicaps at Aintree and Cheltenham last year, tracked the leaders and was less than fluent at a couple of fences.
Pushed along in second before two out, it was only on the run-in that Sean Mulryan’s good servant mastered front-running Je T’ai Porte for a length-and-three-quarters verdict.
Rider Rachael Blackmore said: “It wasn’t pretty but he’s just not the same horse on that kind of ground. It’s still just summer soft but for his jumping to be at his best, he wants better ground and he was inclined to jump a little bit left here as well. He was flat out all the way, but I knew he was going to pick up. He runs his heart out every day and it’s a lovely one to get.”
Paddy Twomey’s Seo Linn was an impressive odds-on winner of the concluding fillies’ bumper under Johnny Barry. The winning trainer was engaged at the sales and Barry reported that a Listed bumper at Gowran Park in October will be next on the agenda.
