Savante traverses Tramore with ease as Murphy eyes bigger and better things
TAKE A BREATHER: Savante and Conor Stone Walsh after winning the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle. Pic: HEALY RACING
Savante brought some quality to Thursday’s meeting in Tramore and Colm Murphy’s mare made a winning start over timber by taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Maiden Hurdle in smooth fashion.
Conor Stone-Walsh was content to sit just behind the pace being set by market rival Cool Park and when he switched to that one’s outer to mount a challenge on the bend out of the dip, the writing was soon on the wall. Better things lie ahead for the five-year-old, with the Grade Three Mares’ Novice Hurdle at Down Royal as a likely next target.
Said Murphy: “Delighted with her. She’s a nice filly and Conor said she was plenty green there – it was only her third run. We’ll see where we go. I wanted to see her do that. That’s what we hoped she would do and it’s nice when they do it. The race in the north is probably the plan, it’s been what we’ve been talking about, so we’ll see how she comes out of this.”
The Blaggard didn’t get his name because somebody likes the sound of it, and he almost lived up to it when running around going to the second-last and last flights in the www.tramoreraces.ie Maiden Hurdle. However, there is an engine under the bonnet and despite being a little more than two lengths down on landing at the back of the last hurdle and facing the short run-in, he responded to Gary Noonan’s calls to run down the well-backed Mount Mandela in the final yards.
Fourth behind 250-1 stablemate Kingdom Calling in a Listowel maiden, he franked the form nicely, which was particularly pleasing to trainer Eoin McCarthy.
“He got his name because he is a little bit quirky,” said McCarthy. “He’s learning away and he’s a nice horse going forward. It’s nice to see the form of the Listowel race working out, but he still has a lot to learn. He’s coming along nicely (physically). It’s nice because we invested in a lot of stores last year and two of them have won maidens this year. He was only a two-grand store.”
The Ted Walsh-trained Be Fierce ran out a comfortable winner of the Ardmore Handicap Hurdle. The handicap debutant travelled well in the hands of Shane O’Callaghan and readily took over going to two out. Long-time leader She’s On Line dug in deep but the winner was effectively in control over the last two obstacles and to the winning line. The winner is out of Summer Star, who won four races, including a listed bumper, for the Walsh family.
There was a dramatic finish to the fourth race, the Tramore Racecourse On Instagram Handicap Hurdle, in which Rampere West, ridden by Ricky Doyle and saddled by in-form trainer Mark Fahey, reeled in one-time runaway leader Serienmond in the shadow of the post.
The Philip Fenton-trained Lake Chad recorded the third chase victory of his career – all at this venue – when coming with a well-judged run by Niall Moore to take the Pickardstown Handicap Chase in good style.
Local trainers dominated the last two races, with Henry de Bromhead’s Ballybrack Wood, ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe, making a winning start over fences by taking the Waterford Greenway Beginners’ Chase. The well-backed 3-1 favourite was never far off the pace, and readily accounted for Jouster.
The finale was the Copper Coast Lady Riders’ Bumper and John & Thomas Kiely landed the spoils with favourite Amboyna. Maxine O’Sullivan was in the saddle and gave her mount a customarily cool ride before pushing him clear inside the final furlong to score by a wide margin.
