Maxine O’Sullivan retires in style after leading Dream On Baby to Tramore triumph
DREAM TEAM: Dream On Baby and Maxine O'Sullivan won the Conor Lannen Country Store (Ladies) Maiden for Emmet Mullins. Pic: Healy Racing Photo
Maxine O’Sullivan upstaged her cousin Alan when announcing her retirement after steering 7-4 shot Dream On Baby to victory in the Conor Lannen Country Store Ladies Maiden on day one of Tramore’s four-day August festival.
Alan O’Sullivan had earlier recorded a fine double before Maxine, who famously enjoyed Cheltenham Festival success with It Came To Pass, trained by her father Eugene in 2020, ended her career in style as Dream On Baby, trained by her partner Emmet Mullins, bolted up in the finale.
“It was a great ride from Maxine and a brilliant evening,” Mullins said before O’Sullivan announced her retirement.
The first leg of Alan O’Sullivan’s double came on board Johnny Rambo in the McDonald & Son Builders Maiden Hurdle.
For a long time, this race threatened to produce a massive shock as 300-1 shot Pinkarizon led his rivals a merry dance.
However, he could never fully shake off 4-1 shot Johnny Rambo who drew alongside the rank outsider approaching the last and forged on from there to win by two and a half lengths in the hands of O’Sullivan, described post-race by winning trainer Donncha Duggan as “a class rider”.
O’Sullivan completed his double when partnering the Tony Mullins-trained The Cobblers Wife to victory in the Bluegrass Horse Feeds Handicap Hurdle.
Paying tribute to the winning jockey, Mullins said: “If he keeps working at it, he looks like he has a big future. It’s not easy, a lot of those claimers coming through think it’s easy when they ride a few winners but he has the background and family to know that it takes a bit of graft to make it. Hopefully he will.”
The Flynn Hotel Group Handicap Hurdle produced a terrific finish as Rightfolksplease got up late on to get the better of 6-4 favourite Churchwarden. In doing so, Rightfolksplease completed a quickfire double after a victory over fences at Wexford last Saturday.
“It’s great,” winning trainer Declan Queally said. “Myself and my father had been keeping a close eye on him [since Wexford]. My father left him in the field for the full day Sunday and we were watching him and he seemed in good spirits. He did two laps of the gallop Monday and two laps on Tuesday and I thought he was grand.
“It’s so risky but we thought we’d take a punt on it and it’s great that it worked out.”
Thwarted with Churchwarden in the feature, Henry de Bromhead was on the mark with Lureka Du Noyer, who, ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe, justified 5-2 favourtism in the WTW Willis Rated Novice Hurdle.
De Bromhead said: “Delighted with that, lovely to get a winner here. We always enjoy getting a winner at Tramore. We hoped this might happen tonight, we hoped it might happen with Churchwarden as well but sadly not but it’s great to get a winner.”
Luker's Tipple ensured the day got off to the best possible start for punters when winning the opening race, the Bar 1 Betting Rated Novice Chase, at odds of 13-8.
The Gavin Cromwell-trained five-year-old came here on the back of recent hurdle successes at Sligo and Roscommon and had little difficulty completing the hat-trick on his chasing debut, beating main market rival Killeemore Lad by four and a half lengths.
“His confidence is up at the minute and he's taking the racing well,” winning jockey Keith Donoghue said. “His jumping was good. We schooled him the other day and he jumped brilliantly today and that's what won it for him. Making the running has helped but he's just in a good frame of mind.”
Kasper Hauser also made a winning start to life over the bigger obstacles when making all in the O'Neill's Bar Beginners Chase.
Victorious at the 12th time of asking over hurdles at Kilbeggan last month, the gigantic grey was taking a significant step up in trip on his chasing debut and trainer Kevin Coleman’s expectation was that jockey Calum Hogan would take his time on the Mastercraftsman gelding.
However, Hogan instead opted to ride his mount prominently, a move that proved successful on the 3-1 joint-favourite.
Coleman explained: “We planned to hold him up a bit because we didn’t know if he stays or not but Calum wasn’t given any instructions and he did what he had to do, he gave him a great ride.”
Of Kasper Hauser, Coleman added: “He only jumped his first fence on Monday and he only jumped two of them but he’s a natural. Sometimes the less schooling you do, the better. Good ground is the key to him.”
