Trainer Noel Meade brings up 3,000 at Fairyhouse
Trainer Noel Meade. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Trainer Noel Meade reached a magnificent milestone, his 3,000th career success, when Mickey Cohen got up on the line to pip Smackwater Jack by a nose in Tuesday’s Fairyhouse finale, the Christmas Parties At Fairyhouse December 12th Handicap Hurdle.
Meade, who trained his first winner, Tu Va, at Wexford back in 1971 and has been Ireland’s champion National Hunt trainer seven times, wasn’t present as he was attending the Sales in Goffs, but will be rightly proud of his career achievements.
In the intervening 55 years, the Meath man has savoured success from Royal Ascot to Cheltenham, where he has hit the target on seven occasions, and achieved top-level victories with the likes of Harchibald, Cockney Lad, Road To Respect, Go Native and, most recently, Cheltenham bumper winner The Mourne Rambler, plus, on the flat, Helvic Dream, winner of a Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Meade, commenting from the Sales, admitted: “It’s been like looking for hen’s teeth since I was told how close I was to 3,000. I just couldn’t get one past the post but, thankfully, this fellow got up. So it’s great.”
Winning rider Sam Ewing stated: “I’ve ridden very few of his 3,000 winners but I’ve been very lucky for him. And it’s a pleasure to be the one who got to do it for him.”
Mickey Cohen, who appropriately carries the colours of Noel Meade Racing Ltd, was the second leg of a double for Ewing, who also triumphed on Peter Fahey’s King Of The Greys, well-backed, wide-margin winner of a division of the William Hill Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle.
A graduate of Academy hurdles, Quinta Do Lago made it four wins from seven outings over flights when landing the featured Group Discounts For Winter Festival General Admission Rated Hurdle.
The Jessica Harrington-trained four-year-old, an uneasy 7/4 favourite, needed plenty of stoking from champion jockey Jack Kennedy before seeing off Sageborough by four lengths, with long-time leader Speisialta third.
Winning trainer Harrington commented: “That was very good. He was a bit idle and Jack had to work harder on him than he expected.
“But that’s him – he runs a bit behind the bridle, but jumps great and keeps a bit for himself. We left the cheekpieces off him today and Jack says he’d be better in a bigger field.
“He stays well and he’ll be a three-mile horse as a five or six-year-old. He minds himself, but he’s tough and genuine. We have plenty of options for him, including a Pertemps Qualifier in Punchestown, and he might go to France for a Grade 1 four-year-old-only race.”
And winning rider Kennedy added: “He has loads of ability, but he’s so idle. I had to get stuck into him but he won well in the end. And it’s great to ride another winner for Jessie.”
Back-in-form Gavin Cromwell completed a spectacular 929/1 trebles, including a maiden hurdle wins for Bud Fox and Espritroyale.
Winner of his bumper at the 2025 Punchestown festival, Bud Fox (Keith Donoghue) opened his hurdling account at the fifth attempt when quickening up well between the last two flights to slam Quest For Answers by eight lengths.
“We had a disaster of a year with him,” declared Cromwell. “It’s only in the last three weeks that he has turned a corner. Hopefully he’s back now and we can make plans.”
Earlier, Conor Stone-Walsh, who broke a collarbone in Listowel, returned to winning ways when providing Cromwell with the first leg of his double, as 12/1 shot Espritroyale mastered better-fancied stable-companion Sir Benji (rated 22lb. higher on the flat) in the Winter Festival 3-Y-0 Maiden Hurdle.
The winning trainer admitted: “I expected her to run well, but I didn’t expect her to do that. The second horse was better on the flat, but this isn’t flat racing, I suppose.”
Cromwell rounded off a memorable day at his local track when My Good Pal, ridden by local amateur Billie Coonan, landed the first division of the William Hill Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle at the expense of 50/1 shot Kayla’s Friend before surviving a Stewards Enquiry.
Sean O’Keeffe registered his first success since returning from a three-month injury, when the Paul Nolan-trained 40/1 shot Look Sport pounced on the run-in to foil Rosie’s Wings and favourite Some Song in the three-mile beginners chase.
Trainer Andy Slattery continues his rich vein of form, under both does, with Ceroc who, ridden by Eoin Staples, dug deep to hold Urbs Intacta Manet by a head.
“I was in front plenty soon and he idled going down to the second last,” said Staples. “He had a right look but stays well and ground it out when the second horse came to him.”
*Following a ‘running riding’ enquiry into the performance of Sam’s Favourite in a division of the handicap hurdle, jockey Dylan O’Connor received a 14-day ban. The horse was suspended for 60 days.
