Report | Ballinaboola 12th Nov 17

Wexford (F) at Ballinaboola on Sunday 12th November 2017.

Nine months after winning an older maiden at Ballinaboola, Eddies Miracle, returned to the Wexford venue having risen his way through the ranks to claim his most impressive success to date in the Ballywalter Farms open lightweight. Making his way to the front approaching the home straight under Barry O’Neill in a race which saw six of the 15 fences omitted due to the low-lying sun, the nine-year-old repelled the challenge of the favourite, Sydney Paget, to end his winning streak by three lengths. Winning trainer David Christie was delighted with the success having found that the Beat Of Drums gelding had an infection when last running. “I wasn’t happy with how he ran at Dowth Hall, as he came under pressure at the fourth-last which is not like him. He scoped clean so I took him to the vets and they did a lung wash and found that he had an infection deep in his lungs”. Ray Nicholas’ charge is now set to line-up in the hunter chase at Cork on Sunday.

Both divisions of the Horse & Hound Hotel four-year-old maiden produced impressive winners, none more so than Sean Doyle’s Know The Score, who powered clear of Shark Hanlon’s Senior Citizen to claim the opening division by six lengths, with a further 16-lengths back to Enzo Barbieri in third. The well-related Flemensfirth gelding cost €55,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale and following this debut success under Harley Dunne, he is sure to be of big interest when offered at Friday’s Cheltenham sales. “This is as good a horse as I have had. He was nearly ready to run last year and just got a little bit weak. He has a massive pedigree, he is from a real good family and is such an easy horse to do anything with”, reported the winning handler. “If this lad doesn’t go the whole way to the top, I really don’t know what you need.”

The front-running tactics which Shane Fitzgerald had successfully employed aboard Good Man Jim at Dowth Hall last month, once again proved to be the order of the day with yet another Michael Goff-trained youngster, as Clondaw’s Answer did not see another rival on his way to claiming division two. The twice previously raced son of Ask, extended clear of the favourite Minella Mystics to win by six-lengths. “The first day he ran at Cragmore he fell at the second-last holding every chance. I thought that he was going to win. Then when he ran up north every horse of mine at home were just sick so we threw him out in the field,” reported Goff of the bay gelding who will also head to the Cheltenham Sale on Friday.

Lady Mantilla was another all-the-way victor on the card, after she successfully raced clear at the head of a breakaway group of five runners, to claim the Nitrofert adjacent mares’ maiden. A faller whilst in front on her debut at Inch last April, the homebred daughter of Publisher had built up just enough of an advantage over the favourite to last home by half-a-length from the favourite Agent Memphis for Shane O’Rourke and Vincent Devereux. “We’ll see how she is in the morning and then decide where we go from there. I’d say we will look for a mares’ winner of one for her,” reported the winning handler.

Jumping proved to be the name of the game in the Casey Enterprises five-year-old geldings’ maiden as Batcio was left clear following the fall of newcomer Thunderosa at the second-last, having been disputing the advantage at the time. Unlucky himself to exit on debut at Lisronagh, the grey son of Montmartre, could be set for a hunter chase campaign in the future following his wide-margin success over Ballinasilla under Michael Stenson, as winning handler Ted Walsh reported: “It’s debatable whether he would have won or not as the other horse was alongside him when he fell. He was unlucky the last day but had his luck there today. I’d say he will make into a nice hunter chaser on a bit of good ground.”

Aztec Chief brushed aside his 11 rivals with the minimum of fuss to claim a very competitive renewal of the Cooney Furlong winner of one contest. The lightly-raced 11-year-old, a maiden winner at Lingstown in March 2016, overcame an absence of 574-days to defeat Dowth Hall maiden winner Star Wizard by 15-lengths. Winning trainer Eamonn O’Donnabhain, reported that Denis MacAuley’s homebred would likely re-appear at Boulta in the coming weeks.

The Peader Kelly-trained Hawk Eye Down ran out a comfortably eight-length winner of the Wexford hunt older maiden for novice riders, to gain a deserved success having finished placed in each of his last two starts. The former track performer, posted an assured round of jumping under Jeannie Cook to comfortably account for the consistent Troll D’Oudairies. The seven-year-old is now likely to return to the track where he has a handicap mark of 80 over hurdles.

Videographer: Lar Sutton

Star Performance: Know The Score is held in the highest regards by his connections and it is easy to see why following his impressive debut success.