Report | Kirkistown 18th Nov 17

North Down (F) at Kirkistown on Saturday 18th November 2017.

The opening Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden race saw the opening leg of a double for reigning champion Barry O’Neill as he steered Sometime Soon to a debut success. The David Christie-owned and trained winner, always travelled well throughout and took up the lead from the fourth last where he quickened clear from the final fence to win by eight lengths over Always On The Ball and in doing so produced the fastest time of the day.  The Shantou gelding who is out of Back Log a winner on the flat over 10 furlongs for Jim Bolger was purchased from the Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale for €26,000. David Christie commented after the race; “He’s unbelievable. He might be only 16 hands but he is as good as horse as I have ever had.  Barry said he was sprinting down to the last and he had to steady him up into it but he could have won by any distance.  He was always showing us plenty at home, he jumps great and he is working well at home with the open horses.  He could be sold now”.

Debutant Whyyousoserious completed the second leg of O’Neill’s double when the daughter of Morozov took the Tim Martin Estate Agents five-year-and-upwards mares’ maiden in the colours of Amy Catherine Boyd. Out of the unraced Rainbow Gale, a half-sister to former Queen Mother Champion chase, Finian’s Rainbow, the Neil McKnight-trained winner challenged to lead before the last and held on to win by three and a quarter’s length over Crawfords Mill. “She has always worked well at home.  I have to say a big thanks to Robbie Colgan who has done a lot of schooling with her. She’s still very green and will improve massively from the experience.  I’m not sure what we will do next but she could head to the sales”, reported Neil McKnight whose winner was purchase for €1,200 at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt sale.

Previous course winner, Chosen Dream recorded a poignant success in the John Boyce Cars Open. Ridden by Mark O’Hare, the nine-year-old, who was making his seasonal reappearance having been brought down in the hunters chase at Downpatrick in May, progressed to lead before the last to win by ten lengths over Milan Flyer. A delighted winning handler, Graham McKeever stated after the race; “He’s better on good ground but he did it well today and has won first time out every season that I have him.  He clearly goes well fresh.  We will probably wait to run him again next year on better ground.  He was never going to get beat today with Peggy looking down on us”. In the emotional success, Peggy was represented by daughter Margaret, son-in-law Simon and grandchildren in the winner’s enclosure, with many wearing scarves of the winning green and red colours. 

21 year-old Patrick McGuigan enjoyed his first winner between the flags when he steered Adamstown to victory in the Wilsons Auctions Winners Of Two. Runner-up at Loughbrickland the previous week, the Wilson Dennison-owned gelding who had previously won at both Maralin and Castletown-Geoghegan, was ridden prominently throughout where he took up the lead from the penultimate fence to quicken clear and win by 12 lengths over Canadian Steel. Trained by Colin McKeever who reported after the race; “he’s a horse with plenty of ability but has had his problems.  He had a lovely run last week at Loughbrickland and he did that well today.  He is a fun horse and will run in open company next”. Winning rider McGuigan who is from Rasharkin Co Antrim has previously worked with Tony Martin, Philip Rothwell & Joseph O’Brien and has been based with Colin McKeever for the past two years.

Fresh from a successful sale at Cheltenham the previous evening, Denis Murphy sent out his fifth winner of the season when Davy Street won the Strangford Arms Hotel five-year-old geldings’ maiden under Jamie Codd. Third at Tinahely last month, the son of Grape Tree Road was given a patient ridden for much of the race before taking closer at the second last fence where progressed to lead after the final fence to win by two and a half lengths over Outside The Ring. Jamie Codd representing Denis Murphy stated after the race; “He had a lovely run in Tinahely the last day under Simon Cavanagh when he was a bit green but he has improved no end over the last few weeks. He really stayed on well and he will head to the sales now”. Davy Street is a half-brother to Jeremy Scott’s bumper winner Miner Distraction.

The Alan Fleming-trained Internal Transfer made a winning point-to-point debut in the six-year-old-and-upwards geldings’ maiden. Ridden by Steven Clements, the son of Kayf Tara led from flag fall and asserted before the last to record a comfortable eight length win over Knockan Run. Clements reported; “he’s a nice horse and is an inexperienced horse only running twice on the track.  This is the confidence booster he needed and he did it well.  He could head down the hunter chase route next”. Internal Transfer went through the Tattersalls Sales ring as a foal for €13,500 and is out of dual novice hurdle winner for Nicky Henderson La Dame Brune. 


STAR PERFORMANCE: Sometime Soon was very well backed ahead of his debut and that confidence proved justified as he produced a scintillating turn of foot to run out a most impressive winner.


VIDEOGRAPHER: Ray Ross.