Report | Loughanmore 2nd April 18

Day two of the Easter weekend meeting at Loughanmmore took place on Monday where the silks of landowner Wilson Dennsion were carried to victory twice throughout the afternoon, on a day which challenge both competitors and spectators.

Getting the day off to the best possible start for Dennsion was Mayohill in the Topping Meats winner of two adjacent race. A maiden from six starts, Mayohill broke his duck in taking fashion under a patience ride from Barry O'Neill, which saw him track the eventual second Ballyhowne from three-out before taking up the lead after the final fence to go on by a length and a-half on the line.

“He had a brilliant run in a good race at Moira in December but he disappointed me since," divulged handler Colin McKeever of the five-year-old son of Beneficial.

"We trained him for today and decided to stick him into the adjacent winners’ race as I had plenty of other five-year-old to run on Saturday.  This win will do him the world of good and he will come on for it.  He will turn out to be a nice horse and could head to the sales now”.

Templepoint rewarded his connections with a deserved success in the John Thompson & Sons seven-year-old geldings’ maiden for novice riders. Fourth at Kirkistown last month, Templepoint could be called the winner approaching the last and extended his lead under double seeking Paddy McGuigan to six lengths over runner-up No More Santies at the finish.

"He has been disappointing in the past as we know he has ability. I told Paddy (McGuigan) that when you feel like going, hold a bit longer and it worked today.  He is a great horse who jumps for fun.  He could head to the sales and would be ideal for point-to-points or a hunter chase," disclosed McKeever.

A change in tactics seemed to have paid dividends for Some Response as he recorded a six-length victory over Cosmic Flight in the Albert Barlett six-year-old geldings' maiden for owner/trainer Brian Hamilton in the hands of Jamie Codd.

"He was well overdue that there, I always thought with his pedigree and his size that he was a two-miler, so we have always been riding him that way, just holding on to him and dropping him in. But it came to the point that he would travel into the race every time and then you would ask him to go and he just bottom out,” reported a delighted winning handler of his five-times previously placed charge.

“We thought we would try something different and Jamie (Codd) was the one to do it. We will run him in Largy in three weeks’ time.”

Just three lined up for the Wilson Auctions mares winners of two where the Paurick O'Connor-trained Sliabh Mhuire Lass prevailed for the Three Dudes Syndicate. The daughter of Grandera beat warm favourite Tin Town Liz by two-lengths under a well timed ride from Jamie Codd to give the Co. Wexford native a double on the card.

Codd, who is now joint top of the rider’s leader board with current champion Barry O'Neill on 34 winners this season thus far, then made it to Fairyhouse to ride the winner in the concluding bumper.

"That is Jamie's first ride for me and they did it well. Michael Brennan from Roscommon owned her and he passed away before Christmas, so that is great for his family," noted O'Connor.

Milan Flyer provided handler Gary McGill with his first success of the season when taking the Islandbawn open and in the process initiated the double of jockey Paddy McGuigan. The 12-year-old son of Milan raced near the front throughout, and following a good jump at the final fence, he pulled eight-lengths clear of Peckhamecho with favourite Felix Yonger a further three-lengths back in third.

"He preferred that kind of ground and we used different tactics today. He schools at home leading the younger horses so we decided to run him from the front and he did it well," disclosed McGill of Milan Flyer, who was previously a three times UK track winner when in the care of Noel Kelly. "We will keep running him in opens for the season."

The J. A. McClelland & Sons six-year-old-and-upwards mares' maiden went the way of Castlecatt, trained by Graeme Martin and carrying the colours of her breeders William & Roseann Creith. The Jimmy O'Rourke-ridden daughter of Tikkanen was in command early on the final circuit and kept on well in the run-in to win by two-and-a-half-lengths to Corus Girl.

"She did it well there in the end, she just stayed on. She is from the family of Hard Con which is pure staying power. The ground was so heavy that last two times she ran she just didn't cope with it, I'm surprised she coped as well as she did today," reported Martin.