Report | Borris 9th Mar 18

Carlow Farmers (F) at Borris House on Friday 9th March 2018.

Richard Black has enjoyed a dream start to his training career, consigning the most expensive point-to-point mare at last March’s Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival sale, and since moving to his new yard, Black’s runners have been unbeaten between the flags. The Austin Fanning-owned Sinoria, followed in the footsteps of Shantaluze and Mount Rushmore this season in the Innovotec mares’ maiden, to provide Black with his third success of the campaign. A half-brother to last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco, the daughter of Oscar had too many gears in the hands of Barry O’Neill, as she quickened clear of Getaway Mixie by three lengths. “I think she is very classy and I thought that she would take a lot of beating today”, reported the winning handler of the bay mare who was bred in Tinahely by Gary Hadden. She has lots of speed so Barry (O’Neill) took his time with her and told me after that she will improve a tonne for it. Hopefully she will go to the Festival sale now during the week”.

Wexford handlers are ever-present in the winner’s enclosure at point-to-point fixtures far and wide and Richard O’Keeffe added a second success on the card for the counties trainers when he saddled his own Vital Island to land the Goresbridge Bloodstock Sales older geldings’ maiden. With his first cousin Sean O’Keeffe in the saddle, the bay gelding proved four lengths too good for Benny Walsh’s On Raglan Road. O’Keeffe, who has 10 horses under his care at present made what turned out to be the right decision to turn his charge out for a second time over the weekend, as he went on to claim the banks race at Lingstown 48 hours later.

Fellow Wexford-based handler John Paul Brennan had high hopes of winning his second five-year-old geldings’ maiden in as many weeks, when he saddled Oscar Academy for the Ballyhane Stud sponsored race. However his Lingstown-fourth, had to settle for second, three lengths adrift of Mats Hall and Jamie Codd. Only four lengths behind Joseph O’Brien’s Limerick bumper and Punchestown maiden hurdle winner High Sparrow on his debut at Mainstown in December, the son of Scorpion carried the familiar colours of owner/breeder Denis Tarrant to success. “He did it well there and is a nice horse. He had a good run at Mainstown and was just a little bit weak, so I put him out for the winter and thank god it paid off,” reported winning handler David O’Brien who will discuss the success with his owner before making future plans.

The victory completed a double for Codd, who 30 minutes earlier had provided owner Camilla Sharples, with her first success with the first horse that she has owned, when the Gordon Elliott-trained Andy Dufresne marked himself out as a potential future star in the John M. Foley Solicitors four-year-old maiden. Sharples, a major part of the Elliott operation, was on hand to welcome in the Doyen gelding after he had defeated Faustinovick by six lengths. Bred by Gill Browne, who is at the heart of organising the Carlow Farmers’ fixture, Elliott reported that the bay gelding would likely now be offered for sale at Cheltenham. “We like him a lot, but he is a horse for the future. My travelling head girl Camilla (Sharples) owns him and that is the first horse that she has owned so I am delighted for her. He will probably go to the sales now.”

Jockey Aaron Sinnott got a good tune out of Ihavent A Clue, which saw the five-year-old step-up from his four previous starts, to lands the Duninga Gallops adjacent maiden. The Arakan gelding was staying-on strongly in the home straight, which allowed him to take advantage of a costly final fence error by Misty Magic to provide handler Aidan Fitzgerald with yet another success in his local race. The former jockey, whose wife’s colours were carried to success with the victory, has won the race in the past with the likes of Mine Now, a potential runner in tomorrow’s Pertermps Final. Of this success, the handler gave plenty of credit to the winning rider who has worked at his local yard for three years. “I am delighted for Aaron. He works in the yard and is a very good rider. He gave him a great ride and the horse will be for sale now.”

The colours of Roger O’Byrne have frequented the winner’s enclosure on a number of occasions this season, and Samanntom provided him with a five victory in open company this season, when landing the Connollys RedMills open lightweight. The Pat Doyle-trained ten-year-old benefitted from an enterprising front-running ride by Rob James, as his 12-length defeat of Cavite Beta, supplemented his success in the opening round of the ITM Ladies Series at Tinahely in October. On top of those successes for Samanntom and the popular Sydney Paget, O’Byrne’s colours have also been carried to success by Danny Kirwan, when the recent Kempton bumper victor landed his four-year-old maiden at Lisronagh in the autumn.