Report | Tyrella 19th Mar 18

East Down (F) at Tyrella on Monday 19th March 2018

The rescheduled East Down Foxhounds meeting at Tyrella took place on Monday and Derek O’ Connor enjoyed a fruitful day kicking home two winners at the Northern track to bring his season total to 23thus far. The Colin McKeveer-trained Birchdale provided O’Connor with the first of his daily tally when taking the Dennison Commericals Ltd four-year-old maiden. The winner and eventual second, Blazer’s Mill, asserted from two-out to pull clear of the only other finisher, On The Slopes. Birchdale carrying colours of Wilson Dennison, the race sponsor and long-standing supporter of racing between the flags in the region, quickened best after the last to go one-length clear on the line. “He has been working well at home and it would of been a disappointment if he didn’t run well today.” said McKeever of the son of Jeremy who had cost €14,000 as a foal. “He loves this ground and jumped very well on it. He is now for sale.”

O’Connor had to wait until the Hamilton Architects winner of three where he steered the homebred Longhouse Music to victory for owner John Duggan. The Sam Curling-trained nine-year-old justified favouritism to record her third win of the campaign by three-lengths over Manetti, following-up victories at Mainstown and Killeagh already this campaign. Having proven herself against geldings’ at Ballinaboola last month, the bay mare once again had no problem taking on the boys here and now looks set to make the step-up into open company. “She is a good little mare who loved the better ground today. We are going to keep here point to pointing in hope she could become champion point to point mare.” reported Curling.

Its All A Lark rewarded her connections with a deserved success at the fifth time of asking. Third in each of her previous four runs, the Colin Bowe-trained daughter of Oscar made all and jumped well throughout to land the MJM Group five-and-six-year-old mares maiden by five lengths to Lady Of Derrygale. Bowe stated, ‘She is a grand mare who has improved all the time. She has been waiting on nice ground like today’s and she really went well on it. She will now go for a winner’s race.”

The Albert Bartlett five-and-six-year-old geldings’ maiden went the way of Aclassagold, trained and ridden by Benny Walsh in the colours of R J Cleary. The son of Gold Well was in command before the last and kept on well in the run-in to win by six-lengths to Ratfacemcdougall. “My friend Mark Stafford and I bought this horse as a three-year-old and gave it to Benny to break and he has had him since then,” disclosed a delighted R J Cleary of his own Aclassagold. “The plan wasn’t originally to come here, but due to the snow yesterday it forced us to come here, it must have been a blessing in disguise.”

The Hamilton family colours have been ever present on the northern pointing circuit over a number of decades, and the red and white silks were carried into the winner’s enclosure following the six-year-old and upwards novice riders maiden by the Ian Ferguson-trained Knockan Run. The twice previously placed son of Winged Love, battled best from the final fence to defeat Watyawaitingfor by three quarters of a length, and in doing so following in the footsteps of his dam Knockans Flight, herself a point winner, having landed a Necarne maiden by 15-lengths in the same colours 11 years earlier. “This is the last horse my late husband bred”, reported an understandably delighted winning owner Judith Hamilton.” He was given a super ride by Sean (O’Keeffe), I couldn’t asked for any better. I am just going to enjoy today before thinking about what to do next.” Success for winning rider Sean O’Keeffe, a sixth of the season, brings him level with Shane Fitzgerald in the novice rider’s title race.

Lagan Island could be set for a quick reappearance, as he had nothing more than a schooling session to land the three-runner Stephen Magee and William McDowell adjacent winners race. Unbeaten in his last four starts since joining Sean McParlan’s yard, the chestnut gelding never gave his supporters a moments concern, with the odds-on favourite never having to come out of second gear to defeat the lightly raced 12-year-old maiden So Rustic by a very comfortable two lengths in the hands of the winning handler’s son Noel. “He did that well, it was just like a piece of worker him,” reported McParlan senior of the Trans Island gelding. “If all is okay with him he will go for the hunters chase in Downpatrick on Sunday.”