Bartlemy | 13th May 18

On an afternoon that witnessed eight races and some 93 runners, it was Shane Bargary who had a day to remember, as he brought up the opening leg of a very first career two-timer by making all the running aboard Padraig Higgins’ Inch runner-up DJ Sasha in the Glenview Stud & Denis Barry Bartlemy confined maiden. The hooded mare was the only winner on the eight-race card to benefit from front running tactics, and she jumped soundly at the head of affairs. Whilst runner-up Milans Glory closed on the approach to the final fence, the winning daughter of Lahib held on grimly to score by a length. DJ Sasha’s owner, Liam Dunleavy from Dungourney, said of DJ Sasha, called after his son DJ: ”We thought that the ground may be too testing but we said that he would let her stride on in front. Shane gave her a great ride and she will probably now run in the winners’ race at Kinsale next month. My 16-year-old son Brian does a lot of the work with her.”

Hahadi completed an across-the-card double for Michael Winters, also on the mark with former pointer Winter Breeze at Killarney, by providing Shane Baragry with the second leg off his two-timer in the Liam Walsh & Associates older maiden. The son of Getaway, who had the benefit of four previous outings, made smooth progress from mid-division on the inner before three-out and carrying the colours of Winters’ wife Patricia, the six-year-old came away from this third-last fence in front and he stormed clear to beat Could Be Better by six lengths.

Bargary was joined in riding a Bartlemy double on Sunday by fellow Cork rider Ciaran Fennessy who initiated the opening leg his two-timer by steering the Ivan Walker-trained Leverock Lass to a popular debut success in the McCarthy Insurance five-year-old mares’ maiden, which attracted the biggest field of the afternoon with 17 runners. Sent off a well-supported second favourite, Leverock Lass took the measure of market-leader Dowhatudodobest from the last to score by a widening two and a half-lengths in the silks of Carnew-based owner Patrick O’Hara. Bunclody-based Walker, who also started off subsequent listed bumper winning mare Three Swallowsnick in points two seasons ago, remarked: ”She’s a proper mare and we had a bit of a gamble on her. She will probably now go to the Cheltenham sales later this month.” Walker, who presently has just four horses in harness, also won a Moira mares’ maiden with Leverock Lass’ own-sister Good Auld Times before Christmas.

The Jim Culloty-owned/trained Alfie Corbitt brought up the concluding leg of a two-timer for Ciaran Fennessy by turning division one of the Anthony & Associates Agri Consultants five-year-old geldings’ maiden into a one-horse race. Placed third on his two previous starts at Belharbour and Stowlin, the Margaret Walsh-bred bay established a clear advantage on the descent to the third-last. The winning son of Arakan was soon gone beyond recall and he ultimately beat Tullys Touch by 15 lengths. “He’s a lovely horse,” reported Culloty. “He blotted his copybook somewhat the last day at Stowlin, but he was nearly brought down four-out there. I expected him to win today, but not by 15 lengths. He’s out of an Old Vic mare, there is a lot of Old Vic about him and I expect that he will now be sold.”

Fresh from his 1,733/1 two-timer at Tipperary three days earlier, Eoin Mahon continued his rich vein of form by combining with fellow Galwegian Shane Ryder to land division two of the Anthony & Associates Agri Consultants five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard newcomer Ardlethen. Sharing his sire Arakan with Alfie Corbitt, who had claimed the opening division, Ardlethen dug deep to defeat General Arrow by three lengths. “He is a grand laid-back horse and I expect that he will be now sold,” remarked Ryder who shares Ardlethen with Elaine Bleahan of Lakefield Farm and the pair previously combined to start off the progressive Mister Miyagi in points back in 2014.


Kieran Roche saddled an initial winner of the season when Silver Forever created a hugely-favourable impression by making a victorious career debut in the Tattersalls Ireland & Coolmore Stud four-year-old mares’ maiden in the hands of James Walsh. The Jeremy-sired grey mare tracked the front-running Annie Mc in second spot until going on three fences from home. It was plainly apparent from the second-last that there was only going to be one result, as Silver Forever forged clear to dismiss the Dromahane runner-up by 10 lengths in the colours of Tinahely publican Michael Kenny. “She’s a lovely big filly and the plan was to do a bit of work with her and then leave her off until the autumn,” said Roche of Silver Forever, a homebred by his wife Mary McCabe. “But, [former amateur] Dermot Whelan who rides out with me, advised us to run her when she was working so well. She will probably go to the sales now.”

Colin Motherway saddled a second winner of the season when his wife Linda’s newcomer Subway Surf recorded a battling success in the hands of talented five pound claimer Luke Murphy to claim the second division of the Tattersalls Ireland & Coolmore Stud four-year-old mares’ maiden. The Liz O’Leary bred by was always well positioned and she tracked Takingitallin from three out. There was then very little to separate the pair until the winning daughter of Milan got on top 50 yards out to dismiss her main rival by a length. “She has always shown a lot at home and we waited as long as we could for the nice ground,” reported Motherway of the four-year-old that’s out of a half-sister to Loosen My Load. “I bought her privately off my farrier Jimmy O’Leary as a three-year-old and she will now go to the sales.”

Octogenarian owner/trainer/breeder Donal Coffey has put many good horses through his hands and the Midleton-based figure seems to have another outstanding prospect on his hands in the form of Ask For Glory who hardly broke sweat on his career debut in this 14-runner Goffs UK Spring Sale four-year-old geldings’ maiden. A son of the much-lamented Fame And Glory, the triumphant bay moved through to lead with Darragh Allen to storm clear and beat the Tinahely fourth Clondaw Storm by 10 lengths. “He’s a real good horse and he’s the only one that I have run this year. The plan now is that he will go to the sales,” disclosed Coffey, who also started off the likes of Philip Hobbs’ 2010 Cheltenham festival winner Copper Bleu in points.