Report | Ballyvodock 3rd February 2019

The Paul Cashman-trained Silver Sheen stepped forwards from his sixth-placed debut effort at Aghabullogue three weeks earlier by narrowly coming out on top under Michael O'Sullivan in the Water Rock Golf Course five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The son of Sulamani who is out of the black-type placed mare Silver Gypsy, made his way into contention after three-out and he moved through to challenge Global Fame approaching the last.

The Glenview Stables inmate mastered the latter on the flat to score by a neck with the pair returning four lengths clear of the gambled-on favourite Groody Rover back in third spot.

Cashman said of his mother Catherine's Silver Sheen: "This is a nice horse that just needed the run in Aghabullogue. He will go to the sales at Cheltenham later this month and he should make into a nice middle distance horse in the UK."

The Paul O'Flynn-trained newcomer Quarry Lil provided Eoin O'Brien with the opening leg of a three-timer by recording an authoritative front running success in the O’Connell Group five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

The debutant bounced out in front and she was mostly foot perfect with favourite Shallow Run being her closest pursuer throughout.

The market-leader had to be rousted along on the run to two-out, but the five-year-old wasn't for passing. Although blundering at the final fence, the victorious daughter of Jeremy and former four-time track winner Quarryvale still accounted for Shallow Run by two lengths.

O'Flynn, who also paid particular tribute to Ciaran Fennessy who assists him at his Buttevant base, said of his father Tom's Quarry Lil: "This mare is a really good jumper and we thought that going on her homework at home that she would run very well."

The Jerry McCarthy Carrigtwohill, Shopping & Business Centre winner of two saw Paul O'Flynn saddle a two-timer as the north Cork handler sent out West Cork Wildway to easily justify odds-on favouritism in the hands of Eoin O'Brien.

The five-year-old, who impressed by making a victorious debut at Boulta on December 9th, always took the eye in running and he had just moved through to challenge fractional leader Call His Bluff when Niall Hennessy's charge fell two-out.

The winning son of Yeats was always in command thereafter and he only had to be shaken up on the flat to beat recent Clonmel hunters chase runner-up Kiera Royale by three lengths in the silks of the 13-member Fernhill Tower Syndicate.

 "It's great that the owners have decided to hang onto him. We said that we would run him here to get more experience and he will now go for one of the point-to-point bumpers," said O'Flynn.

The concluding Norman Walsh and Guilders Bar six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden saw last month's Templencarriga runner-up Bright Rhett defy a walk in the market by benefiting from a supremely-confident waiting ride from Eoin O'Brien to provide the Mitchelstown native with his third success of the afternoon in this six-runner contest.

The son of Definite Article moved ever closer on the outer after the third last and he swept through to join issue with the gambled-on runner-up Doran The Legend before the final fence.

 With the latter blundering here, Bright Rhett then effortlessly drew clear on the flat to oblige by a length.

 "He was a little bit short of work in Templencarriga, Eoin's instructions were to mind him here and get him home. Hopefully we might go to the track with him now," reported handler Marie Harding of Bright Rhett, representing owner Mary O'Riordan from Upton.

In the The Midleton Park Hotel & Jack Spratts Bar, Carrigtwohill Mares’ winner of two, Colin Motherway's five-year-old Theflickeringlight showed that she's on a clear upward trajectory by giving a faultless exhibition of fencing with Luke Murphy to supplement her facile Agabullogue debut success.

The daughter of Flemensfirth took up the running six-out. Favourite Givemylovetorose went on with four fences remaining, but the eventual winner re-assumed command after the third-last and the market leader was already emitting distress signals when erring two-out.

Whilst Givemylovetorose went down fighting, she was still some two lengths adrift of Theflickeringlight at the line.

Handler Motherway, who was greeting a fourth winner of the campaign, said: "This mare has a heart of gold and she is lightening quick over her fences.

She has improved since Aghabullogue and if we still have her, she could go for the Gain Mares' Final in Ballynoe."

Theflickeringlight is owned by Youghal-based Aileen Walsh and was homebred by her father Jerry Russell.

The mare Capture The Action provided Shane Bargary with an initial success for handler Jimmy Mangan by running her rivals ragged from the front in the Brown Island Stables five-year-old and upwards maiden.

The six-year-old, a penultimate fence faller when beaten on her previous start at Templencarriga, was quickly positioned at the head of affairs and she established a commanding advantage on the run to four-out.

In truth, the successful mare was gone beyond recall from after three-out and a final-fence blunder didn't make the slightest difference as the daughter of Gold Well still beat Our Majella by 10 lengths.

"We will take it from here, but she will probably be aimed at the Gain Mares' Final,” said Mangan of the mare who is owned by long-standing points supporter Eileen Hodnett from Ballymacoda.