Report | Castletown Geoghegan 7th April 2019

The Grenville Arms Barbour Cup open novice rider’s race went to Some Are Lucky who recorded his fifth success of the season for owner/handler Sam Curling in the hands of Gerry Spain.

The son of Gold Well ran out an impressive ten-length winner of the eight-runner race, getting the better of the Rory O’Meara-handled pace-setter Sound Money in the process.

Some Are Lucky made it as far as the 11th fence in the Cheltenham Foxhunters last month and now looks set to remain pointing for the rest of the campaign.

Winning handler Sam Curling said: "That was mighty. He is an ideal open horse and just really loves it. Gerry (Spain) gets a great spin out of him and we will keep him point-to-pointing for the rest of the season.”

Fergal Stack secured success in the six-year-old and upwards geldings' maiden aboard Another Island.
The son of Turtle Island, who is the first foal out of Ramble Home, defeated the Ciaran Murphy-trained Fiddler of Dooney by three-quarters-of-a-length.

The ten-year-old winner, who is bred, owned and handled by Thomas Tormey, made his debut two weeks previously when unseated in the seven-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden at Durrow.

The winning handler said: “I gave him his first run at Durrow, and he was just unlucky and got unseated at the first. If I had of got that run into him I would have fancied him more coming into today but he is a tough horse. I have all the breeds from the family. We will go for a winners race now depending on the ground.”

The My Dream Boat - Compas Equine four-year old maiden went to Roger Quinlan aboard Coconut Splash for Cormac Doyle.

The winner, who was patiently ridden by Quinlan, made good progress from the fourth-last in a strongly run race to defeat Diamond Grove by four lengths. The runner up, who was locked in a battle with the winner since before the second last, was ridden by Derek O'Connor for Ellmarie Holden. The winning son of Stowaway, who was making his debut in the ten-runner race, cost €14,000 as a store.

“Cormac (Doyle) said that the horse had loads of speed and not to be in any rush. He was green from the back of the third-last, but when I gave him a squeeze, I ended up getting their way too soon. They went very quick early on, but he has loads of class and plenty of speed. I would say on better ground, he will be an even nicer horse,” said the winning rider.

Liz Lalor came on top in the Goffs Punchestown Sale five-year-old geldings' maiden aboard Fully Charged.
Handled by her father Dick Lalor and owned by her mother Anne, the son of Fair Mix got the better of the Denis Murphy-trained Eurowork at the back of the last. The recent Durrow runner-up is now set to be offered for sale.

“He’s tough out. He is so big that it just took him a while to come to himself. It was only the week before Durrow that he really started coming to form and you could feel him bouncing underneath you,” said the winning rider.

Success in the Tullaghansleek Stud Adjacent Hunt winners race went to Star Wizard in the hands of Anthony Fox for Peter Flood.

Owned and bred by the fixture's Clerk of the Scales, Hugh Mulvihill, the eight-year-old was one of only two horses left in the race going out onto the final circuit.

The son of Wizard King eased clear on route to the second last and went on to become a 20-length winner over Gemma Dewhurst's Nineteensixteen. The race had lost much of its interest when the market leader was an early casualty, coming a cropper at the opening fence.

“It was unfortunate that Donjon fell early, but our lad has been flying of late so we thought he would go close. Up in Tyrella the last day the ground went against him and he hated it. He is after winning four races for us now and we will try and get him into a hunter chase,” said winning handler Peter Flood of his now four-time winner.

My Newbrook Rose was handed victory in the Mullinagr Agri five-year-old and upwards mares maiden when the long-time leader Katoune Tara fell at the second-last, paving the way for Adrian Murray’s daughter of Doyen to come home in front in the hands of Simon Cavanagh.

Owned by John McGiverny, the Belclare runner-up was a comprehensive ten-length winner over the Don Atkinson-trained Miss Kanagi, having also previously fallen in the closing stages on her debut at Corbeagh House last December.

“She was running well on her debut before she fell at the second-last, it was just her greenness. She is a nice mare and will be better on softer ground. We might give her one run on the track now before we let her out for the summer, we will see what way the ground goes,” said the winning locally-based handler.