Report | Inchydoney 26th May 2019

The opening Friends & Committee of Clonakilty Point to Point four-year-old maiden saw the Richard Black-owned/trained Hacksaw Ridge overcome in excess of a two and a half month lay-off, having pulled up when sent off favourite in the competitive Borris House maiden won by Sporting John in March, by bravely coming a second time with Barry O'Neill to score in ultimately authoritative fashion.

The towering son of Stowaway made most of the running until headed four out by Pasvolsky.
The eventual winner made his way back to the front two-out and he then asserted to beat promising newcomer Russian Invasion by one and a half lengths.

"He was showing a lot earlier in the year, but he got a bad cut on a hind leg in Borris House and it took him a fair while to get over it," said Black of Hacksaw Ridge who quickly added to this Thursday's Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham sale.

Harley Dunne was the only rider to depart with two winners and he instigated his brace by capturing the McCarthy Green Build Construction five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard the Sean Doyle-trained Shattered Glass, absent since pulling up on his career debut at Nenagh over three months earlier in the race won by Young Buck.

The winner went second from four-out and he moved through to challenge the front running What A Jeremy from after the third last.

With What A Jeremy then drifting left-handed from two-out, there was very little to separate the pair until the winning son of Sholokhov got on top as the line approached to oblige by a short head in what was the closest finish of the afternoon.

Doyle said the Monbeg Partnership-owned gelding: "He's a horse that I liked a lot all year and I fancied him at Nenagh, but he came back a sick horse and it took him a while to get over it."

The Denis Murphy-trained Carrig Hill brought up Dunne's brace by winning this contest in authoritative fashion in the Clona Dairies winner-of-one who finished third to Golden Nomad at Loughrea the previous Sunday, went to the front after four-out and the victorious six-year-old readily maintained the tempo to account for Rivers End by three lengths in the colours of north Co Tipperary-based owner Eoin Seymour.

"He's a horse that only came to me back in October and he should be a really nice prospect for next season,” said Murphy of the Milan-sired winner.

Colin Bowe, Rivers End's handler, experienced better fortune as Kilconny Bridge made a taking winning debut by coming from well off the pace in the Fernhill House Hotel & Gardens five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden under a confident Rob James.

The Stowaway-sired Kilconny Bridge moved closer in fifth spot setting out on the final circuit and she took the measure of fellow first-timer Mammoth after the second last to dismiss Luke Murphy's mount by an increasing four lengths, the pair returning six lengths clear of the third-placed Queen Among Kings.

Joint-breeder Brendan Fitzgerald still retains an involvement in the Milestone Racing Partnership-owned Kilconny Bridge and the successful five-year-old, a grand-daughter of Sean Treacy's Thyestes Chase winning mare Be My Belle from the same family as Monalee, is another that's due to go under the hammer at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Greenway Machine made his initial start for Bandon-based owner/trainer Robert Moloney a winning one by recording a clear cut victory with James Hannon in the closing Springmount Stud older geldings’ maiden.
The seven-year-old disputed the running until going for home on the descent to five-out.

Whilst runner-up Vermout Fougeray held a chance of sorts from the second last, the winning son of Robin Des Pres gamely asserted on the approach to the last to oblige by four lengths.

"I only have him a month and fair play to James Hannon as he found him for me," said Moloney, who also sent out the mare Cloneen Dream to win at this same meeting 12 months ago.

The Clonakilty Black Pudding Open saw Susie Doyle, who has recently completed the second year of a marketing course at CIT, increased her advantage to two over Liz Lalor in the ladies championship by bringing her seasonal tally to six aboard her father Pat Doyle's Samanntom in this three-runner contest.

The winner, who was posting his fourth success of the campaign with 20-year-old Doyle, led from the third fence and he was never seriously troubled from after half-way. Although blundering at the final fence, the former four-time track victor still defeated fellow veteran Drawn N Drank by 12 lengths in the colours of the elder Doyle's wife Mary.

The winning handler said: "Samanntom just wasn't quite the same horse today and he will now be left off for his summer's break."