Report | Ballycahane 3rd March 2019

It was a very cold and wet day on Sunday when the Limerick Harriers held their first point-to-point meeting at their new track at Ballycahane.

The races were run in blizzard like conditions throughout the day until the deteriorating weather and ground forced the last two races on the card, the Noreen McManus mares open and The Hogan Stand Bar and Brian Sheedy Haulage six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden to be abandoned.

John Barry enjoyed a successful day at Ballycahane recording a double before the meeting was brought to a premature end.

Barry recorded his first success in the Tattersalls Ireland and The Blue Door Restaurant five-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard the John Nallen-trained Minella Trump.

The son of Shantou kicked for home from the third-last alongside the runner up Oscarsman, and the pair quickly pulled clear of the twelve-runner field, before asserting his dominance from two-out.

The bay gelding was a €46,000 purchase from the 2017 Derby Sale and will now be bound for the sales.

The winning handler was absent on the day but was represented by James "Corky" Carroll.

The former point-to-point rider said: “This is a horse we’ve always liked. His work at home has always been good and he showed that today. He’ll go to the sales now.”

Barry brought up his double in the fourth race, the Grassland Agro, Gain Horse Feeds and Dunraven Arms Hotel five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden with Trumps Ace.

This race was run in blizzard-like conditions and proved to be the final race on the card.

The Tim Doyle-trained winner battled through the conditions to defeat Colin Bowe's Old Dominon by a distance of six lengths.

Bred and owned by Jim Monaghan from Nenagh, Trumps Ace is a mare from the family of nine-time track scorer in the 1990’s Toby Tobias who Jim bred also.

The dam, Executive Jet, won a five-year-old and upwards mares maiden in Horse & Jockey for Monaghan in 2005.

The winning-trainer Tim Doyle is enjoying a good run on the track at present including a winner at Punchestown this month with Ask David and he said,: “She had good bumper and hurdle form on the track, so we were a bit surprised it took her this long to win her maiden. She did it well today and may go for another point-to-point or back to the track now.”

The James Barry Motors and John O’Connell Feeds four-year-old mares’ maiden saw Patrick Turley secure victory with My Whirlwind.

The Mary Kelly-owned daughter of Stowaway was in a prominent position throughout and put in a good display of jumping to deny the Liam Kenny-trained Madam Deluxe by four lengths.

The Declan Lavery-ridden mare had the measure of her rivals from the third-last and galloped gamely to the line to record a comfortable success.

The winner was a €42,000 Derby Sale graduate from last year and is a full-sister to last week's open winner Sizing Coal at Armagh.

Sizing Coal was purchased by the late Alan Potts in 2011 and has subsequently gone on to win four races under rules and four point-to-points for handler Jim Dreaper.

The second race of the day, the Paul Leonard Construction four-year-old geldings’ maiden was run in driving sleet, however the difficult conditions did not deter Giants Table from clinching a three-length success for the Wexford partnership of Colin Bowe and Barry O’Neill.

The son of Great Pretender threw down his challenge from the penultimate fence and had Jeremy Pass for company until he fell at the last.

The eventual runner-up Argumental stayed on late to secure that spot for Harley Dunne for Pat Doyle.

Purchased for €60,000 at the Derby Sale in 2018, the success of the four-year-old was celebrated the horse’s buyer Bowe’s first cousin J J Bowe who was on hand to welcome in the winner.

“We’ve always liked this lad. He was showing us all the right signs at home and he’ll be sold now,” said Bowe.

The cousins recently enjoyed success with Ferny Hollow who was purchased by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale for £300,000 following his Knockanard victory, whilst this latest proved to be a fifth within the four-year-old division for the reigning champion handler since the beginning to February.