Report | Dowth Hall 27th October 2019

Michael Murphy and Tiernan Power combined for a double on the day beginning with the success of Better B Quick in the Hannon Travel open for novice riders.

The son of Overbury, who was a winner last Sunday at Tinahely, quickly supplemented that success when defeating the Sam Curling-trained Some Are Lucky by five lengths.

“We had our slight worries with the ground, but it was fantastic, he is just in great form. He came out of last week really well so we decided to take our chance and he will keep pointing this season,” said Wexford handler Michael Murphy.

The ITBA & Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly five-year-old mares’ maiden saw Dream De Dream complete their first double.

The daughter of Fleminsfirth stepped up from her fourth-placed effort at Toomebridge on the opening day of the season by accounting for the joint-favourite Kalamansi Cooler to come home in front by 20 lengths.

Murphy said: “We were expecting her to run well, she ran a big race in Toomebridge. She would probably prefer nicer ground to that to help her get home. We’ve had her a while, but she has shown us bits along the way, and we persisted with her. We will probably look for a winners’ race.”

Luke Murphy got off the mark for the season in the Tattersalls Ireland four-year-old geldings’ maiden aboard the Ellen Doyle-trained Fuego De L’Abbaye.

Always to the fore of proceedings, the bay gelding, who got no further than the second fence on his debut at Bartlemy, stayed on strongly to win by two lengths from the runner-up All the Fame.

The winning son of Kap Rock, a £22,000 Goffs UK sale graduate, will now head to the sales.

“We liked him last year to be fair. He is a lovely horse. We went to Bartlemy thinking we had a nice horse and it was getting late in the year, so we put him out to grass after it. We brought him back and he has matured into a nicer horse again and so we are very happy with him,” said James Doyle representing his sister Ellen.

Kilgorey came out on top in the Fleet Financial five-year-old geldings’ maiden, in a three-way thriller which saw only three finishers out of a four-runner contest separated by a length at the line, providing handler Willie Murphy with his first success of the season.

Sporting the colours of owner Ed Byrne, the son of Shantou, who had come to grief at Inchydoney last May, ensured he made no mistakes this time round in the hands of Pa King, to defeat the Denis Murphy-trained Beatthebullet.

The winning handler said: “I was hoping he would get there. He was unlucky not to win in Inchydoney, he was coming to win his race there. He would want nicer ground than this, he would be a better horse on nicer ground.”

Local handler Nigel Slevin recorded his second consecutive success on the Dowth race card having saddled a winner in the open race the previous year when taking the James Gogarty Stone winner-of-one courtesy of Like A Demon.

The nine-year-old son of Central Park, who holds hunter chase form against Burning Ambition from the spring, held on valiantly to beat the Benny Walsh-trained Colonel Sam by three quarters of a length under Luke McGuinness.

“His run against Burning Ambition meant he should win this. He made hard work of it, but it was the wrong way around for him as he jumps right-handed. He will go to Punchestown for the bank race next month and the plan will be to mix cross country and hunter chases for the season,” said Slevin

Denis Murphy gained some compensation for a number of second-placed finishes across the afternoon when landing the Boyd Stores five-year-old and upwards unplaced maiden.

Ryans Fancy, who had pulled-up on his two previous starts, ran out a comfortable 12-length winner to defeat the Patrick Casey-trained Toast to Thomas.

Winning owner Pat Coffey said: “I’ll have a chat to Denis (Murphy), and we’ll decide where we go now. This is my second time having a runner here and both have won and this is Kevin’s (Corrigan) second ride for me and both have been winners. He rode Ard Abhainn to win for me this season and she is very good now.”