Report | Kildorrery 23rd February 2020

The Pat Crowley-trained Blue Sans vindicated the promise of her third-placed debut effort at Boulta over two months earlier by winning the GAIN Equine Nutrition & The Vaughan Family five-and six-year-old mares’ maiden.

Blue Sans edged into a narrow advantage with James Hannon from four out, and maintained it to the line to account for New Money by a short head.

The son of Sans Frontieres is owned by Johnny McGrath and the former amateur rider said: “I broke her myself and did all the prep with her. She has always been giving us all the right signals, she’s my first winner as an owner and she will probably now go for a maiden hurdle.”

Damian Murphy’s mare Sovereign Gold supplemented her Aghabullogue maiden success last month by annihilating the opposition in the Crossmore Tyre Recycling & STR Scrap Metal Dealers & Thornhills Opticians winner-of-three.

Sovereign Gold readily picked up the running for Johnny Barry after two out to thwart Templebredin by eight lengths.

“She’s a lovely mare to do anything with and the plan is that she will probably now be sold,” said Murphy of Sovereign Gold, who is shared by Jane Foley with Mrs Catherine Cashman.

John Joe Walsh, who won a Navan bumper with Fiddlerontheroof in March of last year, sent out newcomer Rochestown to post a taking debut success in the Hanley’s Butchers Mitchelstown five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The son of Mustameet went to the front with William Cronin after two out and he then held on grimly to beat favourite Churchstonewarrior by a short head.

“Well keep our options open, but he could now go for a point-to-point bumper,” said Walsh of Rochestown, a graduate of the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland August sale that hails from the same family as Shaneshill.

18-year-old Conor Costello partnered his second winner in as many weekends, having also been on the mark aboard Heydour at Cragmore eight days earlier, by bringing his father John’s grey Straidnahanna through to lead in the closing stages of the Amber Oil & John McSweeney Livestock Haulier open.

Straidnahanna stormed through on the inner to deny Complete Sizing by a half-length.

“This horse was bought to give Conor more experience and we hope that he will be more competitive in opens on good ground later in the season,” said John Costello of Straidnahanna.

Eoghan O’Grady’s mare Springfield Lodge attained a deserved turn, having finished second on two previous occasions, by landing the Bluegrass Horse feeds & Munster Van Centre five-year-old and upwards adjacent maiden.

Springfield Lodge moved ever closer from two out and she mastered newcomer Solar Sovereign as the line approached to score by a neck in the hands of Bernard O’Neill, a financial analyst with Gas Networks Ireland.

“She’s a tough mare and maybe, she might now go for the GAIN Mares’ Final at Ballynoe,” said O’Grady of the Falcon Four Syndicate-owned Springfield Lodge.

Templebredin’s handler Sam Curling still featured amongst the winners as he sent out Oneida to make a victorious return in the Dairygold & Rathbarry Stud six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

The towering Oneida arrived from off the pace under a confident Derek O’Connor to lead at the last and he then asserted to contain Jeremy Central by three lengths.

“He will probably go for a winners’ race now and then a point-to-point bumper later in the season,” said Curling of the Jeremiah O’Brien-owned Oneida.