Report | Ballyarthur 15th March 2020

The Kilworth & Araglen Harriers meeting took place behind closed doors at Ballyarthur on Sunday and the absent Colin Bowe, who started off three Grade 1 winners at last week’s Cheltenham festival in points (Envoi Allen, Ferny Hollow and Samcro), sent out two winners.

Both were partnered by Barry O’Neill, the pair getting off the mark with newcomer Maggies Mogul in the Foley Timber Harvesting & Radley Engineering four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Maggies Mogul, an initial winner in points for sire Valirann, was bounced out in front and she jumped smartly at the head of affairs.

The eventual winner threw the faster leap at the final fence and this partly enabled her to beat Flames Of Passion by two lengths in the colours of Seamus Murphy from Ballyhogue, who was celebrating his initial points success as an owner.

“She’s a smart type and her ability got her through the ground,” said O’Neill of Maggies Mogul, a late-May foal that’s already a sister to two track winners from the same family as the former 143-rated Gigginstown-owned chaser Real Steel.

O’Neill then doubled up aboard the Bowe-trained first-timer Red Lion Lad, a €155,000 graduate of last year’s Goffs Land Rover sale that’s out of a winning half-sister to Paul Nicholls’ dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded, in the Goffs UK four-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Red Lion Lad was always positioned close to the pace and the son of Flemensfirth took command from before the last to beat Thunder Rock by 10 lengths.    

O’Neill of Red Lion Lad said: “He’s a nice horse that we think quite a lot of. He will improve for the run and will now go to the sales.”

Derek O’Connor likewise partnered two winners and the former champion opened his account aboard the Richie Harding-trained Karlie in the Dairygold Pegus Feed, Glanbia Gain Equine Nutrition & Denis Condon five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

Karlie stepped up from her fifth-placed debut effort at Kildorrery last month by coming from off the pace to lead after two out enroute to beating Street Value by two lengths.

“She’s a smart mare that Derek [O’Connor] thinks will have a good career on the track. If not sold, she will go for a bumper,” said Harding of the Ray Fitzgerald-owned Karlie.

The Ellmarie Holden-trained Kilandra brought up O’Connor’s two-timer by landing the Jim Lenihan Transport, McCarthy Insurance & The Swallow Inn five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Kilandra, a creditable fourth on his debut at Loughrea in October, was always prominent and he made the best of his way home from two out to dismiss Street Value by two lengths.

“We were confident enough coming here and he may now go to a sale, “said the winning handler of her mother Catherine Holden’s Kilandra.

Concrete King is on a clear upward trajectory and the Morozov-sired gelding recorded his third success of the season under his owner/trainer Sean Allen’s younger brother Darragh Allen in The Village Inn winners of three.

Concrete King made virtually all and he stayed on strongly to defeat Templebredin by one and a half lengths in what was the closest finish of the afternoon.

“Concrete King really loves this soft ground and there should be further improvement in him next season,” said the elder Allen, who dedicated this success to 27-year-old Tom O’Donoghue from Kilworth, who sadly passed away a few weeks earlier.

Just two horses went to post in the Cotters Bar, Butchers Bar & Joe Ahernes Bar five-year-old and upwards adjacent hunts maiden and Edmond Kent’s homebred five-year-old Solar Sovereign showed the superior turn of foot from the final fence to see off fellow Kildorrery debut runner-up Jeremy Central by five lengths under Johnny Hurley.

A winners’ race is now likely for Solar Sovereign, a son of Multiplex.