Bumper spell of success on the track for Limerick racing connections

LIMERICK jockey Chris Hayes reached the 59-winner mark, his highest season’s tally to date, when partnering Michael’s Well to land the opening near six-furlong median auction maiden at Navan on Wednesday last.

Owned by John Linehan and trained by Edward and Patrick Harty, the 11/4 chance headed the Joseph O'Brien-trained 40/1 shot Baiana inside the final furlong to win by half a length.

The Shanagolden jockey made it 60 winners as Etawa ran out the easy winner of the 10-furlong maiden for Dermot Weld at Dundalk on Friday evening. An 8/1 chance, she led passing the two-furlong pole and went clear inside the final furlong to score by five and a half lengths from Aidan O'Brien’s 7/1 shot Head To Head.

Rathkeale trainer Eric McNamara gave Sean Flanagan the first of his two winners as the five-year-old L’Evangeliste took the two-mile median auction maiden hurdle at Galway on Saturday. A strong 8/15 favourite in the colours of the Preachers Syndicate, he made all the running and was clear from the second-last hurdle to beat Andy Slattery’s 11/2 chance Mullaghgloss by eight lengths.

Flanagan followed up straight away when winning the maiden hurdle over the same distance on the Barry Connell-trained Eachtotheirown. Again making all the running, he brought the 6/4 favourite home a three-length winner from 33/1 chance Treasure Memory. The winner is owned in partnership by Connell himself and Tim O’Driscoll.

Newmarket-On-Fergus’ James Conheady gained his second success as both a trainer and a rider as the 33/1 chance Our Guide won the concluding bumper. Previously a winner with 125/1 shot An Forghas at the Limerick Christmas Festival in 2021, Conheady brought his own four-year-old through to lead inside the final furlong to beat Eoin McCarthy’s 5/2 chance Burning Ability by three-parts of a length.

The seven-year-old Hees Dynamite gave Eric McNamara his second success in as many days when scoring a cosy win in the two and three-quarter-mile handicap chase at Galway on Sunday.

Ridden by Paddy O’Brien, the John Earls-owned 9/2 joint-favourite raced up with the pace and asserted before the straight to beat John Ryan’s 13/2 shot Smallcraftwarning by five lengths.

Other Racing News:

Three top-flight winners over the weekend brought Aidan O’Brien’s Group 1 tally for the year to 25, leaving him just three short of his 2017 world record of 28 Group and Grade 1 ahead of the Breeders’ Cup in California later this week.

At Doncaster on Saturday, the champion trainer’s Hawk Mountain and Ronan Whelan led home a 1-2-3 for Ballydoyle in the Futurity Stakes while Christophe Soumillon was in the saddle as both Puerto Rico (Criterium International) and Pierre Bonnard (Criterium de Saint-Cloud) scored impressive wins at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.

Upcoming Fixtures

Dundalk – Wednesday, October 29 (First race 2.23pm)

Thurles – Thursday, October 30 (First race 1.30pm)

Dundalk – Friday, October 31st (First race 5.30pm)

Down Royal – Friday, October 31 (First race 1.02pm)

Down Royal – Saturday, November 1 (First race 12.25pm)

Cork – Sunday, November 2 (First race 12.40pm)

Curragh – Sunday, November 2 (First race 12.25pm)