Limerick jockeys continue prolific spell on the racecourse

LIMERICK jockeys Billy Lee and Chris Hayes helped local trainer James McAuley to a double at Bellewstown on Wednesday evening last.

He took both divisions of the eight-furlong handicap with both horses winning by a length and three-parts. The Lee-ridden Eastern Racer beat Pat Martin’s What Adaay at odds of 18/1 while Hayes’ mount Caesar’s Comet was a 16/1 winner at the main expense of the Gavin Cromwell-trained Heer At Dawn.

In-form Ballingarry jockey Lee landed a treble at Navan the following afternoon as he joined Colin Keane at the head of the jockeys’ championship with 70 winners. Curragh trainer Ken Condon provided his first success as Sioux Spirit impressed with her victory in the five-furlong maiden.

The strong 6/4 favourite, in the colours of the Cinco Partnership, raced clear inside the final furlong to win by an easy two and a quarter lengths. Lee followed up straight away when winning the eight-furlong maiden on the Willie McCreery-trained Marcher Lord.

The Godolphin-owned 11/1 shot got the better of Dermot Weld’s 7/4 favourite Westernesse and Shanagolden jockey Chris Hayes by a neck.

Ballingarry trainer Charles Byrnes helped the Ballingarry star complete his three-timer as the Come Home Sober Syndicate-owned Imperial Choice raced to a five-length victory in the opening division of the 14-furlong handicap. At odds of 7/1, the seven-year-old led over a furlong from the finish to easily account for the Gordon Elliott-trained Benz.

Trainer William O’Doherty took the second leg of the same race with the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Swelltime. The 5/2 chance made most of the running and held the late rally of Matthew Smith’s Punters Poet by three-parts of a length.

Abbeyfeale’s Paddy Harnett gave trainer Donnacha O'Brien the first leg of a double at Tipperary on Friday evening where the opening claiming race over the extended seven furlongs went their way as Blindsided scored a ready success. The 9/4 chance scored by a length and a quarter from the James Barrett-trained Fendi in the colours of Atlantic Thoroughbreds.

The Gavin Ryan-ridden Emporio gave O'Brien his second winner when getting the better of the Joseph O'Brien-trained Alessandro Algardi in the Meadowview Stables Race over the same distance.

Castlemahon jockey Mark Enright landed his first Group race success as 66/1 chance Aspen Grove, the rank outsider of the eight-runner field, landed the Group 3 Newtown Anner Stud Irish EBF Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

There was no fluke about it as the Fozzy Stack- trained two-year-old came through late on to beat Paddy Twomey’s 9/4 favourite Shelton, ridden by Billy Lee, by a length and a quarter. Enright is no stranger to big-race success over fences and hurdles with TheTote.com Galway Plate, the Coral Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Leopardstown Handicap Chase among his National Hunt haul.

Lee went a place better as he won the Group 3 Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes 35 minutes later on the Twomey-trained Treasure Trove. A red-hot 6/4 favourite, she came with a late run to pip the Jessica Harrington-trained Ocean Quest by a short head and is a now a possible contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint. 

Upcoming Fixtures:

Downpatrick – Monday, August 29 (First Race 2.25pm)

Roscommon – Monday, August 29 (First Race 4.20pm)

Gowran Park – Wednesday, August 31 (First Race 2.25pm)

Clonmel – Thursday, August September 1 (First Race 4.20pm)

Kilbeggan – Friday, September 2 (First Race 4.30pm)

Down Royal – Friday, September 2 (First Race 4.05pm)

Navan – Saturday, September 3 (First Race 1.55pm)

Wexford – Saturday, September 3 (First Race 2.10pm)