Irish Pointing Weekly Review
by Declan Phelan

Week Three -
Aghabullogue
, Askeaton & Tinahely

3 meetings were held on Sunday, as per usual I was at the Cork meeting which was at Aghabullogue, others also present were David Nicholson and the triumphant Munster rugby team.

Aghabullogue

Left handed track, 16 fences. Each race begins at start of homestraight, they jump 2 in straight either side of winning post, then turn uphill to jump 3 in the back straight on a continuous climb, followed by a bendy run down  to return to homestraight. They jump the first fence 4 times, also the last fence. A good test of jumping in backstraight.
Going soft, the best so far this year.
6 races no divides

Race 1-- Mares Maiden 5/6 only.
10 went to post but the 2 mares who dominated in the ring also took control on the track. Hittin The City(6 Husyan) lead until the second last when the favourite Fightallthewayhome(6 Mr Lord) (2/1-5/4)  jumped past and this Robert Tyner trained individual powered home for an easy win. The winner will contest a winners race at Dungarvan in a fortnight with the mares final at Ballynoe her seasonal target. She is a nice big mare with potential. Hittin The City will have little difficulty winning in the coming weeks.

Race 2--Geldings maiden 5/6 only (Powers qualifier)
11 runners. Kings Equerry(5 Kings Ride) was the well supported 5/4 fav, but I did not like him in the parade ring. John Halley's debutant Elgatorius(5 Phardante) was the 3/1 second fav, with bits of support for Dinsey Finnegan & Our Osca.
Elgatorius ridden by Tom Lombard led from flagfall with Dinsey Finnegan(6 Fresh Breeze) for company with Kings Equerry tucked away in third. The latter was in trouble at halfway, and at the fifth last Elgatorius looked to be going best when falling and in the process hampered Castle Doret(5 Executive Perk) and left Dinsey Finnegan in a clear lead. Jumping 2 out Dinsey Finnegan was less than 4 lengths ahead of a closing Castle Doret, but rounding the home turn Castle Doret stumbled badly after interference from a loose horse, allowing Dinsey Finnegan to come home well clear.
Elgatorius will have little difficulty making amends and has track potential. Castle Doret ran well on it's debut, but the fav Kings Equerry who finished legless in third will need to improve.
The winner, the well exposed Dinsey Finnegan was greeted in the winners enclosure by his owner comedian Patrick Kielty. This is his first horse, he is by Gerry Cully and ridden here by Damien Murphy.

Race 3-- Open (no pens)
4 ran. Two no hopers with Gerry Cully supplying the 2 principals-- Legal Storm(2/1-5/1) and False Tail (1/2--1/5).
Not surprisingly these 2 dominated with False Tail who jumped stickily early on, warming to his task, and eventually outclassing his stablemate for an easy success. False Tail gave Damien Murphy a quick double and run on top of his second to Sheltering last week, ranks him highly amongst the Open horses and he may even collect a Hunters Chase in the next few months.

Race 4--Geldings maiden 7+
10 Ran.
Ex Alan King Forest Thyne now with Gerry Cully(bought at Doncaster), was the 5/4 fav. The well supported second fav was the locally trained( Fergie Sutherland) Irish Perk(4/1--2/1), and Dromahane runner up Manfred Mann was a 4/1 chance.
Outsider Grizzly Activeware was an early faller but played a major role in the result. At halfway with Manfred Mann travelling strongly in front with a 10 length advantage the loose horse forced him off the tracks at the wings of the 8th from home , then the loose horse turned around and cannoned into the fav Forest Thyne knocking Damien Murphy off. This left the grey Always On The Line in front of Irish Perk. At the second last there was little between them, but Irish Perk cracked and then Bucringboy came from the next parish to challenge Always On The Line at the last, but Always On The Line just fended off that rival by a length. This completed a double for trainer Robert Tyner and jockey Brendan O Sullivan.

Race 5--Mares Maiden 7+
10 Runners.
Appel Island, Pretty Young Thing and Jimmy's Pride were the 5/2 co favs.
These 3 dominated to the second last where Jimmy's Pride dropped away , there was little between the other 2 as the came to the home bend, but Appel Island lost her footing and slipped up. This left Pretty Young Thing to come home well clear. Kristina's Lady stayed on past Jimmy's Pride to be a remote second.
The winner a 7 year old daughter of Yashgan was giving Eoin Gallagher his 5th winner of the year.

Race 6--Adjacent Hunt Maiden 5+
6 runners.
West Pal one of 2 Gerry Cully runners was the fav(5/4 -- 4/6) on the back of a good run last week. There was support also for the Dromahane disappointment Kilcrea Shyan(4/1--3/1).
Newcomer Father D (6 Mr Lord) cut out the running followed by Kilcrea Shyan, West Pal and it's stablemate West Aside. At the 5th last the fav came under pressure and he quickly dropped out. 2 from home and Father D continued to lead with both Kilcrea Shyan & West Aside pestering.
The 3 were in line approaching the last, but Eoin Gallagher produced West Aside between horses and he fought off the other pair on the run in. This was West Aside's(7 Brush Aside) first outing since 1999, and he gave Eoin Gallagher a double and trainer Gerry Cully a treble. Kilcrea Shyan( 6 Husyan) produced a better run on this occasion, but arguably the most interesting performance was that of debutant Father D, trained and ridden here by Louis Archdeacon( who produced Lord Noelie), he may be a horse for the future.

Results.

Race 1
(1) Fightallthewayhome (B O Sullivan)
(2) Hittin The City
(3) Gerties Dream  
10 Ran    

Race 2
(1) Dinsey Finnegan(D Murphy)
(2) Castle Doret
(3) Kings Equerry
11 Ran

Race 3
(1) False Tail (D Murphy)
(2) Legal Storm
(3) Desertmore
4 Ran

Race 4
(1) Always On The Line ( B O Sullivan)
(2) Bucringboy
(3) No Conscience
10 Ran   

Race 5
(1) Pretty Young Thing (E Gallagher)
(2) Kristinas Lady
(3) Jimmy's Pride
10 Ran

Race 6
(1) West Aside (E Gallagher)
(2) Kilcrea Shyan
(3) Father D.
6 Ran

Askeaton 

The first Limerick meeting of the season was held at Askeaton on Sunday.   
This meeting was in doubt due to frost and eventually went ahead half an hour late, but some trainers including Enda Bolger withdrew their runners due to concern with the prevailing conditions.
The meeting proved to be a bonanza for jockey Davy Russell who recorded a 4 timer. He had an easy success on the Thomond O Mara trained Commanche Country in a weak 3 runner winner of one contest. The winner had little difficulty dismissing the challenge of Le Cabre D'Or.
 In the 3rd race Davy steered Father Andy to an easy success in the Open, and the jockey teamed up with that ones trainer Michael Hourigan to win race 4 the confined maiden on newcomer Mighty Monefacto who got the better of Muskerry Express in a tight finish.
Russell's 4 timer was completed in Div 2 of race 5 the 7+ geldings maiden when the well exposed Bucks Son finally got his neck in front, precisely by that margin.
The trainer of Bucks Son Brian Moran had himself partnered the winner of the first division of race 5 on the impressive debutant Lord Reynella who trounced the Flavin trained Times Past and Inis Eile(6 Peacock,M Hourigan).
Jockey James Carroll also had a day to remember recording his first ever point to point double with River Bailiff in Race 2 and Corso Umberto in the concluding mares maiden. River Bailiff(5 Over The River) trained by Ron Flavin's father had ran in 3 good quality 4 year old races last year, and certainly looks up to making his mark as a chaser on the track proper, I wouldn't be surprised to see him with possibly Phillip Hobbs sooner rather than later.

Results

Race 1 Winners Of One
(1) Commanche Country(D Russell)     

(2)  La Cabre D'or
3 Ran

Race 2 Geldings Mdn 5 yr only
(1) River Bailiff (J Carroll)
(2) Tobar Phadraig
(3) Back On Schedule
6 Ran    

Race 3 Open
(1) Father Andy (D Russell)
(2)  Danikar
(3) Mugshot
3 Ran     

Race 4 Confined Maiden 5+
(1) Mighty Montefacto (D Russell)
(2) Muskerry Express
(3) Country Thyne
7 Ran     

Race 5 Geldings Maiden 6+
Div 1
(1) Lord Reynella (B Moran)
(2) Times Past
(3) Inis Eile
13 Ran   

Div 2
(1) Bucks Son (D Russell)
(2) Carry's Clover
(3) Hairoil Hannigan
12 Ran

Race 6 Mares Maiden 5,6,7. 
(1) Corso Umberto (J Carroll)
(2)  Samac
(3)  Much Birch
16 Ran    

Tinahely

The initial Leinster meeting of 2001 also just survived the frost to go ahead at Tinahely in Wicklow.
There were only 6 races with no divides, surprising for this popular track.
Last years Listowel Hunter Chase winner Tenshookmen (7 Cardinal Flower) won the Open for the second year running just outpointing Over To Bensby a length.
The Wexford regions top trainer for many years Padge Berry got off the mark for the year when Ruby Gate (6 Rashar) landed a good Powers Qualifier at the expense of newcomer Perouges Prince. Ruby Gate is a fine strapping chasing sort who was pulled up in his only 2 previous outing last year, having shown a deal of promise in both. A winners race now beckons.
Padge Berry was hoping to complete a double later in the afternoon with last years Lingstown winner Moral Justice (8 Lafontaine), but he hadn't the ammunition to cope with Orlando Magic in the winners of one.
Pat Cloke told me at Lisgoold that he had a decent mare in Forgeside Express (well bred 6 Insan), and true to his word Pat partnered( and trained) her to any easy win in the 6 year old mares race. Its a pithy I wasn't at Tinahely to get some of the 6/1 that was available about the mare in the ring!!.
Gordon Elliott also got off the mark for 2001 in the older mares maiden when producing a calm piece of riding to steer Pats Darling (7 Supreme Leader) home. This win will no doubt boost the paddock value of this full sister to the highly regarded but ill fated mare Patsy's Darling.  

Results

Race 1 Open
(1) Tenshookmen (W Codd)

Race 2 Geldings Maiden 5/6(Powers)
(1) Ruby Gate (D Whelan)

Race 3 Mares Maiden 6 only.
(1) Forgeside Express (P Cloke)

Race 4 Winners of One
(1) Orlando Magic (J Boland)

Race 5 Geldings Maiden 7/8.
(1) Jump For Fun (D Murphy)

Race 6 Mares Maiden 7/8.
(1) Pat's Darling (G Elliott)

Next Week
Killeagh, Co Cork, 12-30, one of the big meetings of the year.
Castletown Geoghegan, Co Westmeath,12-30.
Scarteen outside Tipperary Town,12-30.