Limerick/Clare Racing News
Chris Hayes won the Listed Gain First Flyer Stakes at the Curragh on Bank Holiday Monday on the Fozzy Stack-trained 5/2 shot Castle Star. While the stable’s 15/8 favourite Cheerupsleepyjean, ridden by Jamie Spencer, flopped, Hayes brough the winner from off the pace to record a cosy one and three-parts of a length success over the Willie McCreery-trained Loveday and he might well reappear in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
Billy Lee won the opening seven-furlong maiden at Gowran Park on Wednesday with the Willie McCreery-trained Texas Moon which is owned by the trainer and Sarah and Dave Hyland. The winner made much of the running to score by a length and a quarter from the Jim Bolger-trained Eaglefield.
At Downpatrick on Friday afternoon, the Michael McDonagh-trained Fly De Megaudais scored a narrow victory in the two-mile three-furlong handicap chase in the Shannon trainer’s own colours. Cathal Landers was in the saddle as the 6/1 shot got home by a neck from 5/1 joint-favourite Carried.
Billy Lee rode two very contrasting winners at Cork on Friday evening. He had an easy time of it on the Ken Condon-trained Quarantine Dreams in the five-furlong maiden as the Genesis Thoroughbreds-owned 12/1 chance scored a two and a half-length win over the Sean Hennessy-trained Jon Riggens. But it was tougher going for the Ballingarry jockey in the 10-furlong maiden as he was all out to get the Paddy Twomey-trained newcomer Castletownbere home by nose from the Aidan O’Brien-trained HMS Seahorse. Owned and bred by Louis Walshe, the 3/1 shot came out best in a three-way phot-finish as the Johnny Murtagh-trained Safecracker was only a head away in third place.
Eric McNamara and his son Conor were among the winners at Cork on Saturday where Groveman won the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle. The 25/1 chance came with a late run to account for the Rodger Sweeney-trained Sean Says by three-parts of a length and the winner carries the colours of the Scobie Wan Kenobi Racing Club.
Other Racing News
Jamie Codd brough the curtain down on a terrific point-to-point career with a winner at Tattersalls Farm on Sunday. Codd called it a day after winning the four-year-old maiden on the Denis Murphy-trained Supreme Gift, his 972nd point-to-point winner in a 22-year career. The 39-year-old said, “I’m retiring from point-to-points, but I’ll continue to ride on the track as long as Denise Foster and Gordon Elliott want me! It’s been a brilliant journey. Point-to-points have given me my career and I’ve met a lot of great people. This has been on my mind since Christmas and if my local track Lingstown had been on in March, I probably would have done it there. I wanted to go out on a winner for Denis and it worked out great. I work for Tattersalls as well so it was lovely to do it here.” Only Derek O’Connor has ridden more point-to-point winners than the Wexford man.
Upcoming Fixtures
Killarney – Monday, May 10 (First Race 4.35pm)
Killarney – Tuesday, May 11 (First Race 4.40pm)
Roscommon – Tuesday, May 11 (First Race 1.30pm)
Dundalk – Wednesday, May 12 (First Race 4.30pm)
Clonmel – Thursday, May 13 (First Race 4.05pm)
Kilbeggan – Friday, May 14 (First Race 4.05pm)
Leopardstown – Friday, May 14 (First Race 1.55pm)
Navan – Saturday, May 15 (First Race 1.55pm)
Wexford – Sunday, May 16 (First Race 1.55pm)
Naas – Sunday, May 16 (First Race 1.40pm)
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