Lee, Enright and Hayes headline the domestic scene & Cheltenham fallout -Weekly Racing News

Limerick Racing News

Billy Lee got Friday night’s Dundalk card off to a winning start as Poet’s Pride justified 11/4 favouritism in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dundalk Handicap over five furlongs. The David Marnane-trained six-year-old was ridden prominently by Lee and powered through the final furlong to win by a cosy one and three-quarter lengths from It’s All A Joke.

Mark Enright is enjoying the Flat game and he bagged the mile-and-a-quarter Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap with Tooreen Angel (15/8f). Fozzy Stack’s four-year-old filly was in rear early on before Enright navigated a clear path up the straight and Tooreen Angel stayed on well to just get up on the line, denying Bring Us Paradise by a head.

Chris Hayes was also on the mark with Alhaazm (10/3) in the Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Handicap. The Kevin-Prendergast-trained five-year-old tracked the leaders before picking it up at the furlong marker posting a length-and-three-quarter success from Leadership Race.

Hayes followed up his phenomenal all-weather success through the winter, where he was leading rider, by landing the feature prize on the opening day of the Flat season at the Curragh on Sunday, the Paddy Power Irish Lincolnshire with the Noel Meade-trained Layfayette (8/1). Hayes had the four-year-old gelding in a good position from the gates, hitting the front inside the furlong marker and responding to the call for maximum effort to hold off the Ger Lyons-trained Maker Of Kings by half a length.

Chris Hayes and Layfayette (pink) win the Paddy Power Irish Lincolnshire Handicap for Noel Meade on the opening day of the 2021 Flat season at the Curragh on Sunday. Photo: Patrick McCann/Racing Post

There was success too for the brother-and-sister pairing of jockey Billy Lee and trainer Gillian Scott with Starting Monday (12/1) in the WhatOddsPaddy? Handicap. Lee had to walk a recalcitrant Starting Monday down to the start but the four-year-old was more than willing out of the stalls, showing good early speed and then asserting over the final quarter-mile to score by a comfortable two and a quarter lengths from Fugacious.

Rachael Blackmore the queen of Cheltenham as Irish land a record 23 festival winners

Cheltenham 2021 came with a pre-warning that it would be much different to the norm and that wasn’t misplaced – a record 23 Irish-trained victories over the four days underlined an incredible festival for Irish-trained, ridden and Irish-bred horses.

Read full story here: https://bit.ly/3lAaHJ6

Upcoming Fixtures

Navan – Monday, March 22 (First Race 1.55pm)

Clonmel – Tuesday, March 23 (First Race 2.30pm)

Tipperary – Wednesday, March 24 (First Race 1.25pm)

Cork – Thursday, March 25 (First Race 2.30pm)

Dundalk – Friday, March 26 (First Race 4.55pm)

Navan – Saturday, March 27 (First Race 2.25pm)

Limerick – Sunday, March 28 (First Race 2pm)

Naas – Sunday, March 28 (First Race 1.15pm)

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Jack Neville