Tipperary horse trainers to the fore once more with winners in recent days

Eamonn O’Connell had a winner at Dundalk Stadium in Co Louth. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

placeholder image — Eamonn O’Connell had a winner at Dundalk Stadium in Co Louth. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Tipperary horse trainers were to the fore in recent days. First off Cullen trainer Eamonn O’Connell won the eight-furlong maiden with the 9/1 chance Solomon Coop at Dundalk on Wednesday.

With Killian Leonard in the saddle, the four-year-old led over a furlong from the finish to beat Joseph O'Brien’s 6/1 shot Winsome by half a length.

At Clonmel the following afternoon, My Gaffer, trained by John Ryan, won the concluding two and a half-mile beginners' chase.

Owned by Walter O’Connor, the 8/1 chance was the second winner of the day for County Derry amateur rider Dara McGill who was successful earlier on the card on Apologise which trained by his father Gary.

My Gaffer went clear between the final two fences to beat Gavin Cromwell’s Union Station, the 7/4 favourite, by a length and a quarter.

Charleville apprentice Dylan O’Connor rode his first winner on just his fourth ride when partnering the Denis Hogan-trained Sporting Hero to take the five-furlong handicap at Dundalk on Friday evening.

In the colours of the Winning Chance Syndicate, the 16-year-old brought the 7/2 favourite home a two-length winner from the Andy Slattery-trained My Girl Sioux. O’Connor, a son of point-to-point legend Mikey, is a graduate of the pony racing circuit and he won the Dingle Derby in 2023.

Willie Browne and Jake Coen won the six-furlong rated race with the 11/4 shot Ohmyviette. In a tight finish, the three-year-old held off the Joe Murray-trained 16/5 chance Lyle The Crocodile by a neck.