Weekly Racing Review: O'Dwyers come up trumps with 300/1 winner
Punters were hit for six in the opening four-year-old maiden hurdle at Punchestown on Tuesday where Sawbuck scored a 300/1 success for the father and son team of Conor and Charlie O’Dwyer.
Owned by Dominic Jones, he made most of the running to win by four lengths from 4/1 chance Ballybawn Belter with 100/30 favourite Vocito back in third place.
Horses at odds of 4/1, 9/2 and 13/2 were among those further down the field behind the winner whose starting price matched that of Knows No Fear, the previous longest-priced winner on an Irish racecourse at Leopardstown in August 2020.
Racing photographer Patrick McCann and Caroline Woods saw their colours carried to victory in the second division of the two-mile handicap hurdle by the seven-year-old Lucy Van Pelt.
A 25/1 shot in the hands of JJ Slevin, she saw off the Aidan Howard-trained Thefaithfulindian to win by a length and a quarter with trainer Peter Maher saying, “She’s owned by Patrick and my wife Caroline. We might go down the cross-country route with her and we’ll see what Patrick wants to do.” Howard had also saddled Muntahez to finish runner-up to Tony Martin’s Unanswered in the opening leg of the same race.Peter Maher landed his second Punchestown winner of the week as Alpha Male took the two-mile five-furlong handicap chase on Saturday. At odds of 10/1, the 11-year-old was in front under Donagh Meyler before the final fence and stayed on to beat the Brian McMahon-trained 15/8 favourite I’ll Be That Lady by a length and a half.
Owner/ trainer Barry Connell landed the concluding bumper with the Michael O’Sullivan-ridden Marine Nationale. The 15/2 shot impressed when beating the Gordon Elliott-trained 11/8 favourite Demandrivingdouvan by three and three-parts of a length.
The fixture at Punchestown on Sunday saw Padraig Roche gain his second success of the week as Marshalled scored a narrow success in the ladies’ handicap hurdle.
Aine O'Connor was on board the 7/2 chance which was headed by the Gavin Cromwell-trained 5/2 favourite Shantou Lucky but fought back to win by three-parts of a length in the JP McManus colours. Martin Brassil took the three-mile beginners’ chase with the Old Pals Partnership-owned Panda Boy.
JJ Slevin was in the saddle as the 11/2 chance came from off the pace to win by an easy nine lengths from the Mouse Morris-trained Caesar Rock.
Jessica Harrington landed the 10-furlong premier handicap at Navan on Saturday with the Shane Foley-ridden Yashin.
Owned by the Tom & Gerry Met Mickey Syndicate, the three-year-old had won on his handicap debut at Leopardstown at the beginning of May and followed up when beating the Henry de Bromhead-trained Vina Sena by a length and a half at odds of 4/1.
Luke Dempsey combined with local trainer Enda Bolger to win the two-mile six-furlong handicap chase at Limerick on Friday evening on Mica Malpic.
In the JP McManus colours, the 100/30 favourite headed Bitview Colin before the final fence to win by three lengths. Peter Fahey took the concluding handicap chase over the three-mile one-furlong distance with the Michael Moore-owned Twilight Girl. Ridden by Sean Flanagan, the 20/1 chance led in the final strides to pip Shark Hanlon’s Balinaboola Steel by a head.
Curragh-based John O’Donoghue saddled Pearling Path to win the six-furlong two-year-old maiden at Fairyhouse on Friday evening.
Ridden by Gary Halpin, the strong 5/2 favourite raced up with the pace and hit the front over a furlong out to win by a length and a half from the Jessica Harrington-trained 7/2 shot Spirit Game. Johnny Levins landed the conditions race over the same distance with his great servant Prisoner’s Dilemma which races in the colours of Epitome Racing.
The 8/1 chance battled well to see off the Joseph O'Brien-trained San Andreas under Donagh O'Connor. Padraig Roche saddled his first winner of the weekend as the Fivers & Tenners Syndicate-owned Walking On Clouds took the first of the six-furlong handicaps.
Ridden by Declan McDonogh, the 7/1 chance led in the final strides to beat the Gillian Scott-trained Cherry Bloom by half a length. Seamie Heffernan followed Roche into the winners’ enclosure as he landed the second six-furlong handicap on the card on the Jimmy Lambe-trained Ever Rock.
A 12/1 chance in the Richie Behan colours, the six-year-old comfortably got the better of the Willie McCreery-trained Cnodian by a length and a quarter. Johnny Murtagh landed the evening’s finale with the Ben Coen-ridden Karkiyna which scored a taking success in the seven-furlong fillies’ maiden.
A well-backed 9/4 chance, she led before halfway and won by three and a half-lengths from the Jessica Harrington-trained Giulia Frasi.
Trainer Paul Flynn’s fine run of winning form continued as The Big Chap landed the opening division of the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle at Limerick on Thursday evening. With Barry Browne riding in the colours of the Glenmore Goes Racing Syndicate, the 100/30 favourite led before the second last hurdle and made the best of his way home to win by a length from the Seamus Braddish-trained Good Bye Milan, a winner at Wexford 24 hours earlier.
Peter Fahey was a winner again as Rocco Bay scored an easy four-length victory in the auction maiden hurdle.
Ridden by Mark Walsh, the 9/4 shot led turning out of the back straight and was always in command to as she beat the Vincent Halley- trained Senecia in good style.
Mark Walsh was a winner in the JP McManus colours at Wexford on Wednesday as 15/2 chance Moving Water took the opening two and a half-mile maiden hurdle.
Trained by Des McDonogh, the five-year-old edged clear form the second last hurdle to beat the Henry de Bromhead-trained 10/11 favourite Ingenious stroke by 15 lengths.
It was far easier to find the Kildare-trained winners at Gowran Park later on Tuesday evening where Johnny Murtagh shared back-to-back success with Ben Coen.
The pair landed the median auction maiden on 4/5 favourite Flying Dolphin in the colours of Sean and Bernardine Mulryan and were back in the same spot as the Ann Marshall-owned One For Bobby, the 7/4 favourite, scored a one and a quarter-length success in the fillies’ conditions’ race at the main expense of 2/1 chance Show Of Stars.