Kildare Racing News: O'Brien and Heffernan in sparkling form throughout the week
Seamie Heffernan and Aidan O'Brien opened proceedings at Tipperary on Sunday afternoon with a win for Los Angeles in the nine-furlong maiden.
The 13/2 shot was another to win with plenty in hand as he beat Joseph O'Brien’s Surfers Paradise by two and a quarter lengths.
Jessica Harrington was next into the winners’ enclosure as Sea The Boss scored an identical success in the seven and a half-furlong auction series maiden.
The Shane Foley-ridden 5/1 chance beat Natalia Lupini’s 15/8 favourite Quickstepping by exactly the same margin.
Michael O'Callaghan and Leigh Roche took the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Abergwaun Stakes with 15/8 favourite Twilight Jet.
In a tight finish, the 15/8 favourite came through to lead in the closing stages to pip his own stable companion Lokada by a neck with Kieran Cotter’s Dun Na Sead a head away in third place and Ken Condon’s Gabriella’s Spirit a neck further back in fourth spot.
Time To Boogie gave Seamie Heffernan and Aidan O'Brien a second Navan success when winning the eight-furlong fillies and mares’ maiden in fine style on Saturday.
The 100/30 chance led a furlong from the finish and pulled away to beat Jim Bolger’s Finsceal Go Deo by two and a half lengths.
Curragh trainer Aidan Howard took the opening division of the 10-furlong apprentice handicap with Stay Local which was ridden by Conor Stone-Walsh.
Owned by JP McManus, the 5/1 shot led over a furlong out and scored by half a length from the Tim Doyle-trained Alfalfa.
Jamie Powell rode the first of his weekend winners as Slieve Bearnagh scored a narrow success in the second division of the same race. Trained by Michael Halford & Tracey Collins, the 11/2 chance led on the line to pip Sheila Lavery’s Lady Christa by nose in the colours of owner Paul Rooney.
NAVAN
Aidan O'Brien got one over on his youngest son as the Seamie Heffernan-ridden Pop Star won the opening near six-furlong three-year-old maiden at Navan on Wednesday.
The 100/30 chance made much of the running to beat Donnacha O'Brien’s 1/3 favourite Yoesmite Valley by three-parts of a length.
Gary Carroll enjoyed a far easier success when winning the two-year-old nursery handicap on the Mick Mulvany-trained Bid For Chester. The Crowsnest Syndicate-owned 7/2 shot came from a little off the pace to lead at the furlong-pole and he raced clear to beat Jessica Harrington’s Glamorously by three and a half lengths.
Michael O'Callaghan took the five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds with the newcomer Francis Maynell. An 8/1 chance under Leigh Roche, he made almost all the running and won with something in hand when seeing off the Jessica Harrington-trained Emerald Banner by three-parts of a length.
Johnny Murtagh gave Ben Coen his 200th career winner as Signora Bellissima landed the eight-furlong handicap. An 18/1 chance in the colours of the Nick Bradley Racing Club, the three-year-old raced up with the pace from her favourable low draw and gamely held off the Ger Lyons-trained Perfect Poise by a nose.
WEXFORD
Owned and bred by Pat McCarthy, Boher Road won his third race when taking the opportunity maiden hurdle at Wexford on Friday evening.
Peter Smithers made all the running on the 7/1 chance and he ran out a 19-length winner, a fourth success in the saddle for the Monasterevin conditional jockey.
FIRST WINNER
Tom Harney rode his first winner in the professional ranks when partnering Applejack Poet to a narrow success in the opening division of the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle at Bellewstown on Wednesday.
Trained by Liz Doyle for the Seven Irish Angels Syndicate, the six-year-old, one of four 9/2 co-favourites in the race, held off the Gordon Elliott-trained Be My Hero, another of the betting market leaders, by a head. The Eadestown jockey rode eight winners as an amateur.
Monasterevin amateur rider Aoife Fahey rode her second winner as Gone For Tea, trained by her uncle Peter Fahey, took the concluding lady riders’ bumper. Racing clear over a furlong from the finish, the 11/2 shot ran out a 14-length winner from the Mags Mullins-trained Intertwine.
Meanwhile Michael Halford & Tracey Collins were among the winners at Cork on Wednesday where the Ronan Whelan-ridden Ameerat Jumaira scored an easy success in the 12-furlong rated race.
The 8/1 chance led over a furlong from the finish and was eased close to the finish as she accounted for the Jessica
Harrington-trained Timeless Piece by two and a quarter lengths. The Seamie Heffernan-ridden Starry Eyed scored an easy win in the 10-furlong fillies and mares’ maiden.
Aidan O'Brien’s 8/13 favourite made all the running and went clear inside the final furlong to beat the Jessica Harrington trained Feathertop by a length and a half.
Jamie Powell rode his second winner in as many days when teaming up with Pat Murphy to win the second division of the seven-furlong handicap with Rock Dandy.
BELLEWSTOWN
The was no shortage of Kildare success at Bellewstown on Tuesday evening where Kevin Prendergast sent out Woodcock Flight to win the opening eight-furlong maiden at odds of 8/1, the three-year-old made much of the running under Scott McCullagh and raced clear inside the final furlong. For good measure, the veteran trainer also owns and bred the easy winner.
Jamie Powell struck with the John McConnell-trained Smaoineamh Sile in the opening division of the eight-furlong handicap.
Willie McCreery gave champion jockey Colin Keane his second winner of the session as Night Glow landed the 12-furlong fillies and mares’ maiden at odds of 15/2.
Confey conditional jockey Neil Ryan won the two-mile two-furlong handicap hurdle on the Noel Meade-trained Charlie Luciano at Ballinrobe on Monday evening. He made almost all the running on the 11/2 chance which held on to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained Calico by a neck in the colours of owner Franny Carragher.
Peter Fahey won the three-runner conditions’ chase with the smart Visionarian.