Kilkenny Racing- Tipp triumph for Mullins and Townend duo

Willie Mullins and Paul Townend dominated at Tipperary on Sunday where they won all three Grade 3 races by wide margins.

The JP McManus-owned Love Me Tender set the ball rolling when taking the Boyle Sports Novice Hurdle at odds of 1/4 favourite.

The four-year-old made all the running to beat Anthony McCann’s 13/2 shot Whimsy by six and a half lengths. The champions had luck on their side as the 13/8 favourite Gaucher was left in the lead at the final hurdle to win the Horse & Jockey Hurdle.

Owned by Rose Boyd and Marie Armstrong, the six-year-old was booked for second place until clear leader Glen Kiln got it wrong at the last and unseated Brian Hayes, leaving Gaucher to come home five lengths clear of Noel Meade’s Jesse Evans.

Eight lengths was the margin as the 4/9 favourite Gold Dancer completed the trebles in the Grade 3 ODS Engineering Novice Chase.

Leading before halfway, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old went clear before the final fence to beat Henry de Bromhead’s Downmexicoway.

Earlier in the afternoon, Joseph O’Brien and Wayne Hassett won the two-year-old maiden over nine-furlongs with the newcomer Shosholoza. Owned by the trainer’s mother Anne Marie, the 10/1 chance was well on top as he led over a furlong out to beat his own stable companion, the 15/8 shot Acclamatic by five and a half lengths.

Richie Deegan and trainer Liz Doyle won the opening division of the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle with the Avril Doyle-owned Jerisk Star at Gowran Park on Saturday. A 16/1 chance, the six-year-old made all the running to beat John Flavin’s 6/1 shot Aclass by a length and three-parts.

Shane Foley made it three winners for the week when partnering Danny Murphy’s Unique Journey to take the six-furlong handicap at the Curragh on Saturday. He got to the front well inside the final furlong to pip Kieran Cotter’s 9/2 chance Gerrit’s Gem by a neck.

Willie Mullins and his son Patrick combined to win the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mucklemeg Mares bumper with the five-year-old Liadawn at Gowran Park on Friday. An 8/11 favourite in the colours of the Gorm Agus Ban Syndicate, she added to her easy Downpatrick win in June when seeing off the Cormac Farrell-trained 5/1 shot Maximillian Lady by two lengths.

At Clonmel on Thursday, the 9/2 joint-favourite Spellacy’s Cross won the two and a quarter-mile handicap chase for trainer Jimmy Barcoe. Owned in partnership by the trainer and US-based John O’Neill, the six-year-old was ridden by Donagh Meyler and led at the second-last fence to beat the Brendan Walsh-trained 10/1 chance Romella by three-parts of a length.

Joseph O’Brien dominated at Bellewstown on Thursday where he sent out four winners, three of them ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle who ended the day on the 85-winner mark, eight clear of his championship rival Colin Keane. The pair were quickly into their stride as the Ana O’Brien-owned Synners Kid added to his recent Naas success with a five-length romp in the eight-furlong nursery handicap.

The 2/1 joint-favourite came from off the pace and led a furlong out to beat Ross O’Sullivan’s 6/1 shot Down The Glen. Julian Pietropaolo gave the trainer his second winner of the day when getting the 15/8 favourite Tswalu home by a head in the fillies’ maiden over the same distance. The Diane Nagle-owned three-year-old got up on the line to pip the Rory Devine-trained 33/1 chance Thru And Thru.

Browne McMonagle later won the eight-furlong fillies’ handicap on the Marco and Natalie-owned Shavasi, the third of the day for O’Brien. The well-supported 6/5 favourite raced clear early inside the final furlong and eased close to the line as she accounted for Ado McGuinness’s 33/1 chance Gloriously Glam by two and a half lengths. O’Brien’s four-timer and his stable jockey’s treble was completed as the three-year-old Snapretend scored his own five-length win in the 12-furlong conditions’ race.

A 7/4 chance for owner/breeder John Farrell, she added to her recent Punchestown win when racing clear inside the final furlong to beat Jessica Harrington’s 7/2 chance Sea Coral in fine style. Colin Keane was last of the four runners on Ger Lyons’ 13/8 favourite Himalayan Heights.