Glorious weather attracted a huge crowd to a sun-drenched Cork Racecourse in Mallow on Friday evening.
Apart from an attractive National Hunt card, there was the bonus of country music star David James, who performed live after racing. The best-dressed award went to Gillian Kelleher from West Cork and there was another significant Cork success when Carrigtwohill trainer Terence O’Brien combined with Glanworth jockey John Shinnick to land the Mares Handicap Hurdle with top weight Nytol.
She followed up her maiden hurdle success here in May. The winner obliged for her owner/breeder Sean Fitzgibbon.
She’s a fine scopey mare who could jump a fence in time. Earlier, O’Brien’s promising bumper winner, That Danny Feeling ran a race brimful of promise in the maiden hurdle finishing third.
The featured race on the card was the €17,000 RBC Brewin Dolphin Hurdle. Last year’s winner Happy Jacky was all the rage in the overnight markets, backed from 15/8 into 6/5. There was also significant support for Charles Byrne’s Reverend Hubert into 2/1 from 5/1.
Happy Jacky is tough as old boots and made all the running and fought back valiantly on the run in to regain the initiative. He won by a head from the gamble Reverend Hubert who looked like denying the market leader on the run in. The winner suffered from heat stress but was fine afterwards.
Racing began with the €12,000 Sign Up To Our Newsletter Maiden Hurdle. The market suggested this was a match between Luker’s Tipple and Billie Frechette. Luker’s Tipple was all the rage in the ring backed into 5/6 from 5/4. Those who backed him will feel aggrieved that the starter didn’t call a false start as the jolly whipped around losing considerable ground. To his credit he worked his way back into contention turning in, but the effort had taken its toll. Billie Frechette (7/4) collared the long time leader No More Silver at the second last and stayed on to beat the favourite by five lengths.
Finn Tegetmeier, who made headlines last year when weighing in 1.3lbs light after a Punchestown bumper on Colcannon was securing his first victory over hurdles. The winner was trained by Noel Meade and has won twice on the flat. Factoring in the jockey’s claim, she was in receipt of a stone from the runner-up who is becoming costly to follow having finished second for a third consecutive time and a fifth runners-up berth all told.
The second race, also a maiden hurdle, looked an above-average affair. The smart dual bumper winner Sunny South West had won at Clonmel and at Tipperary made all the running to justify market support 7/4 into 5/4 under Philip Enright. He was spring-heeled at the final flight and beat William Tell by five and a half lengths. The Carrigtwohill owned and trained That Danny Feeling was a further two and a quarter lengths adrift in third. He’s one to note going forward and looks a certainty to win a summer maiden hurdle.
The Follow Us On Twitter Maiden Hurdle was a three-mile contest more about quantity than quality. It looked like a dead match.
Philip Rothwell’s Reiki Revolution was all the rage 9/4 into 5/4. Empire Success was surprisingly easy to back with 9/4 in places at the off. Sean Flanagan dictated the fractions and held enough in reserve to fend off the fast-finishing favourite by half a length. Tiernan Power Roche came from a long way back on the runner-up who can be deemed an unlucky loser.