Flat season winding down as jumps action beings to take over

A narrow success for the 11/4 favourite Mr Tony saw Dylan Browne McMonagle maintain his eight-winner lead in the jockeys’ championship at Gowran Park on Monday. The Joseph O'Brien-trained two-year-old got up in the final strides to pip Matthew Smith’s 4/1 shot Ella’s Gold by a neck in the seven-furlong nursery handicap, putting the Donegal star on the 94-winner mark for the season. Browne McMonagle’s title rival Colin Keane scored a narrow win of his own when taking the nine-furlong fillies’ maiden on Willie Mullins’ Candleford Green. The Barnane Stud-owned and bred 5/4 shot dug deep to hold Martin Hassett’s 28/1 chance Rocket Robyn by a head. It was a little easier for the Shane Foley-ridden Mr Vettori which landed the eight-furlong maiden for owner/breeders Newtown Anner Stud Farm. Trained by Jessica Harrington, the 3/1 chance headed Aidan O'Brien’s front-running even money favourite White Sand Beach close to the finish to win by a length and a half.

Arguably the easiest winner of the day at the Curragh on Tuesday was Willie Mullins’ Sirius which landed the amateur riders’ Derby at odds of 9/2. Owned and ridden by David Dunsdon, the six-year-old was a big eyecatcher closing on the leaders in the straight and she led a furlong out to beat the Andy Slattery-trained 11/2 shot Smooth Tom by three and a quarter lengths.

The same winning margin was recorded by the Emmet Mullins-trained Dippedinmoonlight which landed the 14-furlong maiden at odds of 12/1 at Navan on Wednesday. With Gary Carroll in the saddle, she headed Aidan O'Brien’s 11/10 favourite Lord Byron over a furlong out to score in fine style in the colours of owner Paul Byrne.

Tony Mullins and County Tyrone conditional jockey Anna McGuinness combined to win the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle with the 4/1 chance Ballycashin at Clonmel on Thursday. A 4/1 chance for owners Cora Greene and Vera Deegan, the eight-year-old led before the second-last hurdle and comfortably held the Liam O’Brien-trained 8/1 shot Dairy Force by a length and a quarter. Jimmy Barcoe and Donagh Meyler were winners with the 5/2 favourite Spellacy’s Cross in the two-mile five-furlong handicap chase. Backing up his win at the course three weeks’ previously, the six-year-old led at the second-last fence and was soon clear to beat Andy Slattery’s 13/2 chance Ceroc by five lengths.

Meyler was on the mark again when winning the two-mile one-furlong mares’ handicap hurdle on the Pat Fahy-trained You Make Me Smile at Sligo on Friday. The 6/1 chance went clear from the final hurdle to score by six and a half lengths from David Fitzgerald’s 5/2 favourite Jaadil, her third win of the year.

Willie Mullins landed his third success of the week when the 5/2 chance Doctor Steinberg won the near two and three-quarter-mile maiden hurdle at Galway on Sunday. Ridden by Paul Townend, the five-year-old led at the fifth-last hurdle and was well on top in beating Denis Hogan’s 2/1 shot Frankie John by five and a half lengths.

Pat Foley gave jockey Sean O'Keeffe the second of his three winners on the day as Cathryns Ruby won the opening division of the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle at Wexford on Sunday. Owned by Gerard Berkery and Con Berkery, the 28/1 shot led approaching the final hurdle to beat Liam O’Brien’s 22/1 chance We’llgowats by half a length. O'Keeffe was also successful on in the two-mile maiden hurdle on Paul Nolan’s 11/2 chance The Big Clubman and he won a handicap hurdle Colin Bowe’s 11/2 chance Morell River to complete his treble.

Other Racing News Three top-flight winners over the weekend brought Aidan O’Brien’s Group 1 tally for the year to 25, leaving him just three short of his 2017 world record of 28 Group and Grade 1 ahead of the Breeders’ Cup in California later this week. At Doncaster on Saturday, the champion trainer’s Hawk Mountain and Ronan Whelan led home a 1-2-3 for Ballydoyle in the Futurity Stakes while Christophe Soumillon was in the saddle as both Puerto Rico (Criterium International) and Pierre Bonnard (Criterium de Saint-Cloud) scored impressive wins at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.

Upcoming Fixtures 

Dundalk – Wednesday, October 29 (First race 2.23pm) 

Thurles – Thursday, October 30 (First race 1.30pm) 

Dundalk – Friday, October 31st (First race 5.30pm) 

Down Royal – Friday, October 31 (First race 1.02pm) 

Down Royal – Saturday, November 1 (First race 12.25pm) 

Cork – Sunday, November 2 (First race 12.40pm) 

Curragh – Sunday, November 2 (First race 12.25pm)