Trainer, Gordon Elliott and the Carberry clan dominated racing at Downpatrick on Family Fun Day at the course with the trainer recording a four timer likewise the Carberrys’ with Paul registering a treble and sister, Nina completing the quartet for the family name writes Joe Kavanagh.
Racing got underway when Moss Street trained by Gordon Elliott proved the facile winner of the opening maiden hurdle. The locally trained Big Kern started a well-supported odds on favourite and Moss Street soon after the start went into the lead under Paul Carberry as the favourite settled to run second. Big Kern attempted to challenge at the penultimate flight but only flattered to deceive and the effort was short lived as the Elliott horse drew further clear on the downhill run and Carberry capable of easing up prior to the line.
The County Meath trainer said: ” It wasn’t a great race. On his form earlier in the season he looked a penalty kick, but he lost his way. I’d say he didn’t stay in Perth. He’s owned by friends of mine (Call It What you Like Syndicate) that have been with me from the start. Paul decided to make it when the favourite slipped at the first. I thought he would win at Perth last time but appeared to fail to stay.”
The Carberry/Elliott combination doubled up on the day when Swantykay and was the easy winner of the handicap and always holding runner-up House Limit in the closing stages. The winner raced in the rear early but improved into a close third two from home and having popped the last Carberry allowed his mount to go to the front and after a short tussle with House Limit soon ha the race won.
Elliott said on completing the double: “That’s my first horse for Paul (Holden). He won well. Paul (Carberry) said the ground is getting a bit soft. The better the ground the better he is. Paul is brilliant, he takes his time on horses. He’s named after a good friend of ours in Wexford. He might go for a handicap hurdle at Galway. Bayan will go for the Galway Hurdle. He’ll be spot on for it. I thought it was a good performance the last day (Leopardstown last week).
The John Mc Connell trained, Orgilgo Bay made nearly all the running to claim the conditions hurdle and had the race won bar a fall three from home eventually winning by twenty lengths. The winning trainer said “He was good. 4/5 shots are no fun! He was impressive. It’s hard to know what was behind, but Smiler is probably 110-rated. He jumped well and hopefully now he’ll go for the Galway Hurdle.
“He was a bit unlucky at Cheltenham where he pulled too hard and Ballinrobe probably came too soon. He’s a delicate horse whodoesn’t take a lot of racing unlike Lindenhurst who is a tank. You’ll probably not see Orgilgo Bay until Galway. He’s a brilliant jumper and he’ll be able to lay up with them in Galway. He’ll have to go up, but probably will after winning by that distance. Hopefully he’ll not go up too much.”
Another favourite failed when Indian Fairy had to settle for second – staying on late behind the Peter Fahy trained, Do Na Paisti with Shane Butler in the saddle in the mares hurdle. Katie Lu made the early running before Stay Tuned took over however when the winner moved to the head of affairs the winning jockey soon had a commanding lead and the race in safe keeping.
Fahy said: “There’s three mares hurdles this week, two today and one on Friday and we found a weak race. She had good form last year. I couldn’t find an owner for her so I gave her to the kids. She’ll go to Galway, my teenagers will enjoy a day there! She’ll be a lovely mare over fences, she jumps a fence.”
Wandering Aengus showed great determination to land the long distance maiden having set off in front under claiming jockey Shane Shortall but rallied strongly in the closing stages having been headed by Changeofluck with the young rider seen to good advantage in the battle to the line to prevail by half a length on the Patrick Prendergast runner.
The coolness of Paul Carberry was highlighted when completing the treble for himself and Gordon Elliott on I C Gold which gradually crept into contention in the handicap hurdle before asserting after the final flight for a snug success.
Paul’s sister, Nina was booked by Elliott for favourite, Tom’s Article in the bumper which duly obliged in very easy fashion.
Paul Carberry’s luck changed the following day at Killarney when breaking his right collar bone and now looks unlikely to ride at the Galway Festival while Andrew Lynch following a fall at the local course when he believed he had only strained his hand found he had broken three bones in the hand having given up his last two schedules rides at Killarney and when x-rayed at hospital the extent of the injury was revealed.
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