Trainer, Gordon Elliott and the Carberry clan dominated racing atxa0Downpatrick on Family Fun Day at the course with the trainer recording axa0four timer likewise the Carberrys’ with Paul registering a treble andxa0sister, Nina completing the quartet for the family name writes Joe Kavanagh.
Racing got underway when Moss Street trained by Gordon Elliott proved thexa0facile winner of the opening maiden hurdle. The locally trained Big Kern started a well-supported odds on favourite and Moss Street soon after thexa0start went into the lead under Paul Carberry as the favourite settled to run second. Big Kern attempted to challenge at the penultimate flight but onlyxa0flattered to deceive and the effort was short lived as the Elliott horsexa0drew further clear on the downhill run and Carberry capable of easing upxa0prior to the line.
The County Meath trainer said: ” It wasn’t a great race.xa0On his form earlier in the season he looked a penalty kick, but he lost hisxa0way. I’d say he didn’t stay in Perth. He’s owned by friends of mine (Callxa0It 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 hexa0would win at Perth last time but appeared to fail to stay.”
The Carberry/Elliott combination doubled up on the day when Swantykay andxa0was the easy winner of the handicap and always holding runner-up House Limitxa0in the closing stages. The winner raced in the rear early but improved intoxa0a close third two from home and having popped the last Carberry allowed hisxa0mount to go to the front and after a short tussle with House Limit soon haxa0the race won.
Elliott said on completing the double: xa0″That’s my first horsexa0for Paul (Holden). He won well. Paul (Carberry) said the ground is getting axa0bit soft. The better the ground the better he is. Paul is brilliant, hexa0takes his time on horses. He’s named after a good friend of ours inxa0Wexford. He might go for a handicap hurdle at Galway. Bayan will go for thexa0Galway Hurdle. He’ll be spot on for it. I thought it was a good performancexa0the last day (Leopardstown last week).
The John Mc Connell trained, Orgilgo Bay made nearly all the running toxa0claim the conditions hurdle and had the race won bar a fall three from home eventually winning by twenty lengths. The winning trainer said “He wasxa0good. 4/5 shots are no fun! He was impressive. It’s hard to know what was behind, but Smilerxa0is probably 110-rated. He jumped well and hopefully now he’ll go forxa0the Galway Hurdle.
“He was a bit unlucky at Cheltenham where he pulled tooxa0hard 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’llxa0probably not seexa0Orgilgo Bayxa0until Galway. He’s a brilliant jumper and he’ll be able to lay up with themxa0in Galway. He’ll have to go up, but probably will after winning by thatxa0distance. Hopefully he’ll not go up too much.”
Another favourite failed when Indian Fairy had to settle for second -xa0staying on late behind the Peter Fahy trained, Do Na Paisti with Shanexa0Butler in the saddle in the mares hurdle. Katie Lu made the early runningxa0before Stay Tuned took over however when the winner moved to the head ofxa0affairs 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 andxa0one on Friday and we found a weak race. She had good form last year. Ixa0couldn’t find an owner for her so I gave her to the kids. She’ll go toxa0Galway, my teenagers will enjoy a day there! She’ll be a lovely mare overxa0fences, she jumps a fence.”
Wandering Aengus showed great determination to land the long distance maidenxa0having set off in front under claiming jockey Shane Shortall but ralliedxa0strongly in the closing stages having been headed by Changeofluck with thexa0young rider seen to good advantage in the battle to the line to prevail byxa0half a length on the Patrick Prendergast runner.
The coolness of Paul Carberry was highlighted when completing the treble forxa0himself and Gordon Elliott on I C Gold which gradually crept into contentionxa0in the handicap hurdle before asserting after the final flight for a snugxa0success.
Paul’s sister, Nina was booked by Elliott for favourite, Tom’s Article inxa0the bumper which duly obliged in very easy fashion.
Paul Carberry’s luck changed the following day at Killarney whenxa0breaking his right collar bone and now looks unlikely to ride at the Galwayxa0Festival while Andrew Lynch following a fall at the local course when hexa0believed he had only strained his hand found he had broken three bones inxa0the hand having given up his last two schedules rides at Killarney and whenxa0x-rayed at hospital the extent of the injury was revealed.
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