Gavin Cromwell stable enjoys three winners at Downpatrick races opening meeting for 2023
Navan trainer Gavin Cromwell had a superb afternoon in the sunshine at Downpatrick on Sunday.
Bromwell recorded a treble including the featured Randox Ulster Grand National winning the £50,000 prize for the second successive year writes Joe Kavanagh.
Cromwell had Malina Girl running first time for new owners Colin and Jackie Russell who bought the mare only last week.
The winner under an excellent ride from Keith Donoghue who was content to track the leaders but made eye-catching improvement from three out and was still restrained cantering downhill.
A good jump at the penultimate fence saw the National hero join the leading My Design which ran a game race while Space Cadet winner of the feature in 2020 having made much of the running kept on for third.
The trainer also won the opener with Law Ella giving Donoghue a double while Sean Flanagan steered Soldaro to a snug success in the Toals Bookmakers Hurdle.
The former was a clear cut winner despite a mistake when pecking at the last but quickened on the run in. Soldaro ran third until leading at the final flight and kept on best in the straight.
Cromwell said: “I’m delighted to win the race for the second year as the kids at home wanted to keep the very impressive trophy on the mantelpiece, so, it will be going back with me.
“She’s only a small little mare but jumps very well. She travelled very strongly and jockey Keith Donoghue saved a lot of ground on the way round. She kept bumping into good ones in recent races.”
Dromara trainer Neill McCluskey saw the well supported I Don’t Get It record her second victory both at the course in a dramatic conclusion to the Tote Handle.
PHOTOS FROM THE DOWNPATRICK RACE MEETING
The winner with Gavin Brouder aboard had made all, however, Tipp For Mac appeared a major danger when pitching on landing at the final flight unseating Rachael Blackmore.
After throwingBlackmore, the local runner decided to violently veer to the stands side but was capable of keeping on gamely to registered success.
Mc Cluskey said: “He’s a serious jumper. I was going to run him over fences, but I thought I would give him one run over hurdles.
“He’s an honest horse. He kept finding and hanging. That’s his second win here and that horse has some form, and has won me a lot of money and he has only won two races in his life.”
Jockey Brouder added: “I knew he was in good form and dropped my irons as for some reason he goes left. My stick was in the left hand, but it had gone dead keeping him straight. He’s a rogue but keeps galloping.”
Shantou Show gave locals a second winner on the day and the first ever track winner for Cara McGoldrick originally from the Downpatrick area, but now based in Wexford partnered Kilcoo-based trainer Sean McParlan’s winner after his son Noel opted to ride Faith Loving in the concluding hunterchase.
Mc Parlan Senior said: “That’s unreal. It’s Cara’s first winner on the track. She has three point-to-point winners. We couldn’t get a jockey to ride him yesterday with all the point-to-points on today. We had no jockey at 12 o’clock yesterday.
“She worked up in Wilson Dennison’s along with my son Noel and that’s how he knew her. She is now working for the Doyles in Wexford. I’m just delighted.
“We will probably be looking at another hunter chase.”
The rider who has won three point-to-points was most definitely cool and collected being last for most of the contest before steadily making ground and to her credit stuck to the inside rail prior to challenging at the penultimate fence and go clear.
Aidan Kelly paid his first visit to the Cheltenham Festival last month recording a winner and runner up from his two mounts and is a talent to note and handler Roger Widger who only trains two horses availed of the claiming riders 7 lbs allowances on Indie Belle which always travelled well before leading at the last and quickly asserting in the WKD Chase.
PHOTOS FROM THE DOWNPATRICK RACE MEETING
