HRI Fact Book 2006 - Horse Racing Ireland

OCTOBER
06
The month began with a
big race double for English
based trainer Brendan Duke
at Tipperary as Zafonical Storm
and Openide scored on the ‘Super
Sunday’ meeting. On the same card,
Noel Meade’s Harchibald proved
disappointing in the featured
Tipperary Hurdle as Scarthy Lad
recorded a comfortable success while
John Oxx’s Noelani signed off her
career with a well deserved victory in
the Concorde Stakes under Fran Berry.
At Longchamp the same afternoon,
trainer Andre Fabre won the Prix de
l’Arc for the seventh time when Rail
Link held off Pride by a head while
there was a big race double for Irish
trained horses when Jim Bolger’s
Finsceal Beo sprang a surprise in
the Prix Marcel Boussac just half an
hour before Aidan O’Brien’s Holy
Roman Emperor took the Prix Jean-
Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium, both
Group One races.
At Gowran Park the following
weekend, Eamon Sheehy’s Rathgar
Beau unfortunately suffered a
career ending injury in the National
Lottery Agent Champion Chase
which was won by Noel Meade’s Sir
Oj with Paul Carberry in the saddle.
At the Curragh the next day, the
Kevin Prendergast stable recorded
a quick fire treble in the
opening three
races with Chained Emotion, Ugo
Fire and Evening Time all on the
mark while Eagle Mountain claimed
the Beresford Stakes impressively
to credit connections with a ninth
success in this Group Two contest.
At Limerick on the same day, jockey
Niall ‘Slippers’ Madden claimed his
third ‘National ‘ victory of the year
when Pearly Jack deservedly earned
a big pot after several near misses
for trainer Denis Fitzgerald while
Justified made a winning seasonal
debut in the Sherry Fitzgerald
O’Malley Chase under Tony McCoy.
The first running of the listed
Navigation Stakes at Cork produced
a terrific finish with Farinelli
touching off Bawaader in the dying
strides while David Wachman’s
Liscanna took the Derrinstown
Stud E.B.F. Birdcatcher Nursery at
Naas twenty four hours later. At
Newmarket, Jim Bolger’s Teofilo
and Aidan O’Brien’s Holy Roman
Emperor locked horns once again
in the Dewhurst Stakes and in a
desperate finish, Teofilo battled
back strongly to just prevail in a real
thriller with Kevin Prendergast’s
promising Haatef only just
failing to make it an Irish 1-2-3 in
fourth place. Bolger and Manning
completed a magnificent double
later on when Finsceal Beo showed
her French victory to be no fluke
with a convincing success in the
Rockfel Stakes and was promoted
to ante-post favouritism for the
English 1000 Guineas over the same
course next May.
With the National Hunt season
beginning to move up a gear, last
season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup
hero made a very pleasing return to
racecourse action with a comfortable
success in the Star ‘Best For Racing
Coverage’ Chase at Punchestown
while the long absent Blazing Sky was
an impressive winner of the Grabel
Mares Hurdle from Brogella and
Celestial Wave. The Curragh signed
off the season on October 22nd and
23rd with Kevin Prendergast’s Boca
Dancer showing plenty of promise for
next season with a smooth success
in the Lanwades & Staffordstown
Stud Stakes over a mile just seven
days after she made a winning debut
at Cork. At Newbury, the Racing Post
Trophy went to Peter Chapple-Hyam’s
Authorized as Aidan O’Brien’s Eagle
Mountain proved disappointing
in fourth place while the soft
ground was against Irish Leger
winner, Kastoria, in the Woodbine
International in Canada as Collier Hill
proved victorious.
October ended with a good victory
for Philip Fenton’s Vic Venturi
in the Ballybrit Novice Chase as
he proved too strong for Jimmy
Mangan’s Conna Castle while there
was another Group One victory
for the Aidan O’Brien stable as
Mount Nelson took the Criterium
International at Saint-Cloud under
Seamie Heffernan. Leopardstown’s
Bank Holiday meeting featured a
first ever Group success for Curragh
trainer Frank Ennis with his charge,
Confuchias, taking the Killavullan
Stakes under Willie Supple while
trainer Noel Meade continued his
good run as Arch Rebel comfortably
landed the Trigo Stakes under Johnny
Murtagh.
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