There was a unique outcome to the Tattersalls Ireland Auction Maiden at Cork today where the father-daughter pair of Joe and Frances Crowley each saddled dead-heaters Dipterous and Midnight Grace to share top prize.
Both horses battled together from over a furlong out with the judge Andrew McKeever unable to separate the two at the line.
Frances Crowley, trainer of Dipterous, was absent although her sister Anne-Marie Crowley, who owns the horse, later exclaimed 'that seems the fairest result!' Joe Crowley, father of the pair and trainer of Midnight Grace, did report that 'the ground was almost too fast for my horse.'
Jockey Timmy Murphy recorded a treble, the opening leg coming on Gerry Keane's remarkable eleven year old Step Back, who claimed his seventh career win, in the five furlong handicap.
Keane reported that the winner 'was not broken until he was six, had been schooled over fences with a point to point in mind before running in a bumper.' He added 'we kept bringing him back to shorter distances and really he would prefer four furlongs!'
Murphy made the quick transition to jump jockey half an hour later and partnered Michael Hourigan's Sargon to win the 2m4f novice hurdle.
According to Hourigan, 'Sargon loves that fast ground and we'll try to find a similar race for him now.'
The Murphy hat-trick was completed in the concluding maiden hurdle on Pat Fahy's Sandy Owen.
The opening 1m2f maiden went to Aidan O'Brien's Ovation. The son of Sadler's Wells led entering the straight but needed to battle in order to see off the persistent challenge of Pulitser by a length and a half.
O'Brien later commented 'he did that nicely but I have no plans for him at the moment. He had a few muscle problems at the backend of last year and just needed a little time.'
Trainer Tom McCourt recorded his fourth win of the Flat season when Dollivius landed the five furlong maiden under Niall McCullagh. According to the trainer 'Dollivius is fast and she needs five furlongs. We settled her over six furlongs on her last run but she switched herself off.'
Safe Route ran out a comfortable winner of the Stanleybet Cobh Handicap Hurdle under John Levins. Placed on a few occasions recently, trainer Willie Austin mentioned that the horse 'may now go chasing. She is quite useful on good ground.'
Thomas Weekes.
