Dermot Weld notched up his 61st success of the current campaign and brought the seasonal earnings for the Rosewell House team past the 2million mark in the process when La Stellina outgunned Detach in a thrilling finish to the Mermaids Handicap at Listowel yesterday.
Pat Smullen, who travels to Ascot this afternoon to ride stable companion One More Round in the valuable Tote Trifecta Stakes, brought his seasonal tally to 58 and drew level with John Murtagh, who rode the runner-up. Both riders are now just three winners behind championship leader Mick Kinane in the title race.
Racing opened with the two-runner beginners chase and punters, who rowed in with 9/10 joint favourite Sir James knew in the early stages they were in for plenty of heart-stopping moments.
Ken Whelan's mount jumped erratically alongside his only rival and eventually came to grief when well beaten at the last leaving Ebony Flyer and Pat Crowley to come home a distance clear. There was some compensation for the connections of Sir James when he was remounted to collect the 2,975 runner-up purse.
The Tarbert Handicap resulted in victory for light-weight No Frontier but an incident which took place after a furlong involving Mick Kinane, who partnered Intensity and Tadgh O'Shea (Rashay) was the centre of the stewards attention.
Fortunately for Kinane he escaped a suspension which would have ruled him out of the Prix dl'Arc in Paris next month after O'Shea gave evidence contradicting the video evidence shown afterwards.
Frosty Wind made every yard a winning one for Pat Shanhan but Gordon Power was not so lucky. Langkawi Bay ran out through the running rail half-a-mile from home and the rail then sprung out and collided with Power's face aboard Ticker.
Power was taken to Tralee Hospital and afterwards Dr Walter Halley reporter, 'Gordon has facial lacerations over his left eye and a left eye injury. His goggles shattered which caused the damage.'
Biggest cheer of the day if not the week came at the concluding stages of the one mile handicap when local hope Wesfield Star romped home under Tadgh O'Shea. Tom Cooper, who has trained five winners in total at the Kerry tracks this term, nominated the final of the Derrninstown Series at the Curragh next month for the gelded son of Fourstars Allstars.
Chris Donoghue' Eagle Thyne finished with a late burst under Wayne Smith to defeat Coronado Forest and Striking Pose in the 10f maiden prompting his winning trainer to remark, 'He's a very good horse and is the first winner for the Hazel Hotel Syndicate. I have him well schooled and he may go over hurdles after Christmas.'
