Going - Soft, soft to heavy in places. Fine
Jackpot Pool - €238.78 Dividend - €41.60 Winning Units - 4.02. Placepot Pool - €17,217.29 Dividend - €52.70 Winning Units - 228.61. Days Aggregate - €89,538.10 Last Year €89,778.01
Bloodless success for Courtneys' Soldier
Bottler'secret extends winning sequence
He's a lovely straightforward horse. He races lazily which you'd love in a horse coming off the Flat. He jumped really well there today. The cheekpieces just helped him travel a little bit better. He was behind the bridle a lot the last day. He went to the line really well and hopefully there is more to come. I wouldn't say he has to have it this soft, I'd say on the Flat it was important because he probably just lacked a gear.
Saleable Villa keeps the Sunny side out
he gets keen in front and I had Gavin told to hold on to him but fair play to him as he went to Plan B. He jumps for fun and hopefully now if he could go up (in the ratings), he might get into a better type of race. Two miles on heavy ground is ideal but when it dries out he can go up in trip and has won over 2m5f. buying and selling three and four-year-olds are more important to us and his owner Gary (Kelly) has a lot of young horses coming through so the horse will go to Doncaster Sales in May to make room. He might go to Punchestown first and if he got into one of those good races, he'd run well. He would be a lovely Saturday horse for somebody in England.
Carrig Wells a winner for the Fitzgeralds
She has been placed in a couple of good hunter races and was knocking on the door in hunter chases so it was great to get one. The form of her Thurles run is holding up with yesterday's Fairyhouse winner Boss Robin. She had a poor enough start to the season but other than that, has hardly ever been out of the first three. She will probably go to Tramore now and might go to Punchestown where she could have a spin around and I think she'd gallop away with them. Danny is 19, has won two point-to-points on her and I actually used to ride out Carrig Wells' uncle Falmouth Bay (nine-time winner) when I was 16 over in Simon Sherwood's in England. I rode 30 winners as an amateur in Ireland, England and Wales.
Ryehill a first track winner for Lee Shanahan
Three miles suits him down to the ground but he isn't a natural over his fences. He is hard to watch in a race but gets the job done and must be some good. I'm delighted for Lee, whose parents are all here and is a right lad. . The owners are from Galway except Conor Brett from Cork and got into a syndicate after the horse failed to sell after finishing second in his first run. They're knocking great sport out of him. The plan was to go handicap chasing but we might look for a winners' of one hunters' chase now.
Lifetime Ambition lands the odds for the Doyles
He has been lucky and unlucky as Susie fell off him the last day and she gave out to me for getting beaten on him at Ballindenisk (in December). I wasn't riding him but she gave out to me so I don't know how that works!. He is a beautiful horse, has done everything right but it is a pity we weren't qualified for Aintree as he was over-qualified. We thought we had the real deal for the race but he had been placed in the 2022 John Durkan (Grade 1) so isn't qualified this year. We will go to Punchestown instead, if the ground isn't heavy. We have a great family team at home and Susie is having a great time.
Backmersackme makes winning start for Mullins & Byrne
John said there was plenty of pace so he was good and patient and delivered him with a well timed run and it was straightforward. I was taken by his win in the point-to-point as he was the only one from the group to bridge the gap and galloped through the line, and did the same today. John said he was very green today and should come on again from it. He isn't the biggest, might get an entry in a winners' bumper at Punchestown and then possibly could run in a maiden hurdle in the summer.
Gleeson at the double in Cork bumpers
