By Dan Walsh
Mayglass rider Jack Hendrick travelled to Durrow, Co. Laois, today, where he scored a double success and brought his seasonal total to 15 winners.
Hendrick got off to a winning start in the first race – the four-year-old maiden auction race – on newcomer Jeroboam Machin in the colours of Monbeg Farm Racing Partnership for handler Cormac Doyle. The winning margin was two and a half lengths.
Hendrick’s double was achieved in the Mares Winner of One race aboard Ma Hoey who had eight lengths to spare for Limerick handler Eoin McCarthy.
Harley Dunne also saddled a winner at Durrow. Howya Jimmy came home a neck to the good in the maiden race for six-year-olds plus and became the 35th career winner for Tiernan Power Roche from Tomhaggard.
There was also point-to-point action at Ballyragget today where the Darragh Berry handled Tosca Time took the four-year-old mares’ maiden race by an impressive 20 lengths. A nice winner for Horetown, Foulksmills rider Shane O’Rourke.
There was a photo finish to the maiden race for five-year-old geldings involving two Wexford contenders. Blagthebookies for Sean Doyle and Tomhaggard rider Jamie Scallan fared best by ‘a neck’ from Livin On Luco for the Harley Dunne stable ridden by Sean Cavanagh.
CONGRATULATIONS COLM MURPHY. And finally, in a week when so many Wexford jockeys and a few trainers were chasing the dreams at the Cheltenham Festival, it would be remiss of us not to accord a big congratulations to trainer Colm Murphy, Killena, Gorey, who saddled Impervious (ridden by Brian Hayes), the two and a half lengths winner of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2) on Friday.
Murphy took out a licence to train in 2000 and is associated with some great champions. Brave Inca won 10 Grade 1 races including the 2006 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle and Big Zeb, winner of six Grade 1 races, captured the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival.
Murphy surprised his followers when he relinquished his trainer’s licence in 2016, but he renewed his licence in 2019, the winners are starting to flow for the stable and Impervious has put the Gorey man back in the Cheltenham Festival limelight. Congratulations are in order.
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