Kelly has a runaway winner in Tipperary

Monasterevin’s Aidan Kelly was among the winners at Tipperary on Tuesday where Avec Espoir scored a runaway success in the opportunity handicap chase over two and three-quarter miles. Trained by Val O'Brien, the 11-year-old made all the running and hardly saw a rival as he won by an easy 19 lengths from Henry de Bromhead’s Garde La Peche at odds of 16/1.

With Ronan Whelan in the saddle, the smart three-year-old She’s Quality scored an easy win of her own in the five-furlong conditions’ race at Tipperary on Wednesday. Trained by Jack Davison, the 4/9 favourite led over a furlong from the finish and was soon clear as she beat Ken Condon’s Gabriella’s Spirit, an 11/1 chance, by three and a quarter lengths. The winner is likely to turn out again in the Saphire Stakes at the Curragh later this month. The 17/2 shot Havana Notion won the apprentice handicap over the same distance for Johnny Feane. Hugh Horgan was able to ease up close to the finish on the Prosperous One Syndicate-owned four-year-old as he beat Willie Browne’s Realtin Fantasy by a length and a half.

Kevin Prendergast sent out Copie Conforme to win the near eight-furlong handicap for three-year-olds at Bellewstown on Thursday. In the colours of the late Lady O’Reilly, the 14/1 chance led inside the final furlong under Gary Halpin to win by a length and a quarter from the Paul Stafford-trained Are You In Or Out. Johnny Murtagh’s 5/1 shot Viyanni ran out the widest margin winner of the meeting when taking the opening division of the 14-furlong handicap under Ben Coen. Four lengths was the verdict as the three-year-old raced clear inside the final furlong to beat the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained Elzaamsan in convincing fashion.

The first three-year-old maiden hurdle of the season went the way of the Ross O'Sullivan-trained Butter Fingers at Tipperary on Thursday. A second winner for amateur rider Lee Shanahan, the Tommy Ward-owned 8/1 shot raced clear from the third-last hurdle and came home all of 29 lengths from Joseph O'Brien’s 6/4 favourite Inspire Hope. Oliver McKiernan took the three-mile handicap hurdle with the 14/1 chance Its Not Over Yet. Ridden by Phillip Enright, the five-year-old led after the final hurdle to beat Eric McNamara’s Meehall by half a length.

The Michael Grassick-trained Amanirenas gained her second success of the season when scoring a gutsy win in the opening eight-furlong claiming race at Bellewstown on Friday. Again ridden by Danny Sheehy, the Newbridge College Past Pupils Syndicate-owned 7/1 chance headed Noel Meade’s 4/1 favourite inside the final furlong to win by half a length. Comic Book landed the 12-furlong fillies’ maiden by the same margin for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley. The 15/2 chance made much of the running to beat Aidan O'Brien’s 4/9 favourite Andromeda.

Amateur rider Josh Halford brough his tally to four winners when taking the opening division of the two-mile handicap hurdle on the Michael Halford & Tracey Collins-trained Slieve Bearnagh at Cork on Friday. Successful on his first ride over hurdles on the same horse at Tramore at the beginning of June, Halford was quickly clear on the Paul Rooney-owned 11/2 chance and the partnership came home four and three-parts of a length clear of the Tom Cooper-trained Tipperary For Mac. Happy Jacky recorded his sixth career win when landing the three-mile conditions’ hurdle for trainer Mark Fahey and conditional jockey Peter Smithers. Owned and bred by Paddy Ryan, the 100/30 chance led from the second hurdle and scored by an easy four and a half lengths from his fellow 10-year-old, the Gordon Elliott-trained Beacon Edge.

Punters got off to a tough start at Naas on Saturday where the first three winners were returned at odds of 25/1, 40/1 and 40/1 respectively. Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen delivered the first of the surprises as the Mark Dobbin-owned Amazing Athena took the five-furlong fillies’ maiden in a tight finish. She got up in the final strides to pip the Ger Lyons-trained 4/1 chance Tempest Star by half a length. Gary Carroll and trainer Joe Murphy took the median sires race over a trip just short of six furlongs with the 40/1 chance Shiota. Owned by Gerard Kervick, she scored a narrow win of her own in getting up close to the line to beat Joseph O'Brien’s 7/2 shot Elzem by a head. While the Mark Cahill-trained Akeela was another 40/1 winner in the apprentice handicap over the same distance, the 9/4 favourite National Lady won the fillies’ sprint handicap to give something back to punters and Aidan O'Brien’s Swagman played his part too when winning the seven-furlong maiden under Curragh apprentice Jack Cleary. The 15/8 favourite held on in a thrilling finish to deny Joseph O'Brien’s 22/1 shot Viking Invasion by a head with Mano Chicago a nose away in third place for Murtagh and the eye-catching Truth Be Told a further half a length back in fourth for Dermot Weld. Gary Carroll completed a double on the day as he partnered the Gavin Cromwell-trained Empress Alma to win the concluding 10-furlong handicap. A strong 11/2 chance, the three-year-old sat on the heels of the leaders until challenging early inside the final furlong to win by a length and a quarter from Jessica Harrington’s front-runner Simple Endeavour.

Curragh trainer Katy Brown won the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle with the gambled-on Petrol Head at Bellewstown on Saturday. In the colours of the Orchard Garden Syndicate, the 7/4 favourite battled well to get the better of Gavin Cromwell’s 11/2 chance Aeros Luck by a length and a quarter under Danny Gilligan. Ted Walsh won the two and a half-mile mares’ maiden hurdle with the very well-supported Ta Na La. Ridden by Shane O’Callaghan, the five-year-old was backed from 11/1 to 13/2 on course and went clear before the final hurdle to win by eight and a half lengths from Eamon Delany’s Birmingham Alabama. Mark Fahey and Aidan Kelly both registered their second winners of the week as Inforapenny took the second division of the two and a half-mile opportunity handicap hurdle. Owned and bred by Pat McCarthy, the 9/2 chance made much of the running and battled well to score by a head from the Gavin Cromwell-trained 5/2 favourite Hypersonic Missile. Inforapenny won the same race two years ago.

Ronan Whelan rode a winner for trainer Jessica Harrington at Limerick on Sunday where La Vita Nova took the near 12-furlong median auction fillies’ maiden for owner William Crager. Leading passing the two-furlong pole, the 4/1 chance held off Willie McCreery’s 17/2 shot Cancelled by three-parts of a length. Jarlath Fahey won the apprentice handicap over the same distance with the 16/1 chance Barrogstown Girl. Owned and bred by the trainer’s brother Mick, the four-year-old came through to lead close to the finish under Neve Bennett and she won by an easy length and a quarter.

Peter Fahey and Sam Ewing won the mares’ handicap hurdle at Sligo on Sunday with Gone For Tea, a 10/1 chance. Owned and bred by Peter Murphy, the six-year-old record her second win when beating the Gordon Elliott-trained 7/2 favourite Instant Tendance by three-parts of a length. The Barry Connell-trained Apple’s Of Bresil landed the concluding bumper by the same margin in the hands of Finny Maguire. The 5/2 chance led in the early stages of the race and again close to the finish to beat Mark McNiff’s Wild Mandate on his first start since the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.