John Oxx dominated the Flat section of Saturday's mixed meeting at Cork when saddling Clouseau and Zafaraniya to take both mile maidens on the card.
Clouseau was easy to back in the opening Macroom Maiden, with the Sheikh Mohammed home-bred showing a nice turn of foot at the furlong pole to settle the issue. The Selkirk gelding stretched clear on the far rail to beat Mac Han by two lengths.
'He had been working quite well at home, and we will see what handicap mark he gets. He is a handy little horse, but we have no ambitious plans for him at this stage,' said Oxx.
John Murtagh was also in the saddle aboard the well-backed 6/4 favourite Zafaraniya in the EBF Fillies Maiden. The Doyoun filly got on top in the closing stages to beat Fresh As A Rose by a length and a half, and not surprisingly Oxx now plans to step her up in distance. 'It took her a while to get going, and we will move her up to at least a mile and a quarter next time,' said Oxx.
Local handler Eugene O'Sullivan enjoyed a welcome change of luck when No Messin' landed the featured Murphys Handicap Hurdle. The gelding was enterprisingly ridden by Pat Verling, building up a big lead from flagfall and keeping up a relentless gallop to come home 20 lengths clear of 11/8 favourite Rapid Deployment. O'Sullivan, better known in point-to-point circles, has been without a winner under rules since No Messin' won here last August.
Tony Mullins is looking forward to a dual purpose campaign this summer with Aquila Oculus after she led two out under stable amateur Pa Murphy to take the Dermot Casey Plant Hire Maiden Hurdle.
Alan Magee
