Conor O'Dwyer captured the riding honours at Thurles yesterday when he completed a double which he rounded off in style with a facile success aboard Scarthy Lad in the two mile Clounoulty Maiden Hurdle.
Supported from 3/1 to 11/8 favourite, the four-year-old chestnut, owned by the ten-member Ballinascarthy Syndicate, travelled smoothly throughout on his hurdling debut before he forged to the front after the third last flight and came home hard held from Mind Over Matter.
'I have to thank Sinead and Grace in the yard as without them I wouldn't be anybody,' said the Clonakilty-based winning trainer Thomas O'Leary, who nominated a winners race at Limerick on St Stephen's Day next for Scarthy Lad. 'We booked Conor to ride so as to help settle him down and he was very happy with him,' added O'Leary, who has 'a dozen' in training.
Arthur Moore is looking towards a slice of the action over Christmas for Eskimo Jack after the six-year-old scored in good style under another typically confident ride from Conor O'Dwyer, who initiated his double in the opening EBF Beginners Chase. The race lost market leader Canary Wharf when he came to grief at the seventh fence when lying in second place behind front-running Quadco, who was collared by the eventual winner approaching the last.
'I couldn't be more pleased with him and we have a choice of conditions races or handicaps next month,' said Moore, who added, 'the bit of experience helped him and he'll make a nice handicap chaser.'
Solerina, who opened her account over timber here earlier this month, followed up for the Bowe family when making every yard a winning one in the hands of Gary Hutchinson. John Bowe, son of trainer James, said, 'She might run in the Barry & Sandra Kelly Memorial at Navan next month and the Stayers Hurdle in two years time would be the dream.'
Eric McNamara's Keepakicker stayed on dourly under David Casey to pip a gallant front runner Monbonami in the closing stages of the 3m handicap hurdle to record his third success at the track. 'He obviously likes it around here. He stays all day and is a good tough horse,' said McNamara, who found the winners enclosure later after the 2m6f handicap hurdle when Periwinkle Lad and Paul Carberry foiled a gamble on recent point-to-point scorer Arthur Daly.
Bookmakers got a result in the concluding bumper when Mistletoenadwine stayed on well under a strong drive from Aidan Fitzgerald to land the spoils while Master Papa prevailed in the 3yo hurdle for Curragh handler Kevin Prendergast.
Steven Craine, who partnered the winner, was suspended for one day for careless day after a lengthy stewards enquiry into an incident before the last but the result was left unchanged.
