Five-Timer for O'Connor at Belharbour Derek O'Connor kept his many supporters in the Clare/Galway region happy yesterday when partnering a five-timer at the County Clare Hunt point-to-point in Belharbour, Co. Clare. He began by landing the four-year-old Paddy Power-sponsored four-year-old maiden on the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Stonemaster. The son of Old Vic is trained by Pat Doyle and could now be Goffs Land Rover Bumper-bound (Punchestown April 28th). Half-an-hour later O'Connor doubled-up for Doyle on another first-timer, Nothinaddedbuttime in Bernard Gillane & Co. Ltd. Confined Hunt Maiden. This five-year-old is owned by Ciaran O'Connor, a well-known figure in the County Clare Hunt and his dam, the unraced, Fourqueens is a sister to Black Harry and Grancore Girl. O'Connor then combined with Robert Tyner to ride another three winners. They took both divides of the Heineken Maiden Race for six-year-old geldings with Our Musician and Up N Under and then when fighting out the finish of the Peter Healy & John Curley & Co. Ltd. Winners of One with the John Thomas McNamara-ridden Truckers Hall, the five-time champion rider was left clear on Tullintain at the last, when Truckers Hall fell. Tyner provided O'Connor with four winners in his six-timer at Dromahane on New Year's Eve and the Kinsale-handler gave the Galwegian the leg-up on Besties Babe (owned by Callum Best) in the first division of the Gain Mares Series Qualifier Maiden Race for five-year-olds & up, in a bid to repeat that feat. However this one couldn't match the Dot Love-trained, James 'Corky' Carroll-ridden Liberty Counsel. John Thomas McNamara got on the score-sheet in the concluding second divide of this mares maiden on Long Long Time. Owned by Mark Molloy and Linda Shanahan and carrying her royal blue with a pink sash silks, this first-time daughter of Dr Massini was well-supported in the betting and she stretched clear in the closing stages to account for the favourite, Smoko Box, by ten lengths. Mark Molloy trains the five-year-old in Thurles. Elsewhere Sarah Gavin, daughter of Craughwell-trainer, Pauline, saddled her first winner in the Pier Head Bar & Restaurant Maiden Race for five-year-old geldings. An accomplished rider herself, Sarah gave William McMahon the mount on the debutant, Ad Idem, and he benefitted from the departures of Thomond Pride and Last Time D'Albain at the last. Ad Idem then went on to pass the line six lengths to the good over Pauline's charge, Forgotten Symphony. (EM)
