Ballinoe Blaze gives McCarthy opening race double at Killarney Having trained the first two home in the opening race, Eoin McCarthy registered a quick double as Ballinoe Blaze stayed on best under Gary Noonan to win Division l of the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle at Killarney. Sent off 4/1f, the five-year-old was always prominent, before moving fourth entering the straight with three to jump, Pushed along to go third at the penultimate flight, Ballinoe Blaze came through to challenge Close Enough at the last. Soon leading, the five-year-old kept on well on the run-in to prevail by half-a-length. Winning jockey Gary Noonan saw his claim reduced to 3lb following that success. Tropical Image finished back in third to give the McCarthy yard further cause for celebrations. McCarthy said: "We thought coming here that we had a really strong hand in the first three races and this horse had been promising to do this for a while. He just lost his way during the summer but he was on song today and it wasn't the strongest race on paper. "Gary gave him a peach of a ride, that's his third winner in three days and having dropped to three (pounds), he now needs to keep the ball rolling. Gary is with me six mornings a week and has 26 winners ridden for me. "I'm delighted for his owners John, Fergal and 'Swanners' (A Ballinoe Syndicate) as their first horse with me was unlucky as he was ready to do a job but got injured. This horse had been frustrating but I'm back in the good books with a Killarney winner!" Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.
