Ireland Beat Australia In Annual Challenge After his success earlier in the week on 20/1 chance Celtic Prince at Murray Bridge, Kilkenny jockey Donagh Meyler dominated the final two legs of the Australia vs Ireland jumps series on Irish Day at Morphettville, Adelaide earlier on Saturday morning. Meyler won the chase on 17/2 chance Pentomatic for Cranbourne, Melbourne trainer Eric Musgrove and followed up on the David Hayes-trained Dane Hussler, the 11/10 favourite in the hurdle, enjoying a remarkable 100% strike-rate from his three rides. Those final day successes ensured an easy win for Meyler and Rachael Blackmore over their Australian counterparts and an emphatic final score line of 55 points to 35. A thrilled Meyler said: “I got a good early feel on both of them, they jumped well and stuck their necks out. But they race a bit differently over here, that’s for sure.” Pentomatic, an eight-year-old entire by Pentire, won by four lengths but Rachael Blackmore had no luck at all on the winner’s stable-mate Abebe which was sent off a short-priced favourite yet trailed in last of the five finishers. The champion conditional rider partnered the well fancied Melbourne contender Transfixed in the hurdle but the 2/1 chance finished a well beaten sixth behind six-year-old mare Dane Hussler, whose training team sent out Group winners Vega Magic and Formality at Caulfield and Randwick the same afternoon. This was the 31st consecutive year that an Irish team has been invited to Australia to participate in the jockey challenge. It was the 42nd contest staged in the two countries, with Ireland now taking the honours on 26 occasions, Australia winning 15 times and there has been one drawn series. The trophy comes back to Ireland again, and both Meyler and Rachael Blackmore arrive home on Tuesday and are likely to be back in action at Clonmel on Thursday evening.
