A runner-up to the Willie Mullins-trained 4/6 favourite May Call You Back with Miners Bridge in the earlier two-mile handicap chase, Phillip Enright and trainer Sam Curling went a place better to win the mares’ beginners' chase with Belle The Lioness as jumps racing returned from its mid-summer break at Tipperary on Tuesday. Easily the longest-priced winner of the day at odds of 25/1, she battled well from the final fence to pip Henry de Bromhead’s 11/1 shot Cobra Queen by a head, comfortably the narrowest winning margin on the eight-race card. Jack Kennedy was in action for the first time since the final day of the Cheltenham Festival in March, but he was in the frame on only one of his three rides on the day with 8/11 favourite St Cuthbert’s Cave taking third place behind Andy Slattery’s 11/4 winner Dark Note in the concluding rated novice chase.
Enright and local trainer Curling shared their second winner at the course in three days as 11/2 joint-favourite Queenofthelodge took the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle in fine style. She was well on top in beating the Eric McNamara-trained 10/1 chance Storm Mahler by a length and three-parts.
Gordon Elliott provided former champion jockey Jack Kennedy with his first winner since returning from injury when sending out the Robcour-owned Kamikaz Du Plessis to take the two and a half-mile maiden hurdle at Wexford on Friday. The strong 11/8 favourite got the better of Gavin Cromwell’s 9/1 chance Noticebox and Keith Donoghue by three and three-parts of a length.
Elliott landed a double at Bellewstown on Saturday evening where Kennedy and Josh Williamson rode his winners. The Kennedy comeback gathered momentum when he partnered the KTDA-owned 7/1 shot Bowensonfire to win the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle by an easy seven lengths from Gavin Cromwell’s 11/1 chance Stuntman Steve. Williamson had to work far harder to get Stede Bonnet home by half a length in the concluding bumper. The 13/8 favourite, a winner at Clonmel a month earlier, battled well to get the better of Emmet Mullins’ 7/2 shot Garahon and John Gleeson. Dingle conditional jockey Thomas O’Connor gave County Kildare trainer Mark Fahey his second winner in as many days as the well-supported 6/4 favourite Garnacho took the opportunity handicap hurdle over two and a half miles. It was a second career success for O’Connor, previously a winner on the Fahey-trained Kp's Ladyofknock at Clonmel in December of last year, who brought the six-year-old home 12 lengths to the good over David Fitzgerald’s 28/1 chance Jaadil.
Upcoming Fixtures
Tramore – Tuesday, July 8 (First race 5.20pm)
Fairyhouse – Wednesday, July 9 (First race 4pm)
Leopardstown – Thursday, July 10 (First race 5pm)
Kilbeggan – Friday, July 11 (First race 5.30pm)
Cork – Friday, July 11 (First race 5.12pm)
Dundalk – Saturday, July 12 (First race 1.52pm)
Limerick – Saturday, July 12 (First race 1.32pm)
Navan – Sunday, July 13 (First race 1.40pm)
Sligo – Sunday, July 13 (First race 1.50pm)
