Bryan Cooper rode his fifth winner of the month and his 10th of the season when partnering the Noel Meade-trained Sheishybrid to land the two and a quarter-mile handicap hurdle at Ballinrobe on Monday evening. The strong 9/4 favourite led over the final hurdle and eased clear to beat Joseph O'Brien’s Faron by seven and a half-lengths, adding to her maiden hurdle success at Cork at the beginning of August.
Jack Kennedy dominated at Bellewstown on Tuesday where he rode three winners, two of them for his great ally, Gordon Elliott. The pair combined to take the opening claiming hurdle with 6/1 chance Wicklow Flyer and they were also successful as Lieutenant Highway, the 3/1 favourite, easily beat the Jessica Harrington-trained Guiri by six and a half-lengths in the Bective Stud Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle in the colours of owner Michael Hanrahan. Kennedy was a winner again as Paul Power’s Shannon Glory beat the Elliott-trained Motown Maggie to land the Gerry Cromwell Memorial Mares Hurdle at odds of 7/2.
Gordon Elliott sent out two more winners at Down Royal on Friday where Kennedy was again on the mark for the Cullentra trainer, as was Davy Russell. The latter rode his first winner since the Galway festival and his third of the season, from just 21 rides, when partnering 6/4 favourite The Insider to land the three-year-old hurdle. Kennedy struck again as 2/1 favourite Salvador Ziggy just lasted home in the three-mile conditions’ hurdle. Owned by William Hurley and Aisling Hurley, the six-year-old held off the challenge of Charles Byrnes’ Off You Go to score by a shorthead. One Cool Poet scored a six-length win in the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle for Matthew Smith and Bryan Cooper. In the colours of the DRFG Partnership, the 10-year-old, famous for winning three races at the Galway festival in 2019, recorded his first win over hurdles when coming home a six-length winner from the Lorna Fowler-trained Doyenna at odds of 12/1.
