Jack Kennedy rode the first of his winners last week when landing the opening maiden hurdle with Imagine at Wexford on Bank Holiday Monday. It was tight, but the Gordon Elliott-trained 10/11 favourite battled well to hold off the Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillane’s Tower by a head. Elliott and Kennedy warmed up for their assault on the big weekend meeting at Down Royal with another winner as 11/10 favourite Favori De Champdou took the near three-mile maiden hurdle at Thurles on Thursday. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned seven-year-old saw off the John Ryan-trained Silver Gazette by three and three-parts of a length.
Phillip Enright weighed in with a double at Thurles on Thursday where he rode winners for Oliver McKiernan and Liam Burke. Out of luck with 6/4 favourite Winding River in the opening beginners’ chase, McKiernan struck with 10/1 chance Difficult Decision in the handicap chase. The nine-year-old made much of the running to beat the Shane Broderick-trained Filon D’Oudairies by a nose. Trainer Liam Burke supplied Enright’s second winner in the shape of Light Parade which scored a cosy success in the two-mile handicap hurdle. The 5/1 chance came from off the pace to lead between the final two flight and was nicely clear over the last to beat the Philip Byrne-trained Ucandoit by three and a quarter lengths.
Gordon Elliott landed four winners at Down Royal on Friday afternoon and this time Jack Kennedy and Davy Russell did the steering. Kennedy shared his treble on the day with the Cullentra trainer, the pair kicking off with the Bective Stud-owned American Mike in the opening two and three-quarter-mile maiden hurdle. It was all too easy for the 1/6 favourite which beat the Gavin Cromwell-trained Letsbeclearaboutit by six and a half lengths. Russell was onboard Jungle Prose, owned by the Bull On Syndicate, which raced to a three and three-parts of a length win in the three-mile handicap hurdle but Kennedy was back in the saddle as Pied Piper, a 1/8 favourite, made all the running to take the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle in good style. Another Kennedy-ridden odds-on favourite, the 2/5 chance Mighty Potter made a winning start to his career over fences with a three and a half-length success over his own stable companion Mars Harper in the beginners’ chase. He too made all the running and won with loads in hand despite drifting to his right after the final fence.
Phillip Enright has certainly regained the winning thread and he partnered the Tony Martin-trained Nibiru to win the valuable handicap hurdle at Down Royal on Saturday. The John Breslin-owned 13/2 chance came with a late rattle to score by a shorthead from the Ray Cody-trained Watch The Weather with Noel Meade’s 100/30 favourite Pinkerton, ridden by Bryan Cooper, a head away in third place. Out of luck in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase, Kennedy, Elliott and owners Gigginstown House Stud gained a measure of compensation as Fury Road won the Grade 2 Eventsec Chase. It was tight at the line as the eight-year-old was all out to get the better of the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Delvino by a shorthead, the pair 13 lengths clear of the Gavin Cromwell-trained Vanillier.
Jack Kennedy continued his winning run as the Gordon Elliott-trained Cool Survivor landed the Listed Novice Hurdle over three miles at Cork on Sunday. A well-supported 8/11 favourite, the five-year-old made all the running to win by two lengths from another Pat Doyle-trained runner, Granny Lowrie.
