For the second time this season, Kerry's Jack Kennedy recorded four winners at the same meeting when dominating at Down Royal on Tuesday. He achieved the same feat at the same track in November and this time he landed the opening three races on the card on horses trained by Gordon Elliott and gained his fourth success with a winner for trainer Ian Donoghue. Kennedy and Elliott set the ball rolling with a runaway success for the Caldwell Construction-owned Staffordshire Knot in the opening two-mile one-furlong maiden hurdle. An 8/15 chance after winning a bumper at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day, he was clear when making a mistake at the final hurdle and ultimately ran out a 21-length winner from Henry de Bromhead’s 7/2 chance Grooveykindoflove. Western Fold recorded a 15-length winning margin in the rated novice hurdle over the same distance to give the trainer and jockey their second success. The 9/2 shot went clear from the second-last hurdle to beat Tom Cooper’s 5/4 favourite D Art D Art. The trainer’s treble was completed as 4/1 shot Timeless Piece took the mares’ handicap hurdle, again over two miles and one furlong. In the colours of Edelle Logan, the four-year-old went clear form the final hurdle to score by 10 lengths from the Pat Turley-trained Stockdale. Kennedy made it four on the day was a hard-fought win on Ian Donoghue’s St Denis’s Well in the two and a half-mile handicap chase. The Declans Bar Syndicate-owned six-year-old had scored under the Dingle maestro at Navan three days previously and at odds of 10/11 favourite, he followed up when beating the Neil McCluskey-trained 22/1 shot Monoxide by a length and a quarter. Navan-based Cian Collins took the two-mile rated novice chase with the Carl Millar-ridden Irish Blaze. In the colours of the Pony Sopranos Syndicate, the eight-year-old was headed at the second-last fence but battled back to win by a cosy six and a half lengths from the Philip Rothwell-trained Captains Nephew.
Jack Kennedy was out of luck at Fairyhouse on Wednesday where Phillip Enright rode an early winner on the Oliver McKiernan-trained Bushmans Pass in the two-mile five-furlong handicap chase. The eight-year-old followed up on his Limerick Christmas Festival success when getting the better of Gavin Cromwell’s Evies Vladimir by three and three-parts of a length at odds of 5/1.
Two winners for Gordon Elliott at Naas on Sunday brought Jack Kennedy’s tally for the season to 99 winners. Ndaawi was first up in the four-year-old maiden hurdle. In the colours of Grade 1 winning owner Niall Earls, the 10/11 favourite skipped clear from the second-last flight and was eased in the closing stages as he recorded a two and a half-length win from his own stable companion Barrier. Kennedy ended the day on the brink of a maiden century with an eight-length success on the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Cleatus Poolaw in the two-mile two-furlong maiden hurdle. Elliott’s charge led after the final hurdle and went cleat to win from the Henry de Bromhead-trained Nas Na Riogh.
Upcoming Fixtures
Limerick – Tuesday, January 30 (First Race 12.50pm)
Dundalk – Wednesday, January 31 (First Race 1.30pm)
Dundalk – Friday, February 2 (First Race 4.25pm)
Leopardstown – Saturday, February 3 (First Race 1.20pm)
Leopardstown – Sunday, February 4 (First Race 12.40pm)
