29.04.17
Katnap Non Runner Punchestown 5pm
Landofhopeandglory 2nd Punchestown 4.25
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
28.04.17
Outspoken PU Punchestown 6.05
Slowmotion 2nd Punchestown 4.55
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.04.17
Oathkeeper 13th Punchestown 6.05
Valgor Du Ronceray 8th Punchestown 3.40
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.04.17
Cornelius Sulla 3rd and Tower Bridge 4th Punchestown 7.15
Early Doors 2nd and Spin A Yarn 10th Punchestown 6.05
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
24.04.17
Medal of Honour 11th Navan 4.25
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
23.04.17
Tommy Welsh 6th and War Goddess 9th Navan 5.25
Circus Ring 11th and Apparition 3rd Navan 4.55
Feadan 10th Amenette 6th and Damselfly 5th Navan 2.15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.04.17
Grey Waters 11th, Inescapable 4th and Epitaph 2nd Limerick 4pm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.04.17
Karkadann 9th Kilbeggan 8.05
Detailed 5th Dundalk 7.25
Ruby Gates wins Dundalk 6.55
Spirit Power 2nd Dundalk 5.20
Udogo 9th Kilbeggan 5pm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.04.17
Ruby Gates makes it lucky on her 13th attempt
Ruby Gates wins under Donnacha O'BrienRepare Mon came up short in her bid for a third Dundalk win in a row as Ruby Gates came out on top in the Dundalk Stadium — Light Up Your Night Apprentice Handicap.
Representing owner Maxwell Morris and Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien, Ruby Gates was here shedding her maiden tag at the thirteenth time of asking.
A winner over two miles last time,Repare Mon finished out her race well here over the mile and a half but Ruby Gates was a length and a half up at the line.
Donnacha O'Brien said: "She has been running good races but in those races it's kind of whoever gets the best trip. I got a lovely trip (today). I got the gaps when I wanted them. She was unlucky with bad draws a lot."
On owner Maxwell Morris he said: "Max has been very good, I think he had Joseph's first winner and they have one or two horses with us. It's nice to get a winner for him."
................................................................................
20.04.17
Delayed Eloquence 5th and So Sorry Sarah 4th Tipperary 8.10
Motherland 2nd Tipperary 6.10
Afternoon Delight 5th Tipperary 5.10
...................................................................................................
18.04.17
Oath Breaker 5th Fairyhouse 6.50
Dawn in the Park 7th Fairyhouse 6.20
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.04.17
Slowmotion wins Grade 3 Mares chase at Fairyhouse 5.35
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.04.17 Slowmotion wins again at Easter
Slowmotion
©Healy Racing Photos
By Gary Carson
Slowmotion struck on Irish National Day for the second year running when claiming the John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase at Fairyhouse.
Joseph O'Brien's charge had landed the Grade 2 juvenile hurdle on the card 12 months ago and this time was back to win over the larger obstacles in Grade 3 company.
Mark Walsh came in for the ride after Barry Geraghty's fall in National and produced his mount to challenge in the straight.
The 13/8 favorite got the front going to the last and kept on well to post a two-and-three-quarter length victory over Keppols Queen.
“She's a tough mare, she's getting better and Mark gave her a great ride,” said Joseph.
“She's won a Grade Two over hurdles and is a Grade Three winner over fences now.
“There's a mares handicap in Punchestown but I don't know. I'd imagine she'll probably be finished now, that's as good as she'd like the ground.
“It's nice that she's won today. She was late going chasing as she initially started over hurdles. She won this day last year as well in the juvenile race. She's a good mare and there is plenty of fun to be had with her.”
............................................................................
17.04.17
Joseph's thoughts on the weekend
The BoyleSports Irish Grand National is looking a very, very competitive race as it always is.
BoyleSports Irish Grand National
There’s a good turnout for the great prize money from BoyleSports. Obviously the favourite, Our Duke, looks the most unexposed horse in the race. However, there’s any amount of them that you could take – Harry Fry’s horse, Willie Mullins has a couple in it, Gordon Elliott has a big team, Eddie Harty’s horse Minella Foru.
You could nearly pick ten of them that could win it or even more. It’s a very competitive race and I hope it turns out to be a great race. It certainly should be.
Our Duke is very unexposed but that leaves him very inexperienced too.
It’s a big ask but he’s a Grade 1 horse, he’s proved that. He’ll probably be hard to beat but it’s a big field but he’ll need a lot to fall in place. I’m looking forward to watching the race.
Weekend Review
Us & Them finished fourth at Fairyhouse but was a bit keen and the race didn’t really suit him. We were a little bit disappointed but he didnt disgrace himself.
He remains a horse with a lot of potential.
He might have a little break now. He could come back for a bumper or he could go hurdling, I’m not sure. I’m not in a rush with him but I think he’s a very nice horse.
At Cork on Saturday, Remember the Days ran a blinder and finished second. He was just unlucky to bump into a horse in Lady Derrynane that was very well handicapped. He should be back in the winner’s enclosure before too long.
Yorkhill & Augusta Kate
Yorkhill, who was beaten in the Ryanair Gold Cup, is a really, really good horse. He’s got a huge engine and obviously going right-handed doesn’t suit him. I’d be surprised if he goes right-handed again.
I’ve absolutely no doubt Willie Mullins will get him back right.
Whether he goes for the Gold Cup or Champion Hurdle next year, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with either way. There’s plenty of big races to be won in all them left-handed tracks.
Augusta Kate beating Let’s Dance wasn’t a huge surprise as she’s a very good mare. She give Death Duty a run for his money in Naas earlier this year and she fell at the last and she made a bad mistake at Cheltenham, so that wasn’t her true running. She’s a very good mare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
16.04.17
Karkadann 7th Cork 5.50
Us and Them 4th Fairyhouse 5.10
Zig Zag 12th Fairyhouse 2.20
.....................................................................................
15.04.17
Jaqan H'Ghar 12th Cork 4.25
Richard Strauss 6th Remember The Days 2nd and Sweetasever 5th Cork 2.10
Wimbourne 11th Cork 1.40
................................................................................................
14.04.17
Joseph could have his first Oaks runner as a trainer with his two entries including Intricately, who got the better of Hydrangea and Rhododendron in the Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh in September.
...........................................................................................
12.04.17
Circus Ring 6th Dundalk 8.30
True Blue Moon wins and Feadan 5th Dundalk 5.25
.................................................................................................
12.04.17
True Blue Moon provides Joseph with his first 2 year old winner
True Blue Moon and Donnacha O'Brien beats Dali (Seamie Heffernan) with In The Dip back in 3rd
©Healy Racing Photos
"He has plenty of speed. He's quite green and was green through the race," said Joseph O'Brien after his True Blue Moon came home in front in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden (Plus 10 Race) at Dundalk.
Brother Donnacha did the steering on the well-backed 11/10 favourite (from 7/4) and he beat Dali, belonging to the sibling's father Aidan, by half a length.
"We'll find a winners race or something for him now," Anastasia O'Brien.
"I think he was always going to win, it looked that way. He ran off the bend a bit and was quite green when he hit the front so you'd be hoping he should improved nicely from the run.
"He was showing plenty of speed at home so hopefully he could be a nice horse.
"Brian (Dolan, owner) bred the horse and sent him to us. Joe Rogers broke him and then he came to us."
Anastasia O'Brien, rider of Feadan, trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that her mount displayed signs of greenness on the turn for home.
(GC & EM)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
11.04.17
Kalopsia wins Tipperary 7.45
War Goddess 11th Tipperary 7.15
................................................................................
11.04.17
Kalopsia wins cosily for Joseph
Kalopsia (nearest) beats Clear Skies
©Healy Racing Photos
Ana O'Brien produced 20/1 shot Kalopsia with a strong late surge to deny the better fancied JP McManus-owned runner Clear Skies in the concluding mile-and-a-half maiden at Tipperary this evening.
Clear Skies, trained by Aidan O'Brien, was sent off 7/4 favourite to defy a 557-day absence and travelled sweetly to lead a furlong-and-a-half from home.
The market leader came under pressure inside the final furlong, however, as Kalopsia, carrying the second colours of McManus and trained by Joseph O'Brien, finished to good effect.
The Flemensfirth mare was on top near the line to record a length success at odds of 20/1.
Adain O'Brien filled in for his son afterwards and said:- "I'm delighted for Joseph and both horses ran really well.
"We're delighted with our filly as it was her first run in a long time and she just got there and got tired. You'd be delighted with the run and it's great to get another winner for Anna.
"Clear Skies doesn't have to go that far (1m4f) and dropping back in trip would suit her. She has plenty of class and it was nice to get her started. She's on the road now and we have her started."
..................................................................................................
11.04.17
Joseph's thoughts on the weekend
I was delighted with the performance of Rekindling in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Rekindling
We were expecting a good run from him, I would have been happy with a place beforehand, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him produce that performance to win. All of my father’s horses that finished behind had solid form as juveniles and…
I’d hope Rekindling will be a contender once the classics come round in the summer.
He’s got an entry in the Dante Stakes at York, he’ll also get an entry in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown next month. We’ll also consider the trials at meetings such as Chester and Lingfield. I’d certainly like to get another run into him before Epsom.
Aintree
Katnap ran a blinder in the Topham at Aintree. Danny Mullins gave him a superb ride. He made a bad mistake mid-race and lost about eight lengths, that in hindsight probably cost him the race. He’s a 10-year-old now so we’ve limited time remaining. I’d like to freshen him up and target the Galway Plate during the summer. He enjoys a bit of better ground.
A couple of people mentioned the Grand National as a possible target next season.
But I wouldn’t be confident he’d get the Grand National trip.
Puppy
I want to acknowledge Robert Power’s achievement in winning the leading rider award at Aintree. ‘Puppy’ as he’s known by his colleagues; he’s from a show jumping background and horses seem to jump and travel well for him.
He’s always been a top class rider and it would be great to see that winning run extended into next season. He’s got a smashing bunch of horses to ride for Alan and Ann Potts.
................................................................................................................
09.04.17
Sebastiano Ricci 5th and Damselfly 6th Naas 1.55
