Winged Leader flying againafter hisAintree flop

WINGED LEADERregained the winningthread nine days after disappointingoverthe Grand National fences at Aintree, provingtoo good for tworivals in the Mannock and RTDCrawfordladies’open.

Abeatenfavourite when eighth in the Foxhunters’,his localsupportershad nothingto worryabout at handler David Christie’s localcourse.

Alwaystothe fore, the nineyear-old landedhis fourth successofthe season and 13th overall, in beatingWoodbrook Boyby17½ lengths to give ladies champion Susie Doyle her first success since returning toraceridinginFebruary.

“Wewereabit disappointed at Aintreebut he’s beensuch a greatservant for theyard,” Christie said. “Hehas plenty of mileage left so we came hereto see what formhe’sin. He’ll stay on the open route beforewe look at another hunter chase.”

Christie addedthe SpanWright maiden to his haul when Nevermindestranger broughthim his 20th successof the season in sharingthat race with BourbonNKentucky.

Thelatterhad been absent sinceasecond at Umma House in October 2021,and alaterally from Bertie Finn’smount saw the Colin Bo we -tr aine d Ocovango geldingjoinNevermindestranger, ridden by Barry O’Neill, on the line

Earlier,O’Neill wason Josie Alice forBoweinthe ITBA mares’ maiden.The Soldier Of Fortune mare, ahalf-sister to Grade 1winner TheNew One, hit the frontthree out, and although Somebody’sFortune kept her honestinthe straight, she openedher account at the

THERE wasonly one name on the lips of racegoers leavinga marathon ten-race card at 8pm,fiveand ahalfhours after itbegan – Qualimita

Like eight-time Grade1 wi nner En vo iA lle n, the French-bred is adaughterof Muhtathir,sportingthe colours of Wa ter for dv et Wa lt er Connors,for her debutina division of the Boardsmill Stud four-year-old mares’ maiden.

Alwaystothe fore, Barry O’Neill oozedconfidence on the bay, who barely came outof second gear fora 30-length win.

“She’s abig filly who was weak and we’vetaken ourtime with her.She hasa greatmind and averybig engine,” handler Colin Bowe said. “She jumps brilliantly and she’s very exciting. She’sfor salenow.”

Star performance SpringtDeLaMarewas 14 seconds quicker than any other winneronthe card thirdtime of askingbya length

That wasthe winningmargin for Kerryhill,who returned from amid-season absence to winthe Goffs Punchestown Sale geldings’maiden.

Colin McKeever’s sonof Soldier Of Fortune hadfailedto findanew ownerwhenupfor sale after asecondatKirkistown in November butherewarded connections by beatingLet’s Go Joebyalength

Hissuccesscame thesame dayhis Kirkistown conqueror, TheHeroNextDoor, wona $35,000 hurdle in Americafor his new trainer Leslie Young.

Harley Dunne sent outhis second four-year-old maiden winner of the weekend when Tiernan Powerdeputised for him on SpringtDeLaMare in the Dennison Commercials maiden.Boughtfor €88,000 at last year’s Derbysale,the No Risk At All geldingled home a battalionofFrench-bredswho filledthe firstfourplaces

Another French-bred Great Pepper,gaveDonnchadh Doyle his 20th winner of the season after aquiet month by his standards,inthe Killyhevlin Hotel winners-of-three

Confidently producedby5lb claimer Alan Harney, the Great Pretender geldingbeatPour Me ADouble by three-quarters of alength.“Iwasn’t convinced he’d handle the ground so Isat outthe backand coaxed him into the race,” Harney said. “Donnchadh thinks he’s agood horseand he’s shownithere.”

Star performance

Qualimita couldnot have been more impressive on her debutand oozesstarquality

Pulledupinboth previous races,the grey daughter of CoastalPath ha lf -s ist e Grade Bwinn AvenirD’Un Vie, took a notable step forward by be at ing Knockaneleigh Girl by tw oa nd a ha lf len gt h and will now her stablem the Doncaster sales next month weekend for the David Christie stable when he proved much toogood forfive rivals in the Captain SH WalfordMemorial open for novice riders

Bertie Finn wasalwaysfull of confidence on his firstride on the eight-year-old,with the olas-owned o fJeremy ily winning sfifth race n successionsince h is op en d ebu ti n m id-

Februaryby ea ti ng er ythin g w by fo ur

Mark O’Hare wasalsointhe winner’s enclosurewithhis wife Sara’s Cleatus Poolaw TheClovis Du Berlais gelding hadchasedhome subsequent bumper winner TheJukebox ManatTurtullainNovember and hadtoo much in thetank for TottenhamGreen in the five-year-old geldings’maiden.

Thesuccesswas the middle legofatreble for O’Neill, with Bowe alsocompletingadouble when PracticeRun struck on his debutinadivision of the Goffs Punchestown Sale fouryear-old geldings’maiden.

Sevendaysearlier,owner Brian Acheson hadenjoyed Grade 1success in the Mildmay Novices’Chase with Gerri Colombe,alsosourced from Bowe’s Milestone stables,and it washis colours which were carriedbythe bayashebeat another sonofWalk In The Park,Sportinthepark, by a length and ahalf

TheGordonElliott-trained LoughOwel completed the three-timer for the champion rider when the €60,000 Land Roversale acquisition backed up his fine second in abig-field Ca st leto wn -G eo ghe ga n maiden by beatingSea Music by six lengths in the five-yearold geldings’maiden.

O’Neill lookedtohavea fourth winnerwhen crossing thelineahead of the Gordon Elliott-trainedLightkeeperina division of the BectiveStud maiden.Despite awinning margin of twolengths over Jim Mernagh’shomebred Stylish Recruit,stewards reversed the placings due to interference on the run-in. Thewinner will nowbesold.

Theopeningdivisionofthat maiden wasalso claimedfor Wexfordwhen Ferns rider James Murray made hissole ride on the card countashe guided thePaulPierce-trained DreamBoy to atwo-length defeatofHold My Girl

Thevictory completed a Pierce stable double after Eoin Staples rode French-bred Ingenie tovictoryinthe Lauro at HayesStudmares’maiden.

Bold Enough scooped the firstoftwo open races over the s. “I have one eyeon Listowel and then Stratford,”Christie said

Fellownorthern handler

Tottenham Green’srider Ross Berryhad betterfortune in adivision of the four-yearold geldings’ maiden on the newcomer Everyonesacritic Ashoulderinjuryfor Harley Dunne in the openingdivision of the four-year-old mares’ maiden preventedthe Wexford handler from guidinghis own JasmineBliss (left)tovictoryin the second divisionofthtat race and Tiernan Power was an able deputy as the pair beat Deons Diamond by alength and ahalf