afterSoldier’s victory

The bay crossed the line 16 lengths ahead of One More Stroke, who came through to deprive Desert Halo of the runner-up spot by a head.

“He’s a big horse who’s a staying chaser and I’d compare him to Goulanes, who I owned when I worked with Robert Tyner, and he went on to win a Midlands Grand National [in 2014 ] for Da vid Pipe ,” McSweeney said.

Butcher Hollow is a €7,500

Go ffs Land Ro ve r sa les graduate out of a half-sister to Gr ade 1- place d hu rd ler

According To Dick from the sam e fami ly as Pe ter Mc Cr ee ry ’s Ir ish Gr and National winner Son Of War.

Rocky’s Howya continued handler Declan Queally’s outstanding season with a fifth straight success this term in the Rathbarry & Glenview Stud open.

The seven-year-old gelding was bounced out smartly by Chris O’Donovan and made all the running before increasing the tempo from five out.

Hi s ma in ma rk et ri va l, Chatham Street Lad, came under pressu re aft er the fourth-last.

Rocky’s Howya was showing no signs of stopping and returned with 45 lengths to spare over Grade 1-placed Chatham Street Lad in the colours of Margaret Kiely.

“I’m delighted; he’s a horse who’s going from strength to strength,” Queally’s son Declan said.

“He’s a very game horse who stays well and he’s a great jumper. We’ll now seriously consider the Cheltenham Foxhunters and he could have another run between now and then.”

Sean Doyle’s newcomer Leader In The Park won an incident-packed Goffs UK Aintree Sale five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Well touted beforehand, the Liam Gilligan-ridden bay effortlessly hit the front before two out and was left with a straightforward task when his thr ee cl o se st pu rsue rs ,

Truckers Cruising, Bennettsbridge and Rawhide Kid, exited at the penultimate fence

“I think he has a big engine and Li am sa id he wa s awesome,” Doyle said of his €52,000 Derby sale graduate, who is a half-brother to Tony Martin’s three-time Grade 1 winner Benefficient.

Th ere wa s ye t another Wexford-trained winner as the Paul Pierce-trained Cold Sobar, who was beaten nine lengths into third by Tahmuras on his debut in a Ballingarry auction maiden in May 2021, returned from a 15-month absence to beat Dontrushslowtouch under Sean Staples in the Coolmore Stud National Hunt Division older geldings’ maiden.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Spancilhill rider Jack O’Grady partnered his second winner when landing the Old Road Stud & Gain Equine Nutrition five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden on Bobbi’s Beauty for his boss Sam Curling.

The once-raced Bobbi’s Beauty, whose dam is a halfsister to Menorah, gave a faultless display of fencing when leading from the ninth fence to beat Inchiquin Spirit by four lengths

The 21-year-old Tralee rider, who honed his craft on the southern pony racing circuit during his formative years, has gained a good deal of pointing experience since his debut mount in late 2018, but he could scarcely have gained his opening victory in easier style.

He steered the Philip Rothwell-trained Lesssaidthebetter to a 33-length defeat of Turnthelightsoff

“We got a nice lead out in front and I just quickened up going down the back the last time,” Sugrue said of the nineyear-old, who now has the Bishopscourt Cup as his big spring target.

“I heard there was nothing coming and he won easily in the end.”

Corish didn’t have things as easy for her breakthrough success in the Ballywalter Farms winners-of-three

Her mount Old Style Humor was pushed all the way by the lon g-a bs en t De nt o De s Obeaux, but the Ballycrystal maiden winner had recent race fitness on his side following two fine placed efforts at Tinahely and Ballycrystal, which gave him the upper hand.

His one-length success completed an across-the-card double for Sean Doyle, who was also among the winners at Tallow.

“I haven’t had many rides, just mostly on my own horses,” the 24-year-old rider said. “I’ve been working for Cormac Doyle for two years and he has put me up a few times now. My dream is to ride over the banks in Punchestown some day.”

Cormac Doyle was himself among the winners in the Coolbawn Gallops mares’ ma iden as Stadium Talk produced a gutsy performance to vin dic at e the pa tie nt approach connections had taken with the €41,000 Soldier Of Fortune mare.

Be at en ou t of si gh t at Dromahane on her debut last April, she outfought Paddy Turley’s promising newcomer

Star performance

De Tellers Fortune hit the front three out and was always doing enough to keep his rivals at bay

Callin Baton Rouge by a neck on her first start in ten months

She’ll now go to the sales

“S he ha d one ru n in Dromahane last year and was a bit weak,” Doyle said “The horses were a bit sick then so we put them out in the field. They’ve been healthy since they came back in and she is after improving loads She’s a nice mare. Hopefully, she’ll go on to do bigger and better things.”

Stadium Talk’s sire Soldier Of Fortune was responsible for no fewer than three winners in the pointing fields on the day, including De Tellers Fortune, who made a winning debut in what was a locally dominated Tattersalls NH four-year-old maiden.

All six finishers were from local Wexford stables, with Ellen Doyle’s bay picking up best to beat Laurens Bay by a length and a half, and in the process denying Cormac Doyle a double on the card.

“It’s nice to get a gauge as to where we are with the rest of them,” Doyle’s brother James said. “We thought plenty of him coming here today but I’m sure connections of the other six horses thought the same of theirs

“You just don’t know what to expect with your first four-yearold of the year, but we’re thrilled. We have another two or three by Soldier Of Fortune and I like the sire a lot, so I’m looking forward to them as well.”

Colin Bowe has unleashed su bs eq uen t Chelt enh am Festival winners Envoi Allen and Telmesomethinggirl to win that four-year-old maiden, and although out of luck with Loud And Proud in this year’s race, the Cooney Furlong six-yearold geldings’ maiden was some com pen sa tion for the champion handler His Tara Cove had posted a career best at Carrigarostig three weeks earlier in far more testing conditions The Kayf Tara gelding proved his versatility by mastering quicker ground to beat Councillor K by eight lengths under Barry O’Neill and will now bid to double his career tally in a winners’ contest next.

The two reigning champions also held every chance with Walks Like The Man in the White Horse Stud five-year-old geldings’ maiden, as the favourite was upsides Typhoon Flyer jumping the penultimate fence when that rival fell and brought him down Woodie Flash managed to avoid that drama and took full advantage to give Cleariestown rider Barry Stone his first success of the season when returning seven and a half len gths cle ar of Ou ts ide Adesa

Trained on the beach at Woodstown by Rosemary Connors and owned by her partner Darren Carey, the Leading Light gelding will now be sold.