ELUSIVE TALENT

Elusive Prince provesimpossible to catch as he makes awinning debut at Dawstown Reports, pages2-3

DEREK O’CONNOR

‘It was amazing to watch Feronily land the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase less than six months after I rode him to win amaiden at Rathcannon’ Page 4

BOLD ENOUGH moved to within one of the season’s leading horse, Rocky’s Howya, when landing his sixth victory this term in the Tattersalls open.

David Christie’s eight-yearold made his debut in open company only in February but the Jeremy gelding has not looked back, winning six successive races to join La Feline in joint second place

As regular partner Barry O’Neill was suspended, Bertie Finn retained the ride, having guided Bold Enough to success at Fairyhouse eight days earlier

With Bold Enough stamping his authority on the race off the home be nd, the wi nning margin of three lengths over Stranger Danger did no justice to his dominance in winning for a fourth time during April.

Star performance

Bold Enough made light work of respected rivals to gain a sixth win this season

“We’ll sneak in another race,” Christie said. “He’s taking it well and is happy, and while it’s making him happy we’ll keep running him We do very little with him at home and he is an ideal horse to do this with.”

Dara McGill moved a step closer to the under-21 title when winning the Barclay Communications geldings’ maiden on Mount Wilson

The Telescope-sired six-yearold had returned from a season on the sidelines wi th a promising effort at Oldtown in February. It may have been a surprise it took him a further four runs to get his head in front after that encouraging display, but he duly opened his account when beating Tareefa Boy by two and a half lengths.

The Maghera rider had earlier teamed up with fellow Derry native Noel Kelly to land a ga mb le on I Can Only Imagine in the Dennison JCB five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

The €6,000 purchase was confidently delivered with a good jump two out and from there the 2-1 favourite held fellow newcomer Largy Pearl to win by two lengths

“He’ll probably be better on better ground but he’s a fine horse,” Kelly said. “We’ll sell him now. He’s very classy, as good as I have.”

Largy Pearl’s rider Stephen Connor matched McGill’s

Muskerry At Dromahane Sunday

LUKE MURPHY dominated the sixth and final meeting of the season at Dromahane with a double at the Cork venue to bring his weekend haul of winners to three after success at Moira 24 hours earlier

The Inch rider completed his double in the featured INHSC Winners Final for maidens at the start of the season – a race with a generous €3,250 bonus –on the Liam Kenny-trained Gray Rock. Victorious earlier in the season at Borris House and Ballycrystal, the seven-year-old got into a lovely rhythm in front in this five-runner contest He seemed to have a battle on his plate when headed two out by the Dr om ah ane ma iden winner Barton Snow However, the latter edged right-handed approaching the last and lost valuable momentum, leaving his French-bred rival to take command and beat him going away by six and a half lengths in the colours of his trainer’s wife Noeleen Kenny.

“Gray Rock is a big, raw horse who’s improving the whole time,” stable representative Darragh Brennan said. “It was always the plan to give him a

Star performance

The French-bred Jayapura powered clear for a smart 11-length debut success break after he finished third at Castlelands and to then come here for this race He could now go for a hunter chase.”

Murphy initiated his double on Bootfullofbags in the mares’ maiden and it was a first winner for handler Harry Kelly.

The seven-year-old, who had pulled up in her first two runs this season, moved through to dispute the running from the third-last. She was clearly in command approaching the last and bounded clear of The Kids Choice by four lengths

“We’ve been waiting all year for nice ground and today is the first day we got it She could now go for a winners’ race,”

Kelly said of Bootfullofbags, who represents his neighbour Edel Fitzgerald from Rathcoole outside Fethard.

The Colin Bowe-trained newcomer Chosen Judge won a competitive four-year-old geldings’ maiden in the hands of 19-year-old Eoin Staples for whom this was a third winner achievement with a double initiated by the William Crawford-trained Spice Diva in the Albert Bartlett mares’ maiden.

The six-year-old had steadily improved with each of her three completed outings and she dug deep to run down longtime leader Lady Corrib in the dying strides to open her account by a neck.

“We’ll go to the track with her now,” Crawford said. “The boys who have her also bred her.”

The success of Annaghbeg in the Wilsons Auctions winnersof-two completed a double for Connor and Crawford as the

Conduit gelding brought up a hat-trick of victories

It may have taken six efforts to open his account, but the bay has not looked back since his Kirkistown maiden victory in March, as he proved eight lengths too good for the longabsent Broughshane maiden winner Ballybentragh.

It was a much tighter affair in the Dennison Commercials four-year-old maiden in which seven lengths covered the first five finishers, led home by newcomer El Granjero

A €42,000 purchase at last year’s Derby sale, the Peter

Flood-owned-and-trained bay was still in sixth jumping the penultimate fence However, Luke Murphy’s patient tactics paid dividends as he came home best of all to deny Feeling Festive by a head.

New owners will now be sought, with El Granjero supplying the double Group 1 winner Youmzain, now a resident at Rathbarry Stud, with his first four-year-old maiden winner in the sphere.