PAT HEALY: Pat starts this week by looking at the up and coming jockeys over the jumps who are getting their chance to shine while the top jockeys take a summer break ….
Conditionals have a few weeks in the sun
It was a relatively low-key weekend of racing, with two days of National Hunt racing at Punchestown.
The top National Hunt jockeys are on a break at the moment, so these races are restricted to claiming riders. I suppose it’s a good thing as it gives the lesser names a chance to step up and project themselves to a wider audience.
They’re getting their chances and we can see the likes of Danny Gilligan making hay for Gordon Elliott. He’s a young man from County Galway, where his father Paul is a trainer. He’s ridden eight winners in the last fortnight, so Danny’s really putting his name forward and grabbing his chances with both hands.
Jack Foley was another winner on the Punchestown card, aboard Arctic Fly for Willie Mullins. It was Jack’s first winner since last October.
I think you have to say it’s a good thing these young riders get a chance to have a few winners and make a bit of extra money while the big boys are away.
Major Jumps yards keep rolling
Gordon Elliott was also on the mark at Perth last weekend, where he secured a four-timer. I think it’s a sign of the times. One time during the summer months you wouldn’t see the big yards having any runners. That’s probably the case in England more than it is in Ireland now.
Both Willie and Gordon have plenty of runners in the summer months. The first major summer festival will be Killarney in July and then we’ll roll on to Galway. As we know, both Willie and Gordon like to target both of those festivals, so they’re year-round operations these days.
Sparkling performance at Navan
Pearls And Rubies was a nice debut winner for Aidan O’Brien at Navan on Sunday. The talk on the street before was that she was well liked in Ballydoyle and Ryan [Moore] was over as well to steer her home. I think she’ll take part next week in Ascot.
Big guns ruled out of Ascot
It just shows you the peril of training racehorses, it really is a minute-by-minute task. Desert Crown will be a huge loss to the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. It was looking like a fantastic race on paper, but he was one of the major contenders and sadly now he’s out.
Haskoy for Ralph Beckett and his team has also just been ruled out. It just shows you that you need your fingers and toes crossed to get these big engagements.
Looking ahead to Ascot
We’re warming up for Ascot. It is probably the highlight of the Flat racing calendar, with top-class racing and fantastic international competition. It’s been a great hunting ground for Irish horses and Irish trainers and jockeys over the last couple of years, and I hope that continues into next week.
I’m sure they’ll have the track in perfect condition. Clerk of the Course Chris Stickels knows every inch of the track at Ascot and these hot conditions are not new to him so I’m sure he’ll do a fantastic job.
I’ll be staying in Windsor for the week. There’s always a great social side to Ascot and it’s sure to be another very enjoyable week.
Irish Point-to-Point Awards
The Irish Point-to-Point Awards were held last Saturday in the Minella Hotel in Clonmel, with all the champions of the past season crowned.
Colin Bowe was Champion Handler again for an 11th time. Barry O’Neill was Champion Rider and Maxine O’Sullivan was Champion Lady Rider.
They are all great ambassadors for the Point-to-Point game. Colin’s yard in Wexford is a nursery for future champions, and Barry and Maxine are nearly veterans of the weigh tent now. They ply their trade at a high-level and this is reward for their hard work.
We pass on our congratulations to all the award winners and look forward to the new Point-to-Point season starting again in September.
Until next week.
PAT
