Liscarroll Point-to-Point races at Knockardbane are a huge success

There was some outstanding action at Sunday’s well-attended Liscarroll point-to-point meeting.

Hosted by the Duhallow Foxhounds at this fixture’s long-standing Knockardbane circuit where this committee have been staging racing since 1954, and the Paul O’Flynn-trained Rebel Budz returned to a rapturous reception on winning the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

Rebel Budz (7/4), who brought the best form to the table considering that he finished second at Kildorrery on March 1st, always travelled well for Boherbue rider Andy Burke Ott and he moved through to pick up the running on the inner well before the penultimate of the 12 obstacles en-route to defeating long-time leader Stan Wellback by a widening 21 lengths.

Former Cork All-Ireland winning footballer O’Flynn, who trains just five miles from the course outside Buttevant, reported of his father Tom’s Rebel Budz.

“He’s a nice horse, but my horses just were not right earlier in the year. They have turned the corner now and this fellow will hopefully go for the point-to-point bumper at Cork on Easter Monday.“ 

The 22 bookmakers present, undoubtedly the biggest number of layers present at a fixture this year, once again came out on the wrong side as the ‘Trixie’ Barry-trained Bartlemy Boy (7/4) justified favouritism by providing Alan O’Sullivan with the concluding leg of a two-timer in the winners of one. 

Bartlemy Boy, absent since finishing second at Boulta in late November, was always well positioned with the victorious British-bred leading from the third-last to see off Burren View by five and a half lengths in the colours of his handler’s wife Mary Hayes.

The ever-popular Barry remarked of the towering Bartlemy Boy.

“It’s hard luck on Cal Shine, who was meant to ride him but he got a fall in the previous race, but we had a more than able deputy in Alan [O’Sullivan]. 

"I was a bit afraid as he hadn’t run since November, he rolled on a stone and got a haematoma which held him up for eight weeks, and he will now go for the three-mile maiden hunters chase at Cork on Easter Monday.“ 

O’Sullivan, who was the leading rider at the meeting, instigated his brace aboard the Michael Griffin-trained Malina Road (7/2) in the five-year-old mares’ maiden. 

Malina Road, who was lying second when unseating at the last on her debut in Ballyvodock having been inconvenienced by a slipped saddle on that occasion, went to the front on the inner before two out and she duly fought off promising newcomer For A Moment by a length in the silks of breeder Seamus Neville.

Ballyduff Upper native Adam Feeney likewise partnered two winners and he initially struck aboard John Nallen’s debutant Minella Marathon (4/1 – 3/1) in the second division of the four-year-old maiden. 

The British-bred Minella Marathon, a son of Blue Bresil, was always well positioned at the head of affairs and he edged ahead from two out to contain last month’s Lisronagh third For Old Times Sake by one and three quarter lengths.

“He’s a horse that has come on a lot recently and he will now go to a sale,“ said owner/trainer Nallen of Minella Marathon, a Goffs Arkle sale graduate and his initial four-year-old runner this season.

Feeney then doubled up, forfeiting his five lbs claim in the process, aboard the Liam O’Brien-trained seasonal debutant Lonely Dancer (5/1) in the first split of the closing six-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden. 

Lonely Dancer, representing Laurence Murphy from Campile, edged ahead before the second last to dismiss Defeat The Dark by three and a half lengths.

Luke Kelleher from Macroom brought his career tally to two by teaming up with Inchigeelagh native Niall Kelleher to land the second division for this same contest aboard Aisling’s Court (8/1). 

The recent Nenagh fourth Aisling’s Court assumed command well before the last and, having erred here, she then bravely kept favourite Paddyskatie at bay to score by a length. 

Aisling’s court sports the silks of Gerard Nihill from Quin, who also owned Sarah Jane that Niall Kelleher trained to win this same race two years ago.

The Jonathan Fogarty-trained newcomer With Nolimit (4/1) annihilated the opposition by making virtually all the running with Ross Sugrue to beat Sticktothescript by 10 lengths in the first part of the four-year-old maiden. 

The hugely-exciting With Nolimit, a French-bred son of Bande, will now be sold.

Frontrunning tactics once again proved successful as Sam Curling’s previous dual runner-up The Kite Runner (5/2) came home as he pleased under David Doyle in the first instalment of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. 

County Clare owner/trainer Robbie Clancy’s Welonlyhavedone (9/4) likewise was always on the pace in the second part of this same race and he easily asserted from two out for Eoin Mahon to dismiss Woodstock Octo by 15 lengths.

Next Sunday, there will be a meeting at Dromahane (1.30pm start).