McCarthy doubles up at Limerick
Darragh O'Keeffe was booked to do the steering aboard 28-1 chance Elusive Ogie in the Connolly's Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle and he made no mistake.
Despite the odds, there was no semblance of fluke about the performance. Heavily backed 1-3 favourite De Temps En Temps set out to make all but was in trouble turning for home and had to settle for third place.
Owned by Denis Enright, who is a great supporter of McCarthy, the four-year-old Elusive Ogie travelled best of all and put matters to bed quite comfortably to give the rider his 15th winner of the month.
McCarthy doubled up with Shadow Paddy, who proved to be the night's most popular winner when going clear close home in the Richard Egan Electrical Handicap Hurdle. Ridden by another local, Gary Noonan, the 15-8 favourite made his move widest of all but had enough in the locker to supplement his recent victory at Tipperary.
'They're a nice crowd,' McCarthy said of the Complete Package Syndicate, a group of locals who own the winner. 'He had shown a bit, but he fell apart, and they had patience with him, and it's nice to see him reward them. They love their racing and it's great to win a couple for them. We'll see how he comes out of this before making plans, but hopefully he can continue to progress."
Tiernan Power Roche, who was crowned champion conditional at the end of the last National Hunt season, has continued his fine run of form into the new season, and when he guided Gatehouse Boy to victory in the first division of the McMahons Builders Providers Handicap Hurdle, it was a fourth winner in a fortnight for the 5lb claimer.
Teaming up once again with Philip Rothwell, who provided the lion's share of his 29 winners last term, he rode the five-year-old with great confidence and, ending a sequence of duck eggs in his mount's form, he caused a 28-1 upset.
'Last season was a brilliant season, and the last couple of weeks have also been very good,' said Power Roche.
Turning his attention to this winner, he said: 'He's a big, raw, green horse but seemed to come forward every day, and my claim was a bit of a help for him today.
'He's been a bit disappointing because his work at home has been good, so it was a bit of a headscratcher as to why he wasn't delivering. Probably, he was always going to take a few runs. I was hoping he would take another step forward today and at least be in the shake up. The race kind of fell apart and he kept going, and hopefully he'll step forward for it again.'
Having finished third in two bumpers and runner-up in two previous outings over timber, Emily Love was not winning out of turn when taking the Ryan Safety & Security Mares' Maiden Hurdle. The mount of Sam Ewing, for trainer Gordon Elliott, she took over two out and stamped a bit of quality on proceedings.
Danny Gilligan, who also operates out of Elliott's Cullentra House, was seen to great effect aboard You Done Well in the second division of the two-mile-three handicap hurdle. In a tight finish, he got a little extra out of Kieran Purcell's gelding to earn the four-year-old's first win, at the 11th time of asking.
The success of Kiln Time in the Frankie Dunworth Memorial Handicap Hurdle was aptly beautifully executed by Cian Quirke as it signalled the end of the jockey's claim. Quirke, who is based with Andy Slattery and who finished third in last season's conditional jockeys' championship, coaxed his mount around and delivered him with superb timing to land the spoils for trainer Harry Kelly.
Adam Ryan, who was on the mark aboard Sunchart on Wednesday evening in Wexford, earned another trip to the winner's enclosure by taking the mares' bumper aboard the Peter Fahey-trained Atomic Queen.
Off the track since beaten a long way in a Galway bumper on her only previous starts, she picked up nicely this time to readily get the better of long-time leader Barra Rua. A half-sister to Get A Tonic, who won a point to point and four hurdles, she looks to have a bright future.
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