Kerry Racing News
Jack Kennedy rode his first winner since the Wednesday of the Listowel festival when partnering Minella Sixo to land the two-mile maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse on Monday. The Gordon Elliott-trained 11/10 favourite led at the second-last hurdle and went clear to beat Ross O'Sullivan’s Banana Three by eight lengths. Kennedy was out of luck when 2/5 favourite Speculatrix came down at the final hurdle when a clear leader in a similar race at Killarney on the previous afternoon, his first ride after an 11-day absence.
Kennedy endured an up and down day at Galway on Tuesday where he was beaten on a long, long odds-on shot before winning on another short-price favourite an hour later. The champion jockey lost out on Gordon Elliott’s 1/9 favourite The Enabler, whose tendency to jump left didn’t help his cause, in the opening maiden hurdle. He was readily outpointed by the Ger O'Leary-trained Jabbar, ridden by Michael O'Sullivan. Kennedy then teamed up with O’Leary to win the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle on the 8/11 favourite Wee Charlie. The seven-year-old had little difficulty in justifying his shot odds when leading at the final hurdle to win by a facile seven lengths from the Michael Rice-trained Jinks Link, a 15/2 shot.
Cian Collins won the opening two-mile one-furlong maiden hurdle with the Angie O'Sullivan-owned Impero at Downpatrick on Friday. A runner-up in a handicap hurdle at the Listowel Festival, the five-year-old was sent off at odds of 5/6 favourite and made all the running under Jordan Gainford to beat the Gordon Elliott-trained 5/1 chance Whispering Hopes and Jack Kennedy by seven lengths. Elliott and the champion jockey went a place better as 2/5 favourite Prends Garde A Toi won the two and three-quarter-mile maiden hurdle. Owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the five-year-old asserted from the final hurdle to score by two and a quarter lengths from the 5/1 shot Augusta George.
Jack Kennedy and Gordon Elliott were back in the winners’ enclosure as the 6/4 favourite Bleu De Vassy took the two and a quarter-mile maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse on Saturday. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned five-year-old was in a class of his own as he ran out a 25-length winner from Ian Donoghue’s 4/1 shot John The Spark.
Upcoming Fixtures
Punchestown – Tuesday, October 15 (First Race 2.20pm)
Punchestown – Wednesday, October 16 (First Race 1.50pm)
Curragh – Thursday, October 17 (First Race 1.50pm)
Dundalk – Friday, October 18 (First Race 5.10pm)
Leopardstown – Saturday, October 19 (First Race 2.30pm)
Limerick – Saturday, October 19 (First Race 2.10pm)
Leopardstown – Sunday, October 20 (First Race 1.50pm)
Limerick – Sunday, October 20 (First Race 1.30pm)
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Gordon Elliott’s Minella Sixo and Jack Kennedy on their way to winning at Fairyhouse on Monday. Photo: Patrick McCann/Racing Post
