Kerry Racing News

The Jack Kennedy-ridden Gerri Colombe was the undoubted star as his trainer Gordon Elliott again made the big fixture at Down Royal on Friday and Saturday his own. While the trainer was expected to dominate, his return of 11 winners from the 14 races across both days was quite remarkable. On Saturday, he won the first five races to go with his six-timer on Friday. In all, Jack Kennedy rode seven winners at the two-day meeting.

The weekend’s highlight was Saturday’s Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase and it proved to be a thrilling renewal with three of the four runners still in with a chance with 100 yards to race. Gerri Colombe was the one with most to do after getting a little tight for room over the final fence but the 4/7 favourite picked up best of all under Jack Kennedy and got up in the dying strides to pip last year’s winner Envoi Allen by a neck with Conflated, another trained by Elliott, a length away in third place.

Elliott and Kennedy won the Grade 2 racingtv.com Chase with the Tote Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow which beat his sole rival Visionarian, trained by Peter Fahey, by an easy 25 lengths at odds of 8/15 favourite. The day had started well for the pair as 1/4 favourite Wodhooh battled well to beat Joseph O'Brien’s Cossack Chach by a neck in the three-year-old hurdle while Derek O'Connor was in the saddle as 2/7 favourite Down Memory Lane took the maiden hurdle and Carl Millar played his part in the stable’s success when winning the Listed handicap hurdle on 5/1 chance Magic Tricks which beat Noel Meade’s 2/1 favourite The Model Kingdom by two lengths.

As was pretty much expected, Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy had dominated at Down Royal on Friday where the trainer won six of the seven races and for the first time in his career, the Dingle jockey rode four winners at the same meeting. Kennedy’s day had started badly as the 8/15 favourite Better Days Ahead was a faller in the opening two-mile six-furlong maiden hurdle which Elliott still managed to take with the Jordan Gainford-ridden Zefiro Dodville. Kennedy rode the first of his four winners when giving Elliott his second as 5/4 favourite Hunting Brook won the three-mile handicap hurdle by three-parts of a length from the Harry Rogers-trained Benkei. The 2/1 favourite Brighterdaysahead was another for Elliott and Kennedy in the Grade 3 Irish EBF Feathard Lady Mares Novice Hurdle. She beat the Sonny Carey-trained Banntown Girl by four and three-parts of a length. Irish Point, the 5/6 favourite, also won for the pair in the Grade3 Bottlegreen Hurdle as he scored by a length and three-parts from Henry de Bromhead’s Magical Zoe. Found A Fifty completed Kennedy’s first four-timer and gave Elliott his fifth of the day with an eight-length win in the beginners’ chase while Harry Swan gave the trainer his sixth winner when taking the bumper at odds of 1/6 favourite. It didn’t quite match Elliott’s feat of winning seven of the eight race on the card at Navan in early December 2021.

With the big two-day meeting at Down Royal rearranged, it was always going to be a big week for Jack Kennedy and trainer Gordon Elliott and the pair were quickly into their stride with the opening winner at Fairyhouse on Tuesday. Kennedy was in the saddle as 9/4 favourite Imagine landed the opening two-mile beginners’ chase in fine style when beating Gavin Cromwell’s 11/4 chance by a cosy two and a half lengths.

While Willie Mullins won the two big races at Clonmel on Thursday, Gordon Elliott took the numerical honours on the day with a treble, with Jack Kennedy riding two of his winners. Elliott and Kennedy landed the two-mile three-furlong maiden hurdle with Farren Glory for owner Niall Earls. The 13/8 joint-favourite made most of the running and went clear after the second-last to win by nine and a half lengths from the Edward O'Grady-trained Irish Panther, the other joint-favourite. Kennedy also partnered the trainer’s Stuzzikini to a 31-length success over the Sam Curling-trained Angels Dawn in the three-mile handicap hurdle. The 9/2 chance went clear from the second-last hurdle to win as he liked. Josh Williamson completed the Elliott three-timer when winning the bumper on 4/1 chance Rainbow Trail.

Upcoming Fixtures

Dundalk – Wednesday, November 15 (First Race 1.50pm)

Punchestown – Thursday, November 16 (First Race 12.20pm)

Wexford – Friday, November 17 (First Race 12.30pm)

Dundalk – Friday, November 17 (First Race 5.10pm)

Navan – Saturday, November 18 (First Race 11.50am)

Navan – Sunday, November 19 (First Race 11.45am)