Murtagh maintains fine start to season with Tipperary double
Johnny Murtagh has started the season with his team in great form and the Curragh trainer added two more, both ridden by Ben Coen, to his tally on Thursday at Tipperary.
Onemoredance sealed the first leg by running out a comfortable winner of the Tipperary Handicap. Drawn quite wide, Coen ensured his mount was well away and in the box seat from an early stage as The Black Stuff set the fractions. The winner, a 2-1 chance, moved up early in the straight and soon had matters in hand.
The completion of the 20-1 double had to wait until the final race, and again it was a well-judged ride by Coen, this time aboard Cheeky Wink. Sitting just off the pace, he produced his filly to challenge early in the straight, and she quickened up nicely in the conditions to win in great style.
'She had a lovely draw, and I was hoping that going a mile and a half would bring out another bit of improvement,' said Murtagh. 'I thought she was a miler or a mile and one horse, but she strengthened up nicely over the winter and the mile and a half now, in that ground, is ideal.'
Black-type is the focus for the Barnane Stud and Owen Heffer-owned mare. 'She's a home-bred and we thought a bit about her last year, and hopefully she'll get there."
Joyful Tidings was a strong market mover in the opening race, the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden, and the Gavin Cromwell-trained and Dunphy Family Syndicate-owned juvenile made a good impression despite patent signs of greenness.
Keen through the early stages, he looked to be in trouble with a couple of furlongs to go, but the son of top-class sprinter A'Ali responded well to Gary Carroll's encouragement to see off Arugam Bay, who ran a big race on the far side of the track.
It was a delayed debut for the promising sort as he had been an intended runner at the Curragh but had to be withdrawn after an incident going to the start.
'I passed Seamie (Heffernan) but he then bolted and went by me,' explained Carroll. 'Both horses got a fright and got runs on us, that's all.'
Of this race, he added: 'He's a strong-travelling horse and there was no real pace on my side, but he is very straightforward, so I did my own thing. It took a while to get organised between the two and the one, but I was strong through the line.
'He is a big strong horse so we weren't too afraid about the slower ground, but he will appreciate nicer ground. He is a nice horse going forward.
'I think Gavin has a nice bunch of two-year-olds, and this is our first runner, so it is nice to get a line on them.'
Bravais, who had good form in France in 2023, stepped up considerably on his stable debut when taking the Racing Again At Tipperary On May 8 Race for Ger Lyons, Colin Keane and owners Juddmonte. Hurricane Ivor won the battle for early supremacy and looked in charge for much of the trip, but Bravais, who was always his nearest pursuer, dug in deep to collar him close home.
Shane Lyons said: 'Well, we're only finding out about him ourselves, but it's great that the family of Juddmonte give us these horses. It's a pleasure to train them.
'It's going to be a nice fun horse for us, and Colin says that he appreciated that ground — he wouldn't want too much firm in it. Trip-wise, seven furlongs to a mile is ideal for him and he could be a right horse to come back here for the races that we farmed with the likes of Psychedelic Funk.'
Andy Slattery's team is in great form and Bobbi Rose gave the Tipperary yard a third winner since Sunday when running away with the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. The Havana Grey filly took over from favourite Passing Phase inside the quarter pole and pulled away in good style to score under 7lb claimer Sam Coen, a cousin of Ben, and a promising young rider in his own right.
A gamble went astray in the Follow @tipperaryraces Handicap as Raising The Flag, backed from double-figure odds in the morning to 11-8 at the off, trailed the field of six runners. Victory went to the Denis Hogan-trained Sarahmae, a Magna Grecia filly who was delivered late by Joey Sheridan to win readily.
The Gordon Elliott-trained Combs made a winning return to action in the Tipperary Town Maiden. Sent off in front by Chris Hayes, the three-year-old saw off a late challenge by market leader Treasure Planet and looks just the type to improve with an even greater demand on stamina.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
US tourists flock to Dublin for US country music star Zach Bryan's gigs amid surge in North American visitors
The Oklahoma singer-songwriter will play three concerts at Dublin's Phoenix Park from June 20-22 with a predicted attendance of over 180,000. The gigs have delivered bumper bookings for Dublin hotels while pubs and restaurants are set to enjoy a surge in business over the next 10 days. It is predicted that up to 10,000 US fans will visit Ireland, with the concerts a key reason for their holiday here. Dublin tourism will savour its biggest boost since the Garth Brooks concerts of 2022 as, unlike rock acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, the majority of ticket sales for country artists are outside the capital region. Only 12pc of ticket sales for the Bryan concerts were in the Dublin area – with huge ticket demand in Connacht, Ulster, the UK and North America. Bryan has enjoyed a stratospheric rise to stardom and will play here just two years after performing to 1,900 fans at The Helix in Dublin. The concerts take place as Ireland is savouring a big recovery in US tourist numbers. Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed that one in five foreign holidaymakers who visited Ireland in April were from the US. That represented a significant increase in North American visitor numbers compared with March. While the figure (18pc) was down 1pc compared with the same period last year, it represented an 8pc hike compared with the number of US holidaymakers recorded in April 2023. The UK remains Ireland's biggest tourism market with four in every 10 visitors coming from England, Scotland or Wales. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) said the sector faces multiple challenges ranging from constrained airline seat capacity, global instability, the potential impact of Donald Trump's 'America First' strategy and economic issues on core visitor markets including the UK and Germany. Irish tourism is expected to deliver revenue growth of between 5pc and 7pc, but growth in the overall number of visitors is expected to slip to its lowest rate for years. The European Travel Commission (ETA) has predicted average tourism growth across the 27 member states will exceed 8pc. ADVERTISEMENT However, the ITIC predicted that Ireland will fall behind the EU average – potentially peaking at 5pc growth. Tourism Ireland estimated that the economy received a €7bn boost from tourism last year. Over 300,000 jobs are supported by overseas tourism, with Tourism Ireland aiming to boost the value of the sector to €9bn by 2030. Tourism revenue growth has been boosted by the fact that inflation has eased and Ireland will be able to offer better value for money in accommodation terms thanks to over 7,000 new hotel rooms being delivered by the construction sector. A significant number of hotel and guest house rooms will also be returned to tourism use as refugees are allocated alternative accommodation. Leading hoteliers said 2024 was a good year and this season was expected to deliver further growth. InterContinental Dublin general manager Nicky Logue said US business was strong while UK trade was down on previous years. 'Last year was a very strong year and, bar any great shocks, I predict the same in 2025, albeit with a lot of pressure on the bottom line with increasing costs of doing business,' Mr Logue said. 'Thankfully we performed well year-on-year due to strong group business from the US in particular and rugby. Ireland and Slovenia are the only two European countries where airline seat capacity will decline in 2025 'Leisure business remains strong from the US, but the UK market is definitely not as strong as it has been in years gone by. Corporate business remains challenging with people travelling less and many still working from home a couple of days a week.' Tourism groups said the main 'handbrake on growth' is the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. Ireland and Slovenia are the only two European countries where airline seat capacity will decline in 2025. In Ireland, seat capacity will fall by 3.3pc. That contrasts with countries like the UK (+3.9pc), France (7.1pc), Spain (+8.1pc), Italy (+6.1pc) and Denmark (+8.3pc). An ITIC spokesperson said: 'With 70pc of the Irish tourism economy dependent on international visitation, it is vital that the main gateway into the country has headroom to grow. 'Although there is a court ruling to put a 'stay' on the cap for next summer, the issue of restrictions at Dublin growth is as pertinent as ever. 'This manifested itself last winter in air access into the country being down 3pc – the only top-20 European destination showing a decline. 'Growth at Shannon and Cork Airports must be facilitated, but this will not compensate for lost business at Dublin.' From January 1 to October 31 last year, Ireland welcomed 5.79 million visitors which was an 8pc increase compared with the same period in 2023. Those visitors spent €5.38bn, an increase of 15pc compared with the same period in 2023. However, Ireland experienced a 5pc decline last October in overseas visitor numbers compared to the previous year – a decline largely triggered by a fall in UK visitors.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
BOD and Amy Inc: How the ‘happy, outgoing' power couple built a €12m business brand
It is a match that is etched into Irish rugby lore. On St Patrick's weekend, 2000, Ireland ran riot against France in Paris and Brian O'Driscoll announced himself to the sporting world with a hat-trick of tries. After each one, he celebrated by cupping his hands in the shape of an 'O'.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Raging McIlroy finds late magic to make cut as Oakmont leaves Lowry at low ebb
With the skies about to open above him, Rory McIlroy pulled himself out of the hellish challenge that has been Oakmont these past 48 hours and fired a heavenly closing birdie to make the cut on Friday night. Standing on the 18th tee at 7-over for the year's third major, the cutline moving up and down between +6 and +7, McIlroy knew only a birdie could guarantee his run of six-straight US Open cuts made. With playing partners Shane Lowry and Justin Rose having long since succumbed to the horrors of the Pittsburgh course, his was the only fate to be decided. After a post-Masters run that has defied expectations and, at times, belief, McIlroy found a little bit of vintage magic. How badly he needed it. American Sam Burns had set the pace with a morning 65 which got all the more impressive as Friday progressed in Western Pennsylvania. By nightfall Burns was the outright halfway leader at 3-under, one of just three of the 156 in the field to remain under par. Overnight leader JJ Spaun did his best to cling in there but otherwise those who began in the red felt the creep of the black. Big names joined Lowry and Rose in falling by the wayside too, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Aberg among them. From start to finish there were crooked scores everywhere and the organisers even found time in the darkening hours for an absurd weather delay which meant a handful of misfortunates have to return on Saturday morning, when rough weather is expected to play a major factor throughout the third round. Friday at Oakmont featured plenty of Irish carnage as Lowry leaned into another expletive-laced reaction to major struggles then picked up an inexplicable penalty stroke while McIlroy tossed a club down the fairway on one hole and later smashed a tee marker for good measure. Birdie for the weekend 🐦@McIlroyRory converts to make it inside the projected cutline @ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 13, 2025 However on his pivotal final hole of the round the Holywood man composed himself to find his best tee-to-cup performance since his third hole the previous day. A perfect drive set him up for his most sparkling wedge of the week finding the last fraction of a degree of undulation to bring the ball back to just four feet. He rolled in the birdie for a 2-over 72 that in the circumstances may be his best round since Augusta. That's probably an overstatement or a bias towards how he finished it. Because it started in spectacularly hideous fashion, a calamitous double bogey on the first added to with another on the third to push him to 8-over overall and well outside the cut line. From there it was slow progress, in terms of both moment and plain ol actual progress, the pace of play disgracefully slow. He birdied the 9th to turn in brighter form but gave one back on the 11th and laboured a little until another arrived at the 15th. Shane Lowry won't be hanging around and won't be eager to ever discuss his visit to Pittsburgh this time around. A 54-hole leader here in 2016, this was a sequel which proved to be a box office bomb. The Offaly man left with a two-round card that by his high standards looked nothing short of diabolical. He followed up his Thursday 79 with an 8-over 78 to leave the grounds with an ugly +17 to the right of his name on the leaderboard. Below him were just 16 players, a grouping which you wouldn't describe as a golfing who's who but a who's he? Where to start with Lowry's fiendish Friday? How about the fact that on the 14th green he bent to mark his ball and pick it up but forgot to do the first bit. The vision of the slow dawning of what he'd just done, as he stood with ball in hand and marker in pocket was a vision of what the place can do to the best in the game. Lowry so rarely looked like a member of the elite unfortunately. Of all the places to need a fast start, Oakmont may be the last you'd pick. Looking for birdies, Lowry found an opening bogey on the confiding 1st and followed it with a double and two more bogeys before he stepped on to the 5th. He was +14 and wanted to be anywhere else. There was a throwback to his misery at Quail Hollow when he repeated his 'f*** this place' line after that third bogey. His only birdie of the week arrived so late it felt early, on the par-4 7th but there was further woe on the way home, bogeys on 10, the brain fart on 14 and one last bogey on 15. As he congratulated McIlroy for making the cut, Lowry joked and laughed with his friend. 'Rather you than me,' may have been the gist of it. Lowry spoke to the Examiner last week about how hard he has found recent weeks with his wife and children already back in Ireland for the summer. He has one more event before he heads home for six weeks but as he prepares for a weighty return to the Open at Portrush, there can be no hiding the need for work. Lowry's 2025 major season reads as follows: a closing 81 at Augusta to plummet down the field, a missed cut at Quail Hollow and a tie for 138th at an Oakmont course where he was widely expected to contend. Not great. For McIlroy, a wholly unpredictable weekend awaits. As afternoon scores spiked and big names tumbled, some made the point that Scottie Scheffler may have sat at 4-over but in a tie for 23rd, just seven back with only three major wins between him and the lead. McIlroy is just two further back on the course which offers up the least predictability in golf.
