ZENITH CLAIMS KILCOLGAN DECIDER

Peter Farrell

The Kilcolgan Castle A3 525 final provided strong support on the card and it went the way of the Corona Ryan-trained Zenith Glory.

Sent off the 5/4 favourite following an impressive 28.73 in the semi-finals, improvement was anticipated given that last weekend’s outing was his first since November of last year. That expectation duly materialised as Birol Nadir and Paddy Kehoe’s charge produced a polished display to withstand a dramatic late surge from Rallying Syd. Breaking smartly from trap three, Zenith Glory quickly imposed himself on proceedings and, by the three-quarter mark, appeared to have the contest in safe keeping with a clear advantage over Coolowen Atom, while Rallying Syd tracked the pair in third. The complexion changed in the closing stages, however, as Rallying Syd unleashed a powerful finishing burst and rapidly closed the gap. Ultimately, the line arrived just in time for Zenith Glory, who had done the damage early. The son of King Sheeran and Glory Ruth clung on by a neck in a thrilling finish, stopping the clock in a fast 28.52.

JAYKAY QUICKEST OF THE NIGHT

Elsewhere on the card, there were a number of terrific performances, none more so than Jaykay Fly (6/4) in the concluding race of the night.

While Paul Hennessy was celebrating success in the final of the Tote Gold Cup at HQ, he was also represented here by the son of Serene Ace and Flaming Sahara, and Jaykay Fly was on song from the outset in this A0 contest. Owned by Carol O’Riordan, ‘Jaykay’ donned the white jacket and broke smartly to assert on the run-up from Da Final Whistle in second. From there, it was a formality for the Hennessy runner, who set a ferocious gallop before coming home three and a half lengths clear of Gaytime Joachim. The clock backed up the visual impression, stopping at a brilliant 28.27.

REX GOES QUICKEST OF THE NOVICES

There was plenty of eye-catching novice action throughout the programme, with the upcoming Kirby clearly on connections’ minds, and the standout performance against the clock came from Riverside Rex.

Representing the Riverside kennels of Graham Holland, ‘Rex’ went to traps as the 11/8 favourite. Drawn in two, a moderate start saw him initially play second fiddle to Kitmans Peggy. However, once taking up the mantle at halfway, the son of Swords Rex and Glenegat Mildred powered clear in decisive fashion, crossing the line two and a half lengths to the good in a slick 28.46.

ELSEWHERE

Race five saw an excellent debut from Radical Dreamer, trained by Thomas O’Donovan for Gerard Hutton.

Just a March blue, the son of Ballymac Cashout - An Cailin Alainn boasted an impressive, unblemished card coming into his debut but he needed to work hard to overcome early adversity. Drawn in one, the 5/4 chance was three lengths adrift of Hawk So Black entering the back, however, showed brilliant back-straight pace to take control at the three-quarter mark. In doing so, ‘Dreamer’ quickly hit the front and he drew clear thereafter to record a seven and a half length victory over Hawk So Black in second. The time was a fast 28.67.

KEVINSFORT DOUBLE

Peadar Kinane and John Byrne recorded a good double on the card with Kevinsfort Gypsy and Kevinsfort Away, two litter comrades, making a winning start to their racing careers.

First to prevail was ‘Gypsy’ in race two as she justified 5/4 favouritism from trap one. Despite shipping a bump, the daughter of Ballymac Cashout - Kevinsfort Tiger showed good resolve to take control at the second bend, eventually running to a three and a half length success over Valleymountshane in second. The time was 29.42.

Litter mate, Kevinsfort Away, a pocket-sized 63-pounder, sealed the double in race ten. A 5/1 outsider at the off, ‘Away’ was slowly into stride from six, however, early traffic allowed Byrne’s runner to hit the front. Setting a smart gallop thereafter, it was three and a half lengths back to Chestnut Bonny in second. The time was 29.18.