'This is our Cheltenham' - Con O'Keeffe bags Grade 3 feature with Kilbarry Chloe

Sunday: Limerick

Waterford-based breeder Con O'Keeffe recorded the biggest winner of his training career by sending out improving homebred Kilbarry Chloe to land Limerick's feature Grade 3 contest.

It was also a memorable day for 5lb claimer Mike O'Connor, who was registering his first Graded victory in the Irish Wire Products Irish EBF Shannon Spray Mares Novice Hurdle, and received high praise from the winning trainer after his ride on the well-backed 12-1 winner.

"Breeding is our game," said O'Keeffe. "We have a lot of broodmares and have had this family for 25 years.

Con O'Keeffe on Kilbarry Chloe: 'She had been promising that all year.'

"It's been so good to us and keeps throwing up winners. We just train our own fillies and this is our Cheltenham, we're thrilled. I'm delighted for [joint-owner] Tadhg O'Sullivan, who has been with me for years."

O'Keeffe added: "She had been promising that all season. She's a staying mare who needs soft ground. This came too soon after her Wexford win really, but today's conditions were perfect and these Graded races don't come around so often, so you have to take your chances.

"All credit to all the lads at home and she got a great ride. Mikey is an excellent young man and has a bright future. We won't get carried away and Punchestown's ground can come up quick enough. Fairyhouse is a month away, so we'll cool our jets now and see what happens."

'He's probably the best of the rest'

Trainer Paul Fahey's decision to miss the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham with Man O Work reaped dividends as the smart four-year-old possibly booked his ticket for another spring festival with a decisive success under Donal McInerney.

There was a sad postscript to the contest, though, with the John McConnell-trained Calvados unable to be saved after coming down at the second-last when in with a chance.

"We always knew Man O Work was a nice horse and he was running a big race at Fairyhouse last time when he fell," said Fahey.

Man O Work: posted smart performance to score at Limerick on Sunday

"Cian Cullinan was confident he would have given the winner a run for his money that day. Unfortunately, he broke his thumb and would have been riding him today but didn't pass fit."

Fahey added: "He's a pretty decent little horse but I didn't think he had enough experience to run in the Boodles. I thought he had the quality and the rating for it, but he had never run on the Flat.

"Apart from the ones going to Cheltenham, he's probably the best of the rest and we'll talk to the owner [Charles O'Reilly] regarding plans."

Hunters Yarn a name to note

Run Wild Fred, Stattler and Flame Bearer are just three of the talented horses to have appeared in the concluding winners' bumper in recent years, and the Willie Mullins-trained Hunters Yarn marked himself out as a classy sort when landing the 2022 running.

Bringing up a Limerick double for the champion trainer after El Barra bolted up as 1-4 favourite in the 2m1½f beginners' chase, the 8-13 winner was described by successful jockey Patrick Mullins as "definitely a Graded horse".

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