Report from Leopardstown: John Murtagh was in dominant form at Leopardstown yesterday but that only partly contributed to an incident-packed afternoon that resulted in the 2005 flat season going out with anything but a whimper.
The former champion jockey landed an eventful November Handicap on Golden Cross, also won the Listed Knockaire Stakes on the 12 to 1 outsider Sugerhoneybaby, and wound up with a comfortable success on Mister Hight for a 246 to 1 treble.
However, there was a sting in the tail for Murtagh after picking up a two-day ban for his ride on Golden Cross who crossed the favourite Solerina in the closing stages. The jockey had earlier received a severe caution for his use of the whip on Sugerhoneybaby.
That suspension finally brought the curtain down on a tumultuous November Handicap that had to do without the star steeplechaser Beef Or Salmon whose black weekend was completed by being withdrawn just minutes before the start.
Beef Or Salmon's intended target at Down Royal on Saturday was ruled out because of the bomb scare and after an overnight stay at Leopardstown he was set to take up yesterday's flat option.
However, that too didn't work out as the racecourse vet advised withdrawal when Beef Or Salmon was waiting to leave the saddling box area.
"It's a very minor problem, nothing serious," said Beef Or Salmon's trainer Michael Hourigan. "I'll have to go to Haydock (Betfair Chase) with him now. There's nowhere else to go."
Immediately afterwards another star National Hunt name in the wars was Solerina who started favourite but finished only third to Golden Cross.
However, her problem came when jockey Christy Geoghegan weighed in 2lb light and the stewards had no option but to disqualify Solerina who raced without a lead cloth. Permit holder James Bowe was fined 750.
Golden Cross is also a Grade One jumps winner and he will return to the winter game in next month's Hatton's Grace Hurdle having put the seal on trainer Michael Halford's best ever season on the level.
"That's 54 winners and it has been a great year. Things have fallen into place from day one. Johnny rode Lahiba to win on the opening day of the season and he has been a great help riding an awful lot of work for us.
"Golden Cross came back in the spring after a problem and the plan was for one run back, a run in the November Handicap and then go jumping again. It's not often that things work out like that in this game," Halford said.
Cashmans installed Golden Cross at 25 to 1 for the Champion Hurdle and make him 16 to 1 for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The English raider Wovoka made his 15th start of the season a winning one by beating the locals in the Listed Eyrefield Stakes.
Mick Channon's colt started his career with a win at Musselburgh in late March and his jockey Tony Culhane said: "He's a typical Channon horse in that he's tough, genuine and honest."
It was a memorable day for the new Curragh trainer Liam Roche who saddled his first ever winner with the Michael Kinane-ridden Celtic Warrior in the Nursery.
Roche, a nephew of the former champion jockey Christy Roche, only took out a licence in August and has 15 horses. Kinane put up 1lb overweight but Roche quipped:
"I wouldn't mind if he put up 3lb over. He's a great jockey."
Pat Smullen wound up champion jockey for the third time on 67 winners while Aidan O'Brien was top trainer with over €3.6 million in prizemoney.
Dermot Weld, however, was numerically top on 64 winners, two clear of both O'Brien and John Oxx. Chris Hayes, 18, with 38 winners, is the apprentice champion.
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