Fethard apprentice Ben Coen rides four winners in a great week for Tipperary racing

The season’s leading jockey Donnacha O'Brien and his brother Joseph began the week in familiar fashion when combining to land the opener at Roscommon on Monday last with Cosmic Horizon.

Racing in the colours of Ireland rugby head coach Joe Schmidt, the 7/4 favourite skipped clear over a furlong from home to win in great style from his closest market rival Dark Conqueror. Donnacha is closing in on his first jockeys’ championship and shared a second winner with Joseph when 6/1 chance Best Not Argue took the opening division of the 7f handicap.

Fethard apprentice Ben Coen was also among the winners at Roscommon where he partnered the Peter Fahey-trained Hamley to land the fillies’ handicap. Owned by the Stable Friends Syndicate, the 7/1 chance did not go unsupported and will be out again in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Northfields Handicap at the Curragh this weekend.

Coen went on to record the 20th winner of his career and his third double when the Gavin Cromwell-trained Greenpanda took the 12f handicap. Running in the colours of the Poetry In Motion Syndicate, the four-year-old scored by a length and a half at odds of 6/1.

Aidan O'Brien landed a 1-2 in the 5f maiden at Naas on Tuesday but to the dismay of most punters, 12/1 shot Isle Of Innisfree held off the late challenge of even money favourite All The King’s Men to win by a head under Seamie Heffernan.

The trainer’s son Donnacha was in the saddle as 4/1 chance Saracen Knight won the conditions’ race over 12f in great style to complete a Ballydoyle double.

O’Brien repeated the feat at Gowran Park the following night where both Western Australia and Prepare For Battle were victorious. The former, a 14/1 chance ridden by Seamie Heffernan, readily outpointed his better fancied stable companion South Pacific, the 5/6 favourite, to win the opening maiden by two and three quarters of a length.

Prepare For Battle made no mistake when making all the running under Donnacha O'Brien in the extended 9f maiden. The young jockey rounded off another successful week when winning the nursery handicap on 4/1 favourite Colfer Me at Down Royal on Friday evening, another winner trained by his brother Joseph.

Ben Coen made it three winners for the week when teaming up with Pat Flynn to land the opening division of the 8f apprentice handicap with Aunty Audrey at Gowran Park on Wednesday. The well-supported 11/2 joint-favourite won by a length and three quarters from the Killian Leonard-ridden Chaparral Dream.

There was further success for Fethard when the Joe Murphy-trained Bay Of Skaill won the 7f maiden on the strand at Laytown on Thursday. Sent off a 4/1 chance, the Gary Carroll-ridden four-year-old scored a two-length win for owner Patricia Mullane.

Denis Hogan both trained and rode his second winner on the beach when 9/4 favourite Cyrus Dallin, racing in the colours of the Westerners Syndicate, won the 7f claiming race. Hogan previous success at Laytown came in 2016 when Burren View Lady was among the winners.

Andrew Slattery, a cousin of Ben Coen, partnered the Anthony McCann-trained Little Camacho to success in the 7f handicap at Down Royal on Friday night. And Coen ended the week on a high with another winner at the same meeting where he won the concluding Ulster Cesarewitch Handicap on the Charles Byrnes-trained Waterville Dancer, the well-supported 4/1 favourite.

Aidan O'Brien and Seamie Heffernan were in double form at Navan on Saturday where 15/8 chance Battle Of Jericho pipped 4/7 favourite Gordon Lord Byron to win the conditions’ event over an extended five furlongs. North Face had an easier time of it when taking the 8f maiden at the first time of asking. He was returned at more rewarding odds of 100/30 favourite.