RACING/Listowel report: We're used to the likes of John Magnier and Sheikh Mohommed dominating big race finishes but lucky owner Donal O'Connor found himself in a unique position at Listowel yesterday as Native Performance won the Guinness Kerry National.
Only a head separated the winner from the second, River Cora, who also carried O'Connor's purple and pink colours in a titanic struggle that went right to the wire.
River Cora, second to Macs Supreme in the race three years ago, again had to settle for the runner-up spot but got even closer to the winners' enclosure this time as both he and Native Performance were led back together to loud cheers.
O'Connor has the winner with Michael Hourigan and the runner up with Willie Mullins but the result was a nerve-tingler for the farmer and garage owner from outside Clonmel.
"I didn't know who had won until the result was called!" said O'Connor who has six horses in training and has been coming to Listowel for almost 50 years.
"It's a marvellous training feat by two marvellous trainers and once I saw them jumping the last I thought we must surely get there. River Cora has been a marvellous servant and I probably had a stronger feeling for him but it's a fantastic feeling," he added.
Timmy Murphy's previous success in the race was Macs Supreme in 2000 but this time he galvanised the result in O'Connor's favour.
"It's great to win it for Mike (Hourigan) who has been so good to me this last year," Murphy said. Asked when he thought he had the race won, he replied: "On the line!" The unlucky loser of the race, however, was Cloudy Bays who tried to make all, and despite hanging to his right throughout, still looked the likely winner at the second last.
However, Cloudy Bays had crashed out of races at the same fence twice before in his career and he did the same this time, a bad mistake unseating Pat Verling.
The unluckiest horse, however, was the English raider Putsometnby who fell at the third last and had to be put down.
The Aintree National hero Monty's Pass finished seventh under topweight and trainer Jimmy Mangan could run him next at Cheltenham's Paddy Power meeting in November.
"Barry (Geraghty) said the going was a bit dead for him but he ran well and he might go to Cheltenham. The ground will get really soft after that so we'll bring him back into training in the New Year," Mangan said.
Geraghty had better luck half an hour later as the favourite Fatherofthebride galloped the maiden hurdle opposition into the ground to win by four lengths.
The flat scene was dominated by Pat Smullen who rode the Dermot Weld-trained pair Former Senator and Battling Mac to success.
"Former Senator is beginning to get the hang of things and he battled on well here," said Smullen.
But the money was really down on Battling Mac. The easy six-length winner had been a morning price 7 to 2 but wound up an 11 to 8 favourite, a gamble that was landed in style.
Yesterday's Tote turnover of €521,832 at Listowel was a course record. Last year's figure was €479,762. However, despite €350,471 being bet on the Kerry National, overall bookmaker turnover was down to €1,760,927 from last year's €1,949,168.
