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Tom Weekes

Tom Weekes

O'Keeffe adds Cork double to Wetherby winner

Sun 5th Nov 2023, 15:10

Solitary Man and Darragh O'KeeffeSolitary Man and Darragh O'Keeffe
© Photo Healy Racing

Darragh O'Keeffe followed up yesterday's notable Charlie Hall Chase win at Wetherby with a Cork double today, landing the Listed Paddy Power Irish EBF Novice Hurdle on the Enda Bolger-trained Solitary Man (5/2).

Bred by retired Irish soccer player Kevin Doyle, Solitary Man won twice from three Killarney runs this summer and while beaten a neck by Desert Heather over today's course-and-distance in October, today turned form under a 11lb weight swing.

Racing prominently, O'Keeffe utilised Solitary Man's scope to secure fine leaps as the pair held off runner-up What Path with Pinyon Jay finishing third and Desert Heather fourth.

Bolger reported “Darragh said he’s manning up all the time and his jumping is excellent.

“After the last day here, I was saying that he had been busy enough and would we leave him alone, but I just saw the entries and said we’d have a shot at it. It was a good call and good prize money to get.”

He added “I don’t know what I'll do now - he definitely likes nice ground and I’d prefer to put him away. He’s only five and if they’re good, they’re worth minding so we mightn’t see him now until the spring.

“Fences will be his real thing, so maybe we could eventually look at a beginners’ chase at Killarney.”

O'Keeffe had earlier won on Tom Gibney's Flamborough and at Wetherby yesterday, overturned King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame on the Mouse Morris-trained Gentlemansgame.

About Tom Weekes
A lifelong racing fan, Tom began writing point to point reports in 2002 and has reported for irishracing.com since 2003, when he joined Irish Racing Services - since taken over by the Press Association. Has ridden a point to point winner and won the 2018 Irish Field Naps Table.