With the powerhouse operations of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott dominating the Irish Racing scene, many bemoan the lack of competition on the Emerald Isle. In fairness to Mullins and Elliott, they have more than earned their place at the top of the sport and can’t be blamed for having such a wealth of talent at their disposal.
Nevertheless, we all love a tale of David conquering Goliath in racing or any other sport. All of which made the result of the Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle at Cork last Sunday particularly refreshing.
Desmond Downs the Big Guns
Based in Kilworth, County Cork, farmer Desmond Kenneally presides over a string of three horses – significantly less than the near-200-horse yards of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott. Chancer Jack and Imperial Delta have yet to win a race between them. However, the third horse, Pray Tell, headed into the aforementioned Cork contest with a record of two wins, three seconds, and three third-place finishes from nine outings over hurdles.
Despite that admirable consistency, the eight-year-old son of Ask looked to have his work cut out as he stepped into Grade 3 company for the first time. Lying in wait amongst the opposition were Just For Love and Luckinthecity from the Willie Mullins operation and the Gordon Elliott-trained Minella Sixo, all of whom brought impressive form to the table.
| Card No. | Horse | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luckinthecity | Willie Mullins | 6/1 |
| 2 | Minella Sixo | Gordon Elliott | 5/4 |
| 3 | Churchroad Prince | Jonathan Sweeney | 11/1 |
| 4 | Pray Tell | Desmond Kenneally | 9/2 |
| 5 | Therellbguddaysyet | Michael John O’Connor | 80/1 |
| 6 | Just For Love | Willie Mullins | 11/4 |
Just For Love had won three of her five outings and finished a solid second in Listed company on her most recent outing, whilst stablemate Luckinthecity arrived seeking a hat-trick and showed a liking for Cork when getting on top in a 3m Novice event in October. However, the Gordon Elliott runner Minella Sixo started as the clear 5/4f. The winner of three of four previous outings, his only defeat had come at the hands of subsequent Grade 2 winner, Potters Charm, at Cheltenham.
“I only train three horses and am farming!”
Pray Tell provided local owner-trainer Desmond Kenneally with the biggest winner of his career to date at Cork…
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 8, 2024
It was quite the test for Pray Tell, but he passed it with flying colours. Travelling nicely just off the pace throughout, he began to pick up the pace when switched to the outside in the straight. Soaring over the final two obstacles, long-time leaders Minella Sixo and Just For Love had no answer to his burst of acceleration on the run to the line, much to the delight of rider John Shinnick, who grabbed the first Graded success of his career.
Cheltenham on the Agenda?
Picking up a big win at his local track was a dream come true for Desmond Kenneally. After watching his daughter Maeve lead in the winner, the trainer stated:
“It’s brilliant to win at the local track, especially winning a Graded race, and this is a really good horse. It’s just that he has been plagued with problems. If he hadn’t had so many problems, it probably wouldn’t be me training him! You would have heard of him a long time ago but for that.”
In beating the 133-rated Minella Sixo so comfortably and by a similar margin as Potters Charm, Kenneally has every right to dream big with Pray Tell. And, of course, dreams don’t come much bigger than the Cheltenham Festival. Could we see this unheralded star lining up in a Grade 1 contest at Prestbury Park in March? Kenneally certainly wasn’t ruling the prospect out when outlining future plans.
“I would love to bring him to Cheltenham at some stage in his life. He’s going to be nine now after Christmas, so it would be a dream to run in something like the Albert Bartlett, but we’ll see.”
