The first two horses’ home from the GAIN Final locked horns once again this season in the P2P.ie Mares Point-to-Point Bumper at Tipperary on Thursday evening and it produced a reversal of the Ballynoe placings, with Fort Worth Texas getting the better of Dime A Dozen.
The latter entered the race as an easy to back 11/2 shot despite having easily won at Monksgrange at the end of April since that Ballynoe contest, and having raced in rear alongside Dime A Dozen, Rob James began to make a move closer at the end of the back straight, charting a wide route, to take up a share of the lead approaching the home bend.
Despite being forced to race four wide around the initial part of that bend, the Colin Bowe-trained Gold Well mare soon began to assert, and once getting the better of the Gavin Cromwell-trained favourite Tokyo Getaway, a recent winner at Oldcastle, the five-year-old was able to come home with a length and three quarters to spare.
The success proving to be a fourth of the season for Fort Worth Texas, maintaining her impressive record of finishing in the first two placings in each of her six outings this campaign following on from her debut victory at Dromahane in December. The five-year-old is owned by Monaghan mare Leo McArdle, who made his way to Tipperary to witness the success.
Her Ballynoe conqueror, Dime A Dozen, who was aiming to provide her connections, Tom Hamilton and Shark Hanlon, with a double on the card following their earlier success with Rewritetherules, however she met with trouble in running after the five furlong pole and from that point was always playing catch-up, before staying on in the home straight to take the second.
Tokyo Getaway finished third under Jamie Codd, ten lengths clear of the Fairyhouse fourth Fox Creek in fourth. Bitofalright, who had defeated her at Fairyhouse, completed in sixth, however following a steward’s enquiry into the weighing-in procedure, as her rider Cian Cullinan failed to weigh-in, she was later disqualified.
Colin Bowe who is on course to defending his champion point-to-point handler title, indicated that Fort Worth Texas would now be let off for her summer break, before returning for a hurdling campaign on winter ground.
Colin Bowe who is on course to defending his champion point-to-point handler title, indicated that Fort Worth Texas would now be let off for her summer break, before returning for a hurdling campaign on winter ground.
