Tiernan Power enjoyed his first success in Britain at the Gloucester point-to-point races on Tuesday afternoon.
The Wexford rider made the decision to cross the Irish Sea earlier this month due to the ongoing suspension of point-to-point racing here, bringing a number of horses for Harley Dunne and Sean Doyle with him, as they maximise the opportunities open to them by the return of British point-to-pointing on Monday.
Second at Charing on Monday on what was his first ride in England, the Tomhaggard native, who has ridden 20 point-to-point winners here, opened his account aboard Flaming Ambition, who won the four and five-year-old maiden by five lengths for handler Chris Barber, under whose care the Harley Dunne and Sean Doyle horses are in.
“I didn’t have to do a whole lot there, my job was very easy. He jumped like a buck, travelled everywhere and quickened off the home bend. Ideally I would have liked the other horse to come with me to the second last, he just got a bit green and had a good look at everything. He did it easily,” said Power.
“It rode like a hell of a good race, we went a good gallop from flag fall and never took a breather. My lad just had the class and speed to quicken oof the ground. I think he is going to be a good horse in time.
Flaming Ambition wins the Sharp Nutrition 4&5yo Maiden by an impressive 5 lengths for @CBarberRacing
— Gloucester Races (@GloucesterRaces) March 30, 2021
Congratulations to all connections 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/iikb2o3zqO
“He will be for sale now. He was bought to run in a four-year-old point-to-point and he got the job done today. If he hadn’t of won today we would have been going home with our heads down very low because we really fancied him, his work has been very good and his jumping has been unbelievable.
“I had my first rides in England yesterday in Charing. I was second on a nice four-year-old Mahler horse, he was only beaten a neck or half a length and he has gone to Newmarket for the sales tomorrow and is another very nice four-year-old.
“I had another ride in the older maiden and I’m enjoying it, so that’s three rides now and a second and a winner so I can’t complain and hopefully we will be able to get a few more on the board.
“Ten horses came over from Ireland with me, from Harley Dunne and a couple from Sean Doyle and that is a few of them that are after running now and I am enjoying it now.”
