Image © Healy Racing
Sixteen runners went to post for the 2025 edition of the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup with the Richard O’Keeffe-trained Transprint coming home by three parts of a length to stable companion Turnupdevolume.
In a thrilling renewal of the Ladies Cup, outsider Transprint (22/1) came from mid-division to clinch a dramatic late victory, getting the better of his more-fancied stablemate Turnupdevolume (5/1) close home. Denis Murphy's Fralimonti Bilbery was sent off the 3/1 favourite in the race, but pulled-up before two out after being badly hampered in an incident where a number of horses hit a loose railing approaching the turn for home.
Defending Champion, Knockiel Synge (7/1), under regular partner Georgie Benson, made most of the running and looked set to repeat last year’s success turning for home. However, both of O’Keeffe’s runners made good progress from the fourth last fence.
Although the gallant Knockiel Synge and the Barry Stone-ridden Turnupdevolume looked to have the race between them, Tony Doyle who was aboard last year's third, Transprint, timed his challenge to perfection to secure his first track success.
The nine-year-old Transprint has only had one run this season in preparation for today, when finishing fourth at Ballyknock earlier this month.
“He got a little bit of a setback there and it just took us a while to get him right and he got a spin in the winners of one two weeks ago and that left him fairly right for here”, reported winning trainer O’Keeffe, who previously tasted success in this race with Vital Island in 2022.
The less experienced Valirann-sired runner-up Turnupdevolume, who was fancied more strongly in the betting market, took his maiden point-to-point at Tattersalls a fortnight previously and was partnered by today’s winning rider Doyle on that occasion.
“He won his maiden in Tattersalls, he won well in a very fast time and it was his first time over the banks and he was just a bit green.
“I’d say another spin around there that he will love the job next year. Or maybe Saturday, we will see how it goes”, said O’Keeffe of the second, who could return for the Cross Country Chase on Saturday.
The County Wexford-based trainer has declared Transprint in Thursday’s La Touche Cup along with Vital Island and will wait to see how he comes out of today’s race before making any decision to run.
This is the biggest success to date for rider Tony Doyle, who has three point-to-point victories to his credit and O’Keeffe was full of praise for the winning rider.
“Tony has only ridden three winners and the three were for me. He does a lot of schooling of young four-year-old horses for Gary Murphy, Darragh Berry, Johnny Berry, all the lads round my area.
“He only wants to ride two horses. He rode Turnupdevolume to win at Tattersalls and he wanted to ride this lad here. He got it right!
“It’s great, for us small trainers. We don’t have a lot of runners, so its great to turn up here and win a nice one on the day, I’m on top of the world.”
