Image © Healy Racing
Susan O’Gorman continued her good run of form at Ballindenisk on Sunday as Lake Nagambie provided her with a first four-year-old winner in the second division of the mares’ maiden.
Ridden by Shane O’Rourke, the daughter of Jet Away made a striking debut, coming from well off the pace to take control after three out before pulling clear to score impressively by five lengths.
While pleased with the performance, O’Gorman admitted the manner of the victory exceeded expectations in what she described as a particularly competitive division.
“I thought she’d run well, but you wouldn’t expect them to go out and win like that,” she said.
“The four-year-olds are so competitive, you’d be hoping they’d be placed, so it was a bonus.”
The success was a notable milestone for the Wexford handler, with Lake Nagambie becoming her first four-year-old winner, and it continued a strong run of form that has seen the yard hit top stride in recent weeks.
She has now sent out three winners in as many weeks, with Annie Mulligan opening her account in a competitive mares’ maiden at Tattersalls before UptoYourselves followed up with a decisive success at Fairyhouse, while a string of placed efforts has highlighted the consistency of the team throughout the season.
That sequence has brought her tally to three winners from 26 runners this season, with a further four seconds and five thirds, and it already marks her most productive campaign to date.
“We’d been hitting the crossbar a good bit all year,” O’Gorman added.
“There were plenty of seconds and a few thirds, so when they’re running like that you know you’re doing things right and it will come.”
Lake Nagambie, a homebred for fellow Wexford native Sean Howlett, continues a productive association between owner and trainer.
“We’ve been lucky with Sean.
“We got to know him through his son Gavin, who’d be a good friend of ours, and we’ve had a few mares for him now and they’ve all won, so it’s worked out well.”
The mare has come out of her race in good order.
“She’s great since it. She’s full of herself now, nearly climbing the walls. Sometimes when they get their head in front, they seem to get a bit of confidence from it.”
Plans are now in place for Lake Nagambie to head to the Goffs UK Doncaster sales, with both Annie Mulligan and UptoYourselves also likely to follow the same route.
O’Gorman had 13 horses hunter certed for the current campaign, with six of those being four-year-olds, although just one more from that group is expected to run before the campaign concludes.
“We’ve one more four-year-old to run and that’s probably it.
“Anything that was placed has been sold and the rest have gone out to grass. We’ll bring them back in again in the autumn.”
Based in Kellystown, County Wexford, O’Gorman operates alongside her husband Patrick O’Sullivan, with the pair combining their point-to-point string with a busy breaking and pre-training operation that typically has around 30 horses in training at any one time.
“There’s always something coming in. When one goes out, another comes in, so we’re kept busy all year round.”
Sophie Carter and James Murray both come in regularly to school, alongside a number of local riders who ride work when needed, and O’Gorman is keen to repay that support in the saddle when opportunities arise.
O’Gorman remains closely involved with the Wexford Foxhounds, where she serves as secretary for the spring point-to-point at Ballinaboola.
The yard has three entries across Necarne and Bartlemy this weekend, although O’Gorman expects to have only a handful of runners in the closing weeks of the season, before turning her attention to the store horses over the summer.
