Mahonia and Shoreacres head great week for Turtle
7th November 2008
It has been an excellent week for Turtle Island with several very exciting prospects showing off their talents as the season gets into full swing.
Five-year-old Shoreacres (5g Turtle Island-Call Me Dara, by Arapahos), described by his trainer Brendan Powell as "probably the best I’ve had", set the ball rolling at Huntingdon on Sunday.
Having his first run over hurdles, and his first start since finishing fourth to Cousin Vinny in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in March, Shoreacres oozed class as he cruised 10 lengths clear of the well-regarded Carole’s Crusader.
Speaking in the Racing Post’s Stable Tour on Monday, Powell said: "He was foot perfect at Huntingdon and we’ve said all along the better the race, the better he’ll be. He’s matured and is a bigger, stronger horse this year. He’ll make a chaser as he has loads of scope and whatever he does over hurdles is a bonus."
Shoreacres, who was bred by Richard Walshe, sold for 40,000 euros at the 2006 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale to Gill Jones.
Meanwhile at Exeter on Tuesday, the Paul Nicholls-trained Mahonia (5g Turtle Island-Bell Walks Run, by Commanche Run) looked another star of the future after carrying the Best Mate colours of owner Jim Lewis to victory.
The five-year-old was another making his hurdling debut as he justified 4/7 favouritism to cruise home 13 lengths of his rivals.
"You can already see that he’ll jump a fence, and that’s what he’ll do next year, but he’ll win a nice race along the way first," said Nicholls.
The Robert O’Callaghan-bred Mahonia finished second in a point-to-point at Dromahane last year before winning his first start under Rules for Nicholls in a Chepstow bumper in February.
Meanwhile at Thurles on Thursday, the Noel Meade-trained Island Life (5g Turtle Island-Life Support, by High Estate) was a runaway 12-length winner of a handicap chase in the colours of his breeder Ann O’Brien.
The Racing Post’s Analysis noted: "The winner was still travelling when falling at the third-last in his first handicap at Naas, and he was foot-perfect here. Left in front, he pinged the final two obstacles to win eased down. He should build on this display when upped in grade and another handicap is on the cards according to his in-form trainer."