Pageboy marks 1,000 winners for Geraghty

Drumree jockey Barry Geraghty celebrated a milestone in a dazzling career on the track when he partnered his 1,000th Irish winner at Cork on Sunday. Geraghty was in sparkling form last week with winners at Sligo on Tuesday, Kilbeggan on Friday and a marvellous double on home soil at Bellewstown last Thursday evening in the build up to a superb treble at the Munster track on Sunday. Trainer David Wachman, more noted for his success on the flat, provided Geraghty with winner 1,000 when Pageboy won with plenty in hand at the Munster track. "I had one goal when I set out riding and that was to ride 1,000 winners," commented Geraghty who is the Meath Chronicle / Cusack Hotel Group sportsperson-of-the-month for March this year, a feat he also achieved in 2009. Geraghty enjoyed some great moments with the Jessica Harrington-trained Moscow Flyer and also partnered many winners for Castletown trainer Noel Meade. "If I had to pick some highlights out most of them would be Moscow Flyer, but I had some good days on Kicking King and Macs Joy also. " Monty's Pass was a great day when we won the Aintree Grand National and winning an Irish Hennessy on Alexander Banquet was great," added the Meath jockey who was also voted as the 2010 'outstanding achievement' winner in the Meath Chronicle / Cusack Hotel Group annual awards Geraghty also rides for top English trainer Nicky Henderson and partnered Sprinter Sacre to the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham in March. However, it was the more humble surroundings of Sligo that kick-started Geraghty's week last Tuesday and he followed that at Bellewstown on Thursday with a double. Ratoath handler Robert Hennessy provided the ammunition for the first leg of the double with Rawnaq which is owned by Kilmessan man Kevin Smith. Geraghty completed the double with a brilliant ride on the Tom Taaffe-trained Uponthe Hoof which was trying three miles for the first time and it was an untidy finish to the race. Following a stewards enquiry no alterations were made to the finishing order and an improvement in his golf could now be on the cards for Geraghty as Uponthe Hoof is part-owned by professional golfer Lee Westwood and his manager Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler. Another winner followed at Kilbeggan on Friday where Loughnagall won a beginners' chase for winner 998. The Eddie Hales trained Ted Dolly initiated the first part of Geraghty's Cork hat-trick in the opening maiden hurdle for 999 and then the magical 1,000th winner arrived in fairly comfortable fashion with the Wachman-trained Pageboy which surged clear in the closing stages. The aptly-named Face Facts, trained by Prunella Dobbs got Geraghty on his way to a possible second 1,000 winners in a dramatic handicap hurdle. Turning into the straight at the Mallow track Face Facts was a only 10th and improved into eighth over the second last, but then the leader fell at the final flight and hampered the second-placed horse with that rider unseated. That left Davy Russell and Bangonform in the lead with Face Facts now closing with renewed vigour. Geraghty and Face Facts got up on the line to win.