A HOST of runners held live chances inside the final furlong of the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap but - as has so often been the case down the years - the answer to a Ballybrit conundrum was provided by Dermot Weld, whose Coeur D’or thundered down the outer to strike under Chris Hayes at 14/1.

The fact that just over four and a quarter lengths separated first and 15th is an indication of just how tightly knit this €120,000 feature was, and Hayes was seen at his best to record a third win in the race, representing owners Mark Phelan and Stephen O’Connor.

Ado McGuinness’ bid to make it four race wins in the space of five years came up just short, with No More Porter denied by a head in second, while Casanova finished an admirable fourth.

So much of this result was about Weld’s patience being rewarded, though. His well-bred gelding had been seen just nine times as he turned seven earlier this year, but he has made rapid progress in recent months.

In providing the legendary trainer with an eighth win in this race, Coeur D’or demonstrated a thoroughly likeable attitude.

Weld said: “He’s been a very consistent horse, this was the plan and he delivered. He’s been running very consistently all year; finishing second at the Curragh before winning at Leopardstown and coming a close third in the Nasrullah Handicap. He’s a brave horse.

“I was worried about the ground because he’s very effective on a slightly quicker surface. He has two great owners and I’m delighted for them. A mile is probably his trip and he’s a model of consistency. He was a very immature horse in his early days and took a long time to come to hand but patience paid dividends.”

Hayes added: “He’s a right old horse. He got me the full set of wins at flat tracks in Ireland last year when I won a maiden on him at Laytown. He just tries so hard. To be honest, I told the boss not to run him so thankfully he doesn’t listen to me anyway!”

Milo off the mark

Weld and Hayes quickly made it a double on the day when Livio Milo got off the mark at the eighth attempt in the seven-furlong Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden.

Moyglare Stud’s homebred, sent off at 5/2, was positively ridden and couldn’t be caught by fast-finishing favourite Nelda in second. A neck separated the pair.

Weld said: “He deserves it, having finished second on his last three runs. The plan worked out perfectly. He’s probably better over a mile than seven furlongs, and that’s why the plan was to push on and get first run early in the straight.

“He battled hard, got a good ride and did what I thought he’d do. He’s tough. I love when horses get into a rhythm coming down the hill because so many get unbalanced at the stage. When they get balanced, they get a rhythm that carries them up the hill. The momentum is helpful.”

HIGH-CLASS stalwart Sharjah has clearly never listened to the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Despite only transitioning to fences at the grand old age of 10, Susannah Ricci’s six-time Grade 1-winning hurdler looks a natural over the larger obstacles and readily landed the Latin Quarter Beginners Chase for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend by 11 lengths.

On this evidence, the 1/4 favourite could have a lucrative few months ahead in novice chases and this performance clearly impressed the champion jockey.

Townend said: “He was very good - I think he enjoyed it as much as I did. Every time he saw a fence, he put his eye to it and took it on. He left me behind in the dip the first time and was very clever in there the second time. He had a lot in his favour today but still went and did it.

“I schooled him a day earlier and he was electric. The drying ground suited and he was entitled to do it but the manner in which he did it - and the appetite he showed for fences - was very pleasing.”

All appeared to point towards a win for the champion trainer in the opening Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle, and that did materialise - but not with the Mullins-trained runner expected by the market.

Townend and 4/6 favourite Absurde couldn’t land a blow from off the pace and it was the stable’s biggest-priced runner, 12/1 shot Arctic Fly, who made all under a well-judged ride from Sean O’Keeffe to claim the listed prize by four and a half lengths.

It has been a seriously fruitful few months for the Brendan O’Sullivan-owned five-year-old, having made a winning bumper debut at Leopardstown in March and since taking her record to two wins from two hurdles starts.

Mullins said: “Sean was very good. I think the first furlongs were 13 and 12 seconds, and then he just slowed it down to 14 and 15 seconds. He was slowing down the whole thing and everyone sat in behind him. He kept enough in reserve to kick.

“This is a Walk In The Park mare and you can’t get much better than that, I think. I expect her to keep improving.”

PADDY Twomey has saddled six individual two-year-old winners so far this season but may well have saved one of his best for the Galway Festival in the shape of Purple Lily.

A €155,000 breeze-up recruit from Brian O’Connell’s Chasefield Stables, the well-backed daughter of Calyx overcame signs of greenness to make a winning debut as 5/2 favourite for the delighted Zinlo Syndicate.

It was quite the performance under Billy Lee to get the better of promising Dermot Weld-trained newcomer Tannola.

Twomey said: “We have a good bunch of two-year-olds and this is a very nice filly. Alan [O’Flynn, joint-owner] asked me to buy a two-year-old at the sales but I kept telling him to wait. We got to the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale and I gave him the choice of two - he picked this one.

“Brian O’Connell did a fantastic job with her and she breezed very nicely, showed a lovely action and good temperament. Brian recommended her highly. She has no entries after coming from the breeze-ups and the trainer is going to be ridiculed now for not having her in other races! We’ll let her progress away.”

Bells bolts in for Slattery

Owner Eithne Thompson’s homebred Bells On Her Toes produced a clear career-best performance to turn the seven-furlong Caulfieldindustrial.com Handicap into a rout as the strongly-supported 7/2 favourite - providing 7lb claimer Cian Horgan with a first Galway Festival winner.

This silky success also continued a tremendous season for winning trainer Andy Slattery, who brought himself within four winners of matching last year’s career-high tally of 22 victories in a season (with roughly 70 fewer runners than was the case last term).

Speaking after the three-length strike, Slattery said: “I was hoping she’d do that and hopefully she’ll run in the Ahonoora Handicap back here on Sunday.

“The more rain that falls, the better. I thought it was all over a furlong out today, bar something happened, and this is great.

“She’s a well-bred filly who has done well for a break when Eithne took her home. Andrew [Slattery, son and jockey] was suspended today so we gave the chance to Cian. Hopefully he’ll get more rides from that because he is well capable.”

Fiction flying high for Fahey

There were joyous scenes in the Ballybrit winner’s enclosure following Complete Fiction’s dramatic late surge to land the concluding Caulfield Industrial Handicap under Colin Keane for Jarlath Fahey.

Victory for the 4/1 joint-favourite by a neck over Arch Enemy didn’t always look likely.

However, the champion jockey was on his absolute ‘A’ game aboard the Triona Burbage-owned six-year-old, who produced the best performance of his career to score. Fahey said: “His owner Triona is from Portarlington, works in her family’s pub and there’s a big gang of friends here since early in the bar.

“We were hoping for the best; we were a bit worried whether he’d handle the track but obviously he handled it well and came home nicely, as he usually does.

“Colin was brilliant, he’s champion jockey for a reason. He has had five rides for me and three have won.”