GAVIN Cromwell was again the toast of punters on Thursday as the Champion Hurdle-winning trainer completed a double at Clonmel with Peaches And Cream and Top Of The Charts, both of whom were partnered by Conor McNamara.

The opening six hurdle races were confined to either conditional jockeys or riders who haven’t ridden 10 winners in the previous 12 months and teenage jockey McNamara made the most of his opportunity when scoring on both well backed winning favourites.

Peaches And Cream began by justifying 11/10 favouritism in the New Inn Opportunity Rated Novice Hurdle, when staying on well on the run-in to beat Licklighter by a length and a half.

Cromwell later said: “Himself and Lucky Road both ran against each other in Killarney and we gave them both a break afterwards and both of them won since. He was grand there today and he is in at Listowel next week so we’ll see.”

Half an hour later, Cromwell and McNamara doubled their score with 4/5 favourite Top Of The Charts in the Lisronagh Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

The son of Great Pretender was a real find for connections as he was bought for just £7,000 in January and has now won four of his last five starts.

Cromwell later credited his race-planning assistant Feidhlim Cunningham with much of the success, saying: “It was Feidhlim’s plan to utilise the hurdles mark and these were the only two races that you could go in again under a penalty. So it has been the plan for a while.

“He will have another little break now and that’s four wins from five for him and he wasn’t an expensive purchase. He is only a five-year-old and I think he’ll be a lovely horse next year. I don’t think he’ll go on bottomless winter ground.”

All Ireland winner enjoys racing success

RACING began with the Kilsheelan Mares Maiden Hurdle where 85-rated Quarry Lil landed a gamble under jockey Eoin O’Brien.

The daughter of Jeremy was a 18/1 chance in the morning but was eventually returned 7/1 and led from the second last before staying on well to beat My Midnight, who blundered at the last, by three-parts of a length.

Winning trainer Paul O’Flynn is a football All-Ireland winner with Cork in 2010 and following his latest training success said: “That’s the way her mother (Quarryvale) did it – bounce out and make it – and we said we’d try what the mother did, and it worked.

“She’s fit now and we got a good opportunity here today, so we said we’d run her. We might go to Listowel with her now.”

Another O’Brien, trainer Joseph, was on the mark in the Betvictor Bet ¤5 Get ¤40 Off Maiden Hurdle with Shadow Seven, under jockey Shane Shortall.

The son of Mastercraftsman is owned by Seamus Dunne and was a dual all-weather winner at Dundalk last year. Today he scored on his second jumps start when beating Nameloc by two and a quarter lengths.

The Ray Hackett trained Happy Jacky justified 7/4 favouritism in the Giantsgrave Handicap Hurdle as the Katie O’Farrell-partnered gelding battled well on the run-in for a two-length win over Alice Johnston.

Happy Jacky, a son of Milan, had been penalised 12lbs for winning easily at Ballinrobe on August 27th but today defied the handicapper, with trainer Hackett later saying: “it was his last chance to race in that 80-95 grade today so we said we’d take our chance.

“Today’s trip was as short as he’d want and we might give him a pop over a fence before the ground goes heavy – he’s not one for winter ground.”

Touch Of Gold has been a fine servant for the Kennedy family and the mare bagged a fifth career success in the Lengthen The Odds With BetVictor Handicap Hurdle.

Trainer Michael Kennedy is a brother of winning jockey Paddy Kennedy, and the handler, also on lead-up duty, later said: “I’m surprised she hadn’t won this year but luckily the ground stayed good. She might go to Listowel on Sunday if the ground stays yielding.

“We were disappointed with her at Tramore the last day and for some reason she ran poorly. Her previous two runs were very good and she has come back to herself today.”

Most decorated jockey riding on the day was former champion amateur jockey and dual point-to-point leading rider Jamie Codd, who steered the Peter Fahey-trained Jazz Toes to win the concluding BetVictor Guaranteed Bumper.

The son of Epaulette was showing the benefit of two previous outings when stretching clear of his rivals for a three-and-a-half-length win from Dads Lad.

Codd later said: “He is the first winner Peter has trained for Paul McKeon.

“He ran a bit keen on his first run at Roscommon and he is a horse who likes to get on with it.

“The last two days we jumped him out nice and handy and he has improved from Killarney and loves that good ground.

“He’ll be a nice fun spring/summer/autumn type of horse.”