ON his first day back riding in Ireland since he received that colossal 22-day ban in France early last month, Seamie Heffernan enjoyed a day of mixed fortunes which yielded a double but also a four-day careless riding suspension.

The rider’s brace began with a feature race success aboard Laburnum in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes where the Irish Oaks fourth accounted for her stablemate and Epsom’s Oaks second Ennistymon.

However, he then picked up a four-day careless riding ban after winning on Jungle Jungle the first division of the MansionBet-sponsored 45-65 rated handicap over an extended nine furlongs.

In the last furlong of this race, Heffernan angled the Tony Martin-trained Jungle Jungle off the rail to make his challenge and this had something of a concertina effect on those on the winner’s outer – the stewards deemed that the rider was guilty of careless riding.

In a subsequent interview with Racing TV, Heffernan offered a robust defence of his actions while accepting that interference was caused and compared to how other incidents have been treated this season the jockey looked harshly enough treated.

In terms of the Hurry Harriet Stakes, this nine-and-a-half-furlong affair went along expected lines as it developed into a shootout between the two Ballydoyle fillies. Their form put them some way in advance of their rivals and over the last quarter of a mile they had the outcome to themselves.

Ennistymon stuck to her task well after racing on the pace throughout but the odds-on Laburnum (4/5) was just too good and ran out a cosy length-and-a-quarter winner to give Aidan O’Brien his third win in this race in the last four years.

“Her last run was very good. It wasn’t an easy decision to make between her and Ennistymon but I thought this trip could suit her better. She’s a nice filly with a decent turn of foot,” said Heffernan.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Jungle Jungle (16/1) ran out a decidedly comfortable half-length winner of his race after only striking the front late on. The James Dunne-owned four-year-old was making only his third appearance for Tony Martin.

It was yet another notable afternoon in the career of Johnny Murtagh who reeled off a treble which left him just one short of his previous best seasonal tally of 33 winners which he set in 2018.

Murtagh’s first winner was also a milestone one for apprentice Nikita Kane who rode out her 10lb claim aboard the dependable Lord Rapscallion (14/1) in the MansionBet-sponsored seven-furlong handicap.

This 94-rated four-year-old, who is owned by the Rapscallion Syndicate, cruised into the lead early in the straight and stayed in control thereafter to defeat Baraniya by half a length.

“He goes well for Nikita and it’s great for her, she rides this horse every morning and getting down to a 7lb claim was one of her targets for the year,” stated Murtagh.

“I’d say he could go to Leopardstown for a seven-furlong handicap on Irish Champions Weekend.”

Murtagh promptly added to his haul as the Gary Halpin-ridden Springbank (8/1) ran riot in first-time blinkers in the MansionBet McEnery Cup over a mile and a half.

Already a winner this season and fresh from quite a respectable run in last month’s Ulster Derby, this Maura Gittins-owned son of Galileo set sail for home from some way out and galloped on strongly to defeat War Diary by half a dozen lengths.

“He’s a horse with a great stride and he used it there today while the blinkers helped him travel,” remarked Murtagh who is eyeing a handicap on Irish Champions Weekend for his charge.

The treble was brought up by Laggata (9/4) in the first division of the Irish EBF-sponsored fillies’ maiden over an extended nine furlongs.

In the colours of Irish National Stud Racing, the 82-rated daughter of Soldier Hollow came with a strong effort for Danny Sheehy over the last furlong and a half to get the better of Orchid Gardens by a length and three quarters.

DERMOT Weld might well have unearthed a two-year-old of substantial promise in Wuqood who made a winning start to his career in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over a mile. This Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned colt made huge appeal on pedigree alone as a son of Dubawi and his trainer’s Oaks runner-up Tarfasha and he will worth be worth following closely wherever he goes this autumn.

The 12/1 shot got into the thick of the action with over a furlong to run and he responded splendidly to Oisin Orr’s promptings to edge out fellow promising newcomer Liffey River by a short-head with the odds-on Harvard a further length and a quarter away. The winner holds a National Stakes entry.

“He’s a lovely colt. Every bit of work he’s done he’s improved from and he’s really smartened up today. He’s only a baby but I liked the way he quickened up and he’ll improve from this,” declared the winning rider.

Although he had to settle for second on Ennistymon, Wayne Lordan did get amongst the winners as Oh So True (11/2), who was continuing a tremendous season for Donnacha O’Brien, took the second division of the Irish EBF-sponsored fillies maiden over an extended nine furlongs.

On her fifth outing, this 82-rated daughter of American Pharoah looked to have this race under control entering the last furlong and she was also doing enough to contain the effort of St Clerans by a length and a quarter. This made it 40 winners for the season for the winning rider while the trainer suggested that his charge could now move up to stakes level.

Danny Sheehy, who rode one of Johnny Murtagh’s winners, went on to make it a double on Highway To Heaven in the second division of the MansionBet-sponsored 45-65 rated handicap over an extended nine furlongs.

his five-year-old won the corresponding division of this race last year and she produced a brave effort from the front to continue an industrious season for Tom McCourt. The 12/1 chance carries the colours of David Daly.