AFTER striking gold at the Galway Festival the previous evening, Keith Donoghue continued an industrious few days by notching up a double which was achieved on horses with contrasting prices and profiles.

Whereas Donoghue’s first victory came aboard the 7/2 chance Empirion, his second was supplied by Whirling Dervish who sprang a 20/1 surprise in the two-mile maiden hurdle.

The latter was once a very smart horse on the flat and was placed twice at listed level while it was only 16 months ago that he made short work of Twilight Payment in a Gowran conditions race.

After his purchase at the autumn horses in training sale last October, this five-year-old son of Camelot had struggled on his first four runs over hurdles.

This time a tongue tie was applied for his first run since March and a patient Donoghue worked the oracle on Gavin Cromwell’s charge who swept past the front-running favourite Santana Plessis before the final flight to come six and a half lengths clear.

“He was a good flat horse but we’ve had a lot of trouble with his back and his jumping hasn’t been great,” commented Cromwell who trains the winner for the Givers Syndicate.

“He jumped better today and it’s nice to win a race with him but clearly he was bought in the hope he’d be a lot better than he is. We’ll see how he gets on in handicaps.”

Donoghue’s earlier winner came on Matthew Smith’s Empirion (7/2) who bagged the maiden hurdle for horses who had had never been placed.

A 10-race maiden coming into this race and well held off a mark of 92 in a Fairyhouse handicap hurdle on New Year’s Day on his most recent start, Empirion asserted after the last flight to defeat Dave And Bernie by four and a half lengths. The victorious six-year-old is owned by Walter O’Connor.

“It’s nice for him to win as I had high hopes for him a while back. We’ll probably keep him to hurdles for the time being,” stated Smith.

THE day did not start well for punters as the market leader Coosan Clover ran out at the third flight in the Tom McCormack Memorial Mares Maiden Hurdle.

At the other end of the race, the joint 3/1 second favourite Little Lady Lu was cut down in the final yards by the 33/1 newcomer Granny Lowrie who is trained by Pat Doyle for his wife Mary.

The trainer’s son Jack was on board this daughter of Fame And Glory, who was picked up for just €4,500 as a foal despite being out of a half-sister to the top class Darlan, and he never had to resort to the whip on this useful-looking prospect

“She hadn’t a whole lot done but she travelled like a good filly. She jumped well and was just very professional. She looks a nice filly,” remarked the winning rider.

A vastly bigger priced winner was lying in wait later on the card as Ballycastle Lady, whose trainer David Dunne sent out a 100/1 winner earlier this year, scored at 80/1 in the Paul & Carmel Fay Memorial Handicap Hurdle over an extended three miles.

This Sean Monaghan-owned and bred mare had shown some promise on her racecourse debut 13 months previously but suffered heavy defeats in two runs since then and looked to have it all to do on her first start since February.

The market got it hopelessly wrong though as Eoin Walsh’s mount got the better of the 20/1 chance Rippon Lodge by five and a half lengths with the odds-on Eimear (coughing post-race) only fifth.

Caridadi back in the grove

JUST under four years after he last won a race, the John Morrison-owned and trained Caridadi took his career tally to three wins from 45 outings in the 80-95 rated handicap hurdle.

After returning from two years off to finish second at Ballinrobe last month, the Sean O’Keeffe-ridden 5/1 chance led before the last en route to a near four-length success over the market leader Ashton Court.

Also ending a lengthy spell without a victory was Eoin Doyle’s Rueben James (20/1) who landed the Greville Arms Hotel Beginners Chase to record his first success since scoring on his racecourse debut at Downpatrick in July 2017.

Josephina looked to have this race under control as she strode on before the last but she was quickly reeled in by Ryan Treacy’s mount who asserted on the run for home before crossing the line three parts of a length ahead of the 50/1 shot Napoleon Blue.

Ryan Treacy then completed a double as the 11-year-old Garrai Phaidin (18/1) won his first race for four and a half years in the 0-102 rated handicap chase over just short of two and three quarter miles.

Shane Ryder’s charge was brave after racing up with the pace. He fought off My First Symphony after the last and somehow withstood the whirlwind charge of the well-backed Arctic Light by a head.

This was a fortuitous winner for Treacy as the gelding was initially due to be ridden by Paddy Kennedy and he was then replaced by Keith Donoghue but the latter stood himself down before the last which saw the mount on the John Collevy-owned gelding pass to Treacy.