FOUR northern owners had winners on the flat in Ireland in the past week starting at Leopardstown on Sunday where J.P. Ledwidge’s Confidence High recorded back-to-back wins in the concluding seven-furlong handicap.

Again ridden by Billy Lee for Caledon trainer Andy Oliver, the three-year-old Kodiac gelding justified 11/8 favouritism by a neck when following up his first success over the course and distance just five days earlier. The bay is now due to have a bit of a break.

The following afternoon at Fairyhouse, the well-known colours of Belfast owner Patricia Hunt were carried to victory in the mile-and-four maiden by the strongly supported Powerful Ted who was making his flat debut.

Trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Colin Keane, the five-year-old Power gelding won a bumper first time out on soft ground at Galway last October.

Later that evening, at Roscommon, Slieve Bearnagh got off the mark on the fifth time of asking when landing the seven-furlong handicap for Castlewellan owner Paul Rooney. A first winner of the season for trainer Michael Halford, the Ronan Whelan-partnered three-year-old Zoffany gelding, who is out of a two-time winning Galileo half-sister to Dunboyne Express (by Shamardal), was among the entries for Naas this afternoon.

North Co Dublin trainer Karl Thornton saddled his second winner of the campaign when flat debutant Shanroe came late on the scene under Robbie Colgan to claim the concluding extended 12-furlong maiden at Limerick on Wednesday evening.

The six-year-old British-bred Multiplex gelding, who scored by a head, is owned by Newry’s Brian Smyth whose colours he carried to success in three back-to-back successes in bumpers in Britain last year.

Thornton, who would have been disappointed if the bay had not won, said his charge will mix it on the flat and over hurdles in the coming months.