DOWNPATRICK trainers obviously have their horses in fine form given their winners last weekend.

Last Friday at Gowran, Brian Hamilton saddled the Yes We Will Syndicate’s Easca Peasca to win division one of the opening two-mile maiden hurdle and, two days later, he sent out Ballydam to land the winners of two at Castletown-Geoghegan in the colours of the Lonely Poet Syndicate.

Friday’s neck success of the four-year-old Born To Sea gelding Easca Peasca in the hands of Sean O’Keeffe was tinged with sadness however as it came just two days after the death of syndicate member, and local veterinary surgeon, Maurice King, who starred in the BBC series Mountain Vets in 2019.

Also on Friday but later in the day on the Polytrack at Dundalk, another Downpatrick trainer, Patrick Turley, saddled his wife Mary’s That Just Dandy to win the BetVictor seven-furlong maiden at odds of 6/1.

Held on

On his fourth career start, his third for Turley, the three-year-old Dandy Man gelding just held on under Robbie Colgan to beat the 13/8 favourite, Split Passion, by a head with the Sam Ewing-partnered Apple Of His Eye a further neck back in third.

There were two northern-bred winners on the flat in Britain lately – the Max Ervine-bred five-year-old Broughtons Flare (Rip Van Winkle – Purple Glow, by Orientate) recording the third success of his career over an extended mile at Wolverhampton on Mondaywith the McCracken Farms-bred three-year-old Coco Bear (Kodi Bear – House Of Roses, by New Approach) doing likewise over six furlongs at Leicester the following afternoon.

Sadly, there was bad news as well on the training front with Draperstown’s Noel Kelly announcing that Decor Irlandais, who had been Grade 1-placed over hurdles, had died while out on grass on his summer break.