MOST people, especially those who were at Toomebridge in November 2014, would have been delighted to see Yorkhill return to form when landing the near three-mile Listed Rehearsal Handicap Chase at Newcastle on Saturday.

Now trained in Scotland by Sandy Thomson, who he joined over the summer, the 10-year-old Presenting gelding was a multiple Grade 1 winner when trained by Willie Mullins for Graham and Andrea Wylie, but though he won at the Galway Festival last year, he didn’t seem in love with the game.

It was great to see Yorkhill run with such enthusiasm on Saturday and who can forget how well he was going that afternoon at Toomebridge when, unfortunately, he ducked inside a doll after the second-last fence with the four-year-old maiden at his mercy. The chesnut made amends next time out in a similar race at Tattersalls.

Yorkhill was then trained by Colin McKeever for Wilson Dennison and another Loughanmore graduate to win over the weekend was Ballyadam who landed the Grade 1 Baroneracing.com Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday as the 8/15 favourite.

The five-year-old Fame And Glory gelding carried Dennison’s quartered colours to victory at Portrush in October last year.

Another five-year-old Fame And Glory gelding, the Noel Meade-trained Highland Charge, made a successful debut in the bumper at Fairyhouse on Saturday. The bay was bred in Dromore by Callie Berry out of the Epervier Bleu mare Full Of Birds and is thus a full-brother to Do Your Job and a half-brother to three other winners, viz Ballytober (Kahyasi), Draytonian (King’s Theatre) and Down Ace (Generous).