THERE were a few northern-owned winners in the past week, highlighted by Royal Rendezvous who, under a brilliant ride from Paul Townend, carried the colours of Randox Laboratories’ Dr Peter FitzGerald to a hard-fought victory in the Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday evening.

Sent off as the 5/1 favourite, the nine-year-old King’s Theatre gelding won by a length and a length and a quarter from his Willie Mullins-trained stable-companion, Easy Game, and the badly hampered Modus (yes, that’s the one I backed!). It was great to hear Mullins talk about how well the horse had looked in the run-up to the race, relying on his eye to gauge the gelding’s wellbeing rather than science – apologies to those at Randox!

This was a third success over fences for Royal Rendezvous who also has two hurdle and two bumper wins to his credit. The bay was purchased by Highflyer Bloodstock for £130,000 at the 2017 Goffs UK Aintree Sale shortly after landing his point-to-point maiden at Castletown-Geoghegan for Fiona Magee and joint-owner, and his then trainer, Virginia Considine.

At the Molson Coors flat meeting at Down Royal on Friday evening, James Lambe sent out staunch supporter Richard Behan’s five-year-old Society Rock mare Ever Rock to land the five-furlong Coors Handicap in the hands of Declan McDonagh and Sorcha Woods partnered the Keith Watson-trained New Society to victory in the Molson Coors Beverage Company Apprentice Handicap. The seven-year-old Rock Of Gibraltar gelding, who was backed in from 7/1 to 4/1, runs in the colours of the New Socialites Syndicate.

In the seven-furlong apprentice handicap at Gowran Park on Saturday, Siobhan Rutledge wore the colours of Co Tyrone owner Cathal McGuckin to victory on board the John McConnell-trained Beleaguerment. That five-year-old Kodiac gelding was recording his third career success.

Also at Gowran Park, the Max Ervine-bred Jungle Cove justified favouritism when recording his first win on grass (his second in total) for the Jessica Harrington yard. The four-year-old Mastercraftsman gelding is the fourth of six foals out of the listed-placed winner Purple Glow (by Orientate), dam also of the multiple winners Magical Effect (by New Approach) and Main Desire (by High Chaparral).

Windsor

On Monday evening at Windsor, the Eve Johnson-Houghton-trained Sword Beach recorded his second career success in the near mile-and-a-half handicap. The four-year-old Ivawood gelding, who was bred at the Meadowlands Stud by Colin Kennedy, is the second of four recorded foals, and the only runner to date, out of the Dalakhani mare Sleeping Princess, a half-sister to, among others, Saint Bernard (by Three Valleys), Momix (by Selkirk) and Who Dares Wins (by Jeremy).

Kodiac

Just before the meeting at Sandown was abandoned on Wednesday evening, the seven-furlong novice race for two-year-olds was won by the James Ferguson-trained El Bodegon.

The Kodiac colt, who was bred by Cecil and Martin McCracken, is the last of six recorded foals out of the US-bred Kingmambo mare Al Andalyya and is thus a full-brother to the top-class blacktype performer Best Solution.