IT was disappointing that there were no locally-trained winners at last weekend’s Festival Of Racing at Down Royal but some of the successful horses over the two days had northern connections.

Heading this cast was the Gordon Elliott-trained The Storyteller who, under a superb ride from Keith Donoghue, won the featured Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase on Saturday in the colours of Pat Sloan.

The nine-year-old Shantou gelding, who was purchased for €67,000 by Kevin Ross Bloodstock at the 2014 Goffs Land Rover Sale, has now won six times over fences. His CV also includes four victories over hurdles and one in a bumper, while he has earned over €400,000 in prize money.

No one would have begrudged the Sloans this success as, through their family business, SHS Drinks, they sponsored Friday’s Grade 2 WKD Hurdle and the following afternoon’s Grade B WKD Handicap Hurdle.

Also among Elliott’s five winners on Saturday was Cheveley Park Stud’s Ballyadam who justified odds-on favouritism on his track jumping debut in the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle.

The five-year-old Fame And Glory gelding began his career on the northern point-to-point scene where, on his only start in this sphere, the bay claimed his maiden at Portrush in October last year. Then trained at Loughanmore by Colin McKeever for Wilson Dennison, Ballyadam was sent to the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale the following month when he was knocked down to Gordon Elliott Racing for €330,000.

Fourth victory

Elliott also sent out Battleoverdoyen to win the Grade 2 Lough Construction Chase on his seasonal debut in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud. Recording his fourth victory over fences to go with two wins over hurdles and one in a bumper, the seven-year-old Doyen gelding was bred locally by the Dromore-based Berry Farms.

This bay too had a one-race–one-win point-to-point career, landing his maiden at Loughanmore in April 2017 when trained in Katesbridge by Jerry Cosgrave for Magherlin’s Michael Lynch and ridden by the recently retired Mark O’Hare.

On Friday, when Elliott saddled three winners, there were victories for Coleraine-born Jody McGarvey on the Shark Hanlon-trained bargain buy Skyace in the Grade 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle and for Co Donegal’s Conor Orr on the Dot Love-trained Bridge Native in the Ladbrokes Handicap Chase.

With racing taking place behind closed doors, remarkable support for the track was shown by a host of loyal sponsors. Those not mentioned above included Advanced NI Scaffolding, Rainbow Communications and Metcollect.

Down Royal’s chief executive Emma Meehan was much appreciative of the sponsors’ input over the two days, while she and her team have to be commended for running such a high-class fixture in these challenging times.