WITH Bellewstown just around the corner, Ado McGuinness’s horses are running into form at the right time. A double through Oor Jock and Aussie Valentine at Tipperary on Thursday evening helped advertise the well-being of the Lusk trainer’s string.

His veteran Oor Jock retains plenty of enthusiasm at the age of 10. However, the 7/1 shot had to dig deep for Colin Keane in the seven and a half furlong 45-65 handicap to gets the better of Time Stands Still by a head in the colours of Sean Gallagher.

It’s been over a year since Oor Jock last won a race, but this was his seventh success in total. McGuinness’s assistant Stephen Thorne, a recent winner of the ‘lead by example’ category at Godolphin’s stud and stable staff awards, said: “He’s been a good fun horse who’s won nearly €100,000 in prize money.”

Looking ahead to Bellewstown, he added: “We’ve had a quiet couple of months but they’re turning the corner now and we’ll have plenty of runners next week.”

Aussie Valentine doubled up for McGuinness when giving 19 year-old Thomas Sherry his fourth success and his first as a 7lb claimer in the rated race. The seven-year-old, jointly owned by Gary Devlin and Joe McCrory, went to the front at the quarter mile pole and opened up inside the final furlong to register a one and a half length win over Masucci, with the favourite Conclusion back in third.

Thorne was full of praise for Sherry’s handling of the 4/1 chance, commenting: “He joined us in February and is a very hard worker. All the credit for this goes to him and he’s a top-class young lad and one for the future.”

Aussie Valentine was a cheap purchase by Thorne at the HIT Sale last October as a replacement for Bubbly Bellini and “has won nearly €40,000 for us from six or seven starts,” according to Thorne. He concluded: “We have him entered in the Nasrullah Handicap in Leopardstown and I think there’s a big handicap in him.”

DOUBLES

Oor Jock’s rider Colin Keane had a brace of winners of his own, the most recent coming via John Kiely’s 15/8 favourite Check Your Pockets in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap. The hot-pot carries the royal blue and white checked colours of the trainer’s Dungarvan neighbour Gerry Burke whose association with Kiely stretches back 31 years.

Keane brought his mount from last to first to win convincingly by three and a half lengths from Nivvo. Kiely remarked: “She’s a nice mare and we liked her all the time. She ran a very good race at the Curragh in an apprentice race and we were hoping she’d do herself justice. There might be a race for her in Killarney.”

Trainer Peter Fahey became the third person to double up at the meeting. Robbie Downey had the leg up on Jenniechild who came out best in a blanket finish to the 45-70 handicap by a short head from Elegant Emmeline at a price of 4/1.

Fahey, who was attending the Derby Sale, has care of the Tagula mare for owner/breeder Lucy Lynch and his head man Gavin Lawlor commented: “She’s had a few niggly problems but we’ve finally got her right now. The key to her is good to firm ground and this is probably the first summer she’s got it.”

Stable-mate High Kicker, with Ronan Whelan in the saddle, followed up for the Monasterevin handler when repelling the challenge of Easy Boy by a head in the 45-60 handicap. Sent off 4/1 joint favourite with the fourth-placed top-weight Sleepy Head. The seven-year-old was winning her third race for Mrs Tom Howard.

“The Howard family have been great supporters of the yard and it’s great to see them having a bit of success,” Lawlor observed. “She’s been knocking at the door and had a bit of form, so we were hopeful. The horses are running well and it’s nice to see them back in form again.”

CONDON SUCCESS

Irish 2,000 Guineas winning trainer Ken Condon chalked up a belated success with his progressive Requinto filly Usra in the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Maiden. Held up at the tail of the field by Shane Foley the 5/1 chance was looking for a gap at the quarter-mile marker.

Once she saw daylight, the response was immediate and Usra stormed clear to beat the front-running favourite Backpfeifengesicht by two and a half lengths. The successful owner Robert Moran lives in Florida but has a stud in Roscarberry.

Condon reflected: “We made too much use of her the last day but we rode her more patiently today and the track and the ground suited her. If you go back to her second last run she was entitled to put up a performance like that.

“Her pedigree is all speed but she’s not an early season two-year-old and I’d say she could step up to six furlongs, ridden like that.” The Curragh trainer also reported that Romanized is due to start cantering again on Monday, with the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville as his next objective, rather than Goodwood.

Luke Comer junior, who took out a trainer’s licence in April and has 12 horses in his Dunboyne yard, got off the mark when his mother Margaret’s homebred colt Great Grey responded to pressure from Chris Hayes to spring a 25/1 surprise in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden by one and a half lengths.

The rookie trainer said: “He’s a nice horse who needed the run last time. We’ll see what handicap mark he gets.”

ACTING STEWARDS

J. Powell, P. McLernon, D.H. Gavin, E. Irwin, H. Hynes.

HORSE TO FOLLOW

TIME STANDS STILL (W.J. Martin): Hasn’t had the best of luck in her outings to date but has been knocking at the door and deserves to get her turn.