BELFAST owner Patricia Hunt is having an excellent run of late and had a winner both days last weekend, the pair being trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Paul Carberry.

On Saturday at Naas, Patricia’s five-year-old Robin Des Champ gelding Aengus, a Fairyhouse bumper winner on his second start in November, scored on his second outing over hurdles when justifying favouritism in the two-mile, three-furlong maiden.

At Leopardstown, the owner’s cerise silks were carried to a Grade 1 success in the Flogas Novice Chase by the smashing Milan gelding Apache Stronghold whose first win over fences had come on the opening day of the Northern Ireland Festival of Racing at Down Royal.

BUCHANAN WINNERS

Comber’s Alan and Sylvia Buchanan were among those welcoming in Strongpoint at Naas and they have also been cheering home winners on the TV recently.

Their son Peter has partnered three horses to victory in the past eight days including the odds-on Jennys Melody who won the mares’ novices’ hurdle at Newcastle last Friday week by a distance. She is trained in Co Antrim for Richard Gilchrist by Ben Arthey whose other runner in the four-strong field, Castle Goer, was pulled up by Brian Hughes.

Jennys Melody, a six-year-old Gamut bay who was winning for the first time since landing her bumper on her debut at Sedgefield in March last year, was bred in Co Kildare by Madeleine Byrne out of the Phardante mare Pharaway Stream.